Here’s a weird story. Chris at PhillyBurbs.com was dealing with some ID theft problems (random charges were showing up on his credit cards) when he got a random credit card in the mail. It was an extra copy of a card he did indeed have. Wondering if someone was trying to get copies of his cards — he contacted the bank:

This is where the story takes a turn for idiotic. I also have a card with credit company B that I applied for a few months back on the suggestion of the wife. Their interest rates were lower than my current card and offered cash back on any purchases. I received my card in the mail, activated, and never used it (it too sits in my dresser drawer–it’s like a credit card social club in there). Yesterday, I received a duplicate card in the mail. Same exact card down to expiration date. I called the company to ask if this was a computer glitch, or did someone request a duplicate card, or what the hell is going on and am I going to have to go underground?

The credit card rep told me that it wasn’t a request and no one contacted them but they noticed I hadn’t made a purchase on the card yet and they sent me another card to ‘encourage me’ to use the card for purchases.

What. the. Fark.

How about a phone call? Or an email? You contact me for every other damn promotion running. I get at least one sales call a week. I don’t have a house phone because the only people calling me were telemarketers and credit card companies.

This is how credit card theft happens. Stupid ideas like this from the company I trusted in the first place to open a line of credit with. They send me duplicate cards, blanks checks in my name, and every other piece of junk mail that could be swiped from my mailbox and filled out in my name.

Ugh.

Credit card companies to blame for majority of theft [PhillyBurbs]
(Photo: frankieleon )

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