Problem One
I have been battling a few frauds this month and last. The latest, today, a Real Estate Agent called to ask if my rural land was For Sale. I said no and hung up. He sent me a text indicating someone assumed my identity and was attempting to sell my real estate. I called the Sheriff's Detective, who is already working on another fraud case, which I will explain further below.
The Detective looked into the real estate fraud today, called the Agent (legitimate), got some information (offered for sale at 30% of its value), insufficient to do anything at this point, told me there is little that I can do to prevent real estate theft (Oh Brother!), but "endeavor to persevere." Well, I made that last bit up from the Indian's Treaty with the Washington, DC White Men.
Problem Two
Unsolicited by me in early September, my home address was used to create a fictitious business with Google Business Ads, named "Tree Company Cocoa", and from there, someone has been printing and sending to (at least) Duluth, MN and Baltimore, MD, $2,650.00, worthless, easily spotted as fake, Cashier's Checks on real banks, and bogus bank account numbers. Maybe you got one too?!?!? I found out because those two checks came back to me "undeliverable", as Priority Mail and 2-Day Delivery Mail. I called the Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO).
I filled out the Florida Attorney General fraud form about the Cashier's Checks, was about to mail it certified, when they called and recommended that I contact the U.S.P.S. as it was Interstate fraud. The U.S.P.S. says I "would be surprised" to know how frequent this fraud is.
The BSCO Detective came today to pick up the original Cashier's Check documents and was encouraging that they would follow up with the U.S.P.S. and bring the Brevard County Sheriff Office resources into the investigation too.
Problem Three
This fraud was perpetrated through T-Mobile in person in Seattle, WA on 7/31/22 wherein two phones and extended warranties were purchased (illegally) with my wife's credit card. We were in FL at the time. We called VISA when we first noticed 3 days later. VISA refunded the $296.10 claimed as fraud while they "investigated".
On 9/30 VISA reversed the claim as "legitimate" and provided the T-Mobile "Invoice" in rebuttal. Doing what I do best, I took the T-Mobile "invoice" apart piece by piece. The bottom line, T-Mobile's "invoice" contained NO descriptive line items of what was purchased in the amount of (-)$2,729.97 as a Subtotal CREDIT and Tax Due of $3,026.07. How can "Tax Due" be GREATER than an undocumented purchase?
The difference, $296.10 was charged as fraud. The T-Mobile's "backup" further listed the cost of one phone, two extended warranties, and two discounts for "bundling" (bungling I say) which add up to $293.52 and NOT the $296.10. These are BILLION DOLLAR Corporations. NO ONE at T-Mobile or VISA bothered to DO THE MATH - but I did!!!
I wrote a HEATED certified letter to VISA on 10/07. VISA said the charge was valid and that they would take 60-days to further investigate. I called VISA on 10/30, as a birthday present to myself, and had it out. For the first time, they really LOOKED at the T-Mobile "invoice" that day and reversed the fraud in my favor under threat of my WINNING in court through my attorney, which I promised would cost them SIGNIFICANTLY more than reversing the fraud.
One down, two to go...stay tuned.
