We hear about it all the time, someone loses or gets their wallet or purse stolen with all their credit cards, bank info and ID in it and the thief uses it purchase goods or even get cash from the credit cards.

I am going to share a personal story that just happened to me however; I was not the victim.

An individual reached out to me via text wanting me to provide security services for a wedding. He advised me that he was in a medical facility receiving care for lung cancer and needed to arrange services quickly and would pay with a credit card. Further, he wanted many agents, a number that was far beyond necessary.

After going back and forth for a few minutes, he asked who my credit card processor was (red flag #1) and proceeded to tell me that he couldn’t use them because they “messed up” his card (red flag #2).

 I asked him to send me a picture of his driver’s license and credit card. I already had my suspicions at this point but wanted documented proof. The driver’s license had the last name first and he gave that to me as his first name (red flag #3). Additionally, the picture was taken over his leg which showed that he had jeans on (red flag # 4). If one is in a medical facility for any length of time, they will not be wearing jeans and sitting in a car!

We informed him that we could not staff his event at which point he wanted to schedule another day (red flag # 5) and would pay extra. He advised me that he needed me to charge his card our deposit however; for a larger amount and give him the remaining cash to pay the wedding facility because “they don’t accept credit cards, only cash” (red flag #6). He advised me again that he needed to finalize the transaction quickly and that he’d be in the hospital for 2 weeks because he wrecked his truck. Keep in mind that he originally said he was hospitalized because of lung cancer!

I cut off communication with him and advised the police including an email copy of the text conversation.

If you find yourself in a situation where your credit cards, bank cards and ID is missing or stolen, report it to your bank and the police immediately. There are people and companies that do not catch these things nor check ID.

Do not carry any more than one or two forms of payment, a check book only if needed and no more than $100 in cash, and don’t keep all the cash together in one spot.

Additionally, using public WIFI is an obvious risk so use extreme caution, and I do not recommend making purchaces or doing anything banking related while using public WIFI.

DON’T BECOME A VICTIM.