double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs vietnamese seafood double-skinned crabs mud crab exporter double-skinned crabs double-skinned crabs crabs crab exporter soft shell crab crab meat crab roe mud crab sea crab vietnamese crabs seafood food vietnamese sea food double-skinned crab double-skinned crab soft-shell crabs meat crabs roe crabs

Breaking News

Russia launched intercontinental ballistic missile during attack on Ukraine, Kyiv says
Business

Curb your identity theft stress

By
John Crudele
Published June 13, 2010, 4:00 a.m. ET

Dear John: On Feb. 11, I received a call from Bank of America looking to confirm that I’d called at 2:30 a.m. to change my access codes and the address on my credit card accounts. I told them I hadn’t.

They said, “We have a problem,” and that they would cancel the cards and open a fraud investigation.

On Feb. 12, I received another call from the bank, asking to confirm that on the day before I had called to have new cards sent via FedEx to a different address.

Again the answer was that I hadn’t made the call. This time Bank of America told me I should file a police report. On Feb 14, I went to the precinct to file a fraud complaint. And the desk sergeant refused to do so because I had “no proof.” Then I got a bank letter, and on Feb. 22 I went back to the police.

I was told by the police there was nothing they could do. But I insisted, and 20 minutes later the sergeant told me to “just relax and wait until the detective comes down.”

Then, during the week of March 7 through 14, I received several calls from the Chase Bank fraud department informing me that two of my credit cards had been fraudulently accessed.

Several charges were made in excess of $5,000. Some of the charges were rejected, but some went through.

Again, the perp had tons of my vital information and tried to have new cards sent to a different address.

The only person who might be able to solve this crime is me. And yet, no one — not the police or the banks — want to share any information or work with me to do so. D.S.

Dear D.S.: Let me start by quoting the cops, you should just relax.

I had to shorten your letter considerably because the paper on which we print this newspaper is just too expense to have reproduced the whole thing. But, in short, you’ve been scammed over and over, and you think the police don’t care.

I sympathize, but here are some facts.

First, the banks have you covered on any charges that might have been made — or will be made — through the fraudulent use of your credit cards. I confirmed that fact, which should make you happy.

And the cops are on the trail of the bad guys. So you really aren’t going to be the one to solve this crime, even if you want to be the hero.

The NYPD has already applied for a subpoena for the store from where the phone calls to your banks were made. They were apparently from a little gas station and shopping mart on Long Island.

And the cops have even gone to the store to look at surveillance cameras. “There’s an active investigation of this case,” said a source at the NYPD.

I printed your letter mostly for the next part of my response.

Despite the fact that you think you were not welcome at the precinct, the police said you did exactly the right thing by going to them. You need a record of what happened in case there is any dispute on the charges later.

And you should also have called the credit rating agencies to flag your Social Security number in case someone tries to make you a victim again.

At least in your case, look at the bright side — it hasn’t cost you anything except aggravation. And you and I got to teach others how to handle themselves if this happens to them.

Send your questions to Dear John, The N.Y. Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, N.Y., N.Y., 10036, or [email protected].