be aware

So I have a reminiscing/looking back post half written about the past year, my "official" entrance into Navy life with my sailor. And I'm really looking forward to posting it and it also gives a little more story and background to my life and our relationship. But, I have something else important (not more, because I'm not going to lie, my sailor is number one :) to talk about.

I woke up Sunday morning to an e-mail from Bank of America, the bank that issues my Mastercard. I have my account set so that anytime a purchase is made with my card, I get an e-mail telling me when, where and for how much. I always look at them, then delete them because they are always charges I've made.

Well this time, I woke up to an e-mail with a charge from an online store that I KNEW I had never bought from, let alone ever even been to. I had to google the name of the store to even know what it was (some gaming store site for Sony). It was only for $1 so I wasn't too worried and was waiting for Bank of America's site to be back up so I could contact them (it was earlyish Sunday morning). And, I still had my card in my possession, I knew it wasn't lost, so I wasn't freaking out too much (yet!) about it.

Well, not even 8 hours after the charge to my card, I get an e-mail from my bank telling me that there was "irregular credit card activity" and to click on the link to verify myself and my purchases. So I went, verified the purchase that wasn't mine and submitted my "claim." In doing that, the bank canceled my credit card and issued me a new one. (I also got a number of phone calls from the bank that afternoon but was at a wedding so I didn't hear to answer).

I'm writing about this for a couple of reasons:

1. Bank of America is AWESOME! Barely anytime passed before they contacted me about the purchases and took care of things!
2. I love the fact that they are taking no chances and canceled my card and issued me a new one, with no hassle to me! All I have to do is notify any places that use that card for recurring charges.
3. I NEVER thought that I would have to deal with something like this. I was SERIOUSLY LUCKY that the charge was for only a $1. I think it was just whoever got a hold of my information was testing to make sure the card worked before they made a most likely much bigger purchase! It could have been so much worse, hundreds or thousands of dollars, so I was one of the very lucky ones!
4. This also made me more aware of online shopping. I don't shop at any sites that I don't know or trust, but I'm also making sure that my card isn't stored on ANY site, regardless of whether I trust it or not. There are too many risks if someone was able to get into that sites database. And make sure that if you get bills in the mail, keep receipts or have anything with your account number and information on it, make sure you keep them in a safe place. And if you throw them away, make sure you shred them, burn them, etc.!
5. And, I just want to remind everyone to BE CAREFUL! I never never never thought someone would get a hold of my info and I would have to worry about canceling my card. But it happened to me and it can happen to anyone! In 2008, 26% of identity theft was due to credit card fraud and it's on the rise. With the holiday season fast approaching and all the shopping sure to come, I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful!

 Ok, that's my PSA for the day! Thanks for listening :)