theft of personal data

kncarter3 wrote:

My debit card was compromised and I’m wondering if it was from this data breach???

Not only was my card compromised for over a $1100 of flight and AirB&B charges, this week someone walked into a T-mobile store on Flatbush Ave. in New York (I live in the DMV area) and changed my SIM reference number.

It took me a while to figure out why I couldn't make or receive calls. I couldn't even use T-mobile's 611 to get hold of them.  I had to use my house phone to call, which of course meant waiting for about 20 minutes on endless T-mobile commercials.  I also texted them.  Thank goodness the call was answered eventually.  After some cycles talking to a service rep who couldn't verify my identity via sending me a text (Note: you can't receive texts either once your SIM card reference is compromised). 

Luckily my email service was still intact.  At this point me and the rep were still bewildered.  She then escalated to a network guy who was quick in identifying the issue.  He even sent me a store receipt of someone with my name authorizing the SIM card switch and paying $10 in cash from the Flatbush store.

Needless to say the alarm bells went off.  To his credit he call the store manager immediately.  The store sales rep was not working that day, but he assured me that this was a significant issue and would generate an investigation.  He also reversed the SIM card change and I was once again able to make and receive calls.  I was also assured that there didn't seem to be any extra charges to my account.

From the credit card compromise, and the subsequent need to be issued a new card, I still continue to receive notices from creditors that my registered card is failing.  It's difficult to remember all of my automatic payments.  The monthly ones were easier than the annual ones,  of course.  I received a mildly threatening one the other day that hinted that although I have been a good customer for a million years, I should fix the problem quickly and not to bother returning the shipped severed horse head and pillow.

To make matters worse, yesterday I received a T-mobile survey wanting to capture my experience at their T-mobile store.  I tried giving them a big fat "0" and explaining why, but they persisted in questioning me further.  No matter my responses, they thanked me for taking the time.

Beyond the apologies, my expectation from T-Mobile is simple.  Offer me one of those iPhone 13 models and six months credit and I'll continue to be your grateful customer for another 17 years.  Is that really too much to ask for? :)