Credit Card Fraud In Iraq

[Soon2B_Cop]

All:

I will make this scenario as brief as possible. Last night an online school I am taking classes with atempted to make a charge to my credit card and the transaction was declined. I called the credit card company to investigate the issue and, while verifying my address, they informed me that my address had been changed and I had been a victim of credit card fraud.

The card has been cancelled and a fraud alert placed with all 3 credit agencies. No charges were made on my card and no one has attempted to open an account in my name.

I am in Fallujah, Iraq and keep my credit cards locked up 99% of the time. The only part of the address I could get out of the credit card company was that it was in Texas. I work with a lot of people from Texas here. My question is this, how do I go about pursuing the person who did this to me from over here? I am technically on a Federal Reservation but I don't believe the MP's can do anything and our company's security is worthless. The credit card company does not pursue these things either.

Any ideas? I want this clown strung up, but I think I'm just going to have to be happy being lucky it wasn't worse. Any Federal LE officers have some advice? Anyone stateside I can contact that can help me? I'm a civilian contractor over here so I don't believe D.O.D. will offer me any assistance either.

Thanks for any input!

[pulicords]

Don't assume anything!

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I learned we too were victims of ID theft. Her credit card is seldom used and I thought I had a good idea of how the suspect(s) obtained the number. To make a long story short, there's lots of ways for suspects to do this and they don't need to see your card to do so. I believe suspect(s) stole mail from our mail box. This is extremely common and I'd suggest that you check with whoever deals with yours in the states during your deployment overseas. It could be that someone got your info from a purchase you made using the card and again, this is very common. You handled things right by contacting the card company. Make a police report (through the MPs or via a civilian contact back home), subscribe with Equifax or a similar company to keep an eye on your credit history and deal with any suspicious activity in the future as quickly as you did in this case. Good luck and thanks for protecting us here, "over there."

[Soon2B_Cop]

Thanks for the respons, but I don't believe I'm assuming anything, but I have to rule out the mail for two reasons:

A. I only get electronic statements - no paper statements are mailed to me
B. All my mail is forwarded here

[John_bell]

Thanks for the respons, but I don't believe I'm assuming anything, but I have to rule out the mail for two reasons:

A. I only get electronic statements - no paper statements are mailed to me
B. All my mail is forwarded here

Email is worse.

Does anyone else use the computer that you were using. If so then someone could have easily put a keylogger on the computer (Either with a program or with a very small device that they put on the keyboard).

[Bearcat357]

I would make contact with the MPs and do a report....and make sure that CID is notified.......as if your stuff was stolen over there, they would have jurisdiction.........no matter if you are a PMC or military.....

If the MPs won't take a report for some reason, I would get a contact number for CID and get a hold of them....and keep on them........

[Soon2B_Cop]

John:

The computer is issued to me with a power on password and log on password, neither of which are the same and they are 10 bit and 8 bit passwords respectively.

Bearcat:

MP's are a no go, they won't even come out here. I spoke with NCIS yesterday and the best they can do is some preliminary investigations (which is more that I can do). If I got this *****wipes name would I have to take him to civil court? If so what state? Would it be my home state of MN or the state this guy lives in?

Anyone have any idea??

[Frank Booth]

I am in Fallujah, Iraq and keep my credit cards locked up 99% of the time. The only part of the address I could get out of the credit card company was that it was in Texas. I work with a lot of people from Texas here. My question is this, how do I go about pursuing the person who did this to me from over here? I am technically on a Federal Reservation but I don't believe the MP's can do anything and our company's security is worthless. The credit card company does not pursue these things either.

Presumably, you aren't responsible for any of the fraudulent debt that you didn't sign for right? The credit card company is the complainant and THEY are responsible for prosecuting the guilty party. Since it will be too much trouble for them, chances are they won't even bother. As far as finding out where the card was used, an investigator will have to subpoena the credit card company, which they have no reason to do if the credit card company is not pursuing the matter. Same thing happened to me. The credit card company won't even give you the specifics of where you own card was used.

As long as you're not responsible for the fraudulent charges and your credit rating isn't affected, I wouldn't worry about it. You have enough other stuff to worry about over there...

[MPSoldier84]

The jurisdiction for the identiy theft is where the credit card company or bank is located at. Most banks, credit unions, and credit card agencies won't pursue charges when they discover the individual as long as resitution is made. All the bank cares about is recouping the losses, not taking the individual responsible off the street.

TECHNICALLY, all issues of Identity Theft are supposed to be Federal Crimes. But federal agencies rarely pursue the smaller cases, and just will go for the big scams...

You can attempt to contact the Federal Trade Commision, I believe they have a Criminal Investigation section, and file a complaint or heads up. From what I last heard, they're supposed to be the agency right now in charge of investigating, and keeping track of ID theft. The FTC probably won't be able to do much with your complaint, since ID theft is the number one white collar crime in the country right now, and just about everyone get's nailed at one time or another. But theres the chance you could give them some valuable information that might help them out in a already ongoing investigation.

[Bearcat357]

Bearcat:
MP's are a no go, they won't even come out here. I spoke with NCIS yesterday and the best they can do is some preliminary investigations (which is more that I can do). If I got this *****wipes name would I have to take him to civil court? If so what state? Would it be my home state of MN or the state this guy lives in?

Anyone have any idea??

Bearcat just shakes his head at the lack of MP response.....

I would go with the NCIS then and then (as stated by another poster) get with locals where your bank is or where your credit card is issued......I would also get with their corportate fraud folks....as some of them are ex-LEOs (Freeh runs the security for CitiCard now)......

[MPSoldier84]

MP's have to turn over any case of Identity Theft like that to MPI or CID anyway. So your local patrolman has no jurisidiction in that matter. Also... how many E-2's are going to be able to investigate Identity Theft in a combat zone with DNVT lines, and DSN lines that hardly ever work.

[stangfather]

***NOT A COP***


i had this same thing happen, turns out it was a employee at AAFEES in Kabul..

CID handled it.

get with your chain of command.