A couple of years ago someone managed to get my Debit Card number; they went on a spree and spent 700 dollars before I noticed it online; by then the damage was done and I had to spend weeks on the phone with my bank, begging not to be held accountable for the charges.Today I saw that someone used my number to download Napster music. I managed to see it just 20 minutes after whoever it was had done their purchasing, so I called the bank instantly. Now I have no card--I was instructed to cut it up and await a new one.
Thanks to this anonymous thief, I have restricted access to my own bank account, my own funds, until this is sorted out. It's for my own protection--I guess.
I suppose if I have to be robbed, I would prefer it to be done online rather than at gunpoint, but either way there is a sense of violation that grows and grows. The problem with the online robbery is that the perpetrator probably types in a number without any twinge of conscience. Who are they hurting? All they're doing is typing a number. I'll bet it's very easy to rationalize that type of theft. I'm guessing it will be very difficult to catch them, too--although the person who robbed me two years ago was, in fact, caught.
Either way, the robber can talk him or herself into the idea that they need money, and if other people have it, they can take it. But let's face it: they're not buying groceries with my money--they're downloading music from Napster.
I love the convenience of internet shopping, but this is my morality tale for the month: beware of the convenience of online theft.
2 comments:
Hope you get it straightened out without too much hassle. That's scary. I love the concept of online shopping but have resisted. Although I guess if you give a credit card number over the phone it's not much different.
I suppose it all comes down to how much a person trusts those who have access to their numbers--and how can we possibly know who is trustworthy?
It is scary, and it requires constant vigilance.
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