Hacked

A few days ago we got a call from a number I didn't recognize. In my typical fashion, I of course didn't answer it. So as the phone is ringing and ringing, and I'm sitting there with the phone within grabbing distance, Chris walks by and asks who's on the phone. "Nobody I know," I told him. He doesn't have my phone phobia so he answered.


And sometimes it's a good idea to answer calls even if you don't recognize the number. Turns out it was American Express, asking if we'd been in New York recently because there's a bunch of charges to our account at businesses in New York. Nope, haven't been to New York so holy cow! Someone has hacked our account. I keep reading scary statistics about how common it is to have a credit card or bank account hacked, and now we are part of that statistic. Thank goodness American Express is on top of things and contacted us right away. We won't be responsible for the charges and they overnighted us a new card. I'm still left scratching my head, wondering how someone racked up $500 in charges at Appleby's (?!?) and paid using our credit card that was in Chris's wallet at the time. 


Just a couple weeks ago a friend shared that her bank account had been hacked, and she didn't notice for a few months. She thought her bills were being paid automatically but they weren't because someone was taking money out of her account instead. Thank goodness she caught it and was insured so she got her money back. We were both lucky.   


I don't know who these people are who so blatantly take what doesn't belong to them, but there are a lot of them. Protect yourself. Check your accounts regularly and make sure there are no bogus charges or withdrawals. Check your credit score and credit report. There are ways to get a free credit score/credit report. Do some searching online. Don't let some stranger with no conscious ruin your credit and steal all your money. I hope you don't become part of the statistic too.


Do you have a similar story? Have you been hacked too?