'Nother scam

SouthernN'Proud

Southern Discomfort
This time, it's your check.


MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Police traced a check counterfeiting ring
back to a suburban Pizza Hut where three suspects forged at
least $60,000 worth of bad checks in four states, authorities
said. Kenneth Moon, 28, of Memphis was the manager of the
pizza restaurant in Germantown who now faces a charge of
identity theft trafficking for victimizing customers who paid by
check, said Germantown Police Capt. Lee Covey. Police also
arrested Moon's accomplices Kendrick Bankhead, 27, of
Brooksville, Miss., and Calvin Fletcher, 29, of Memphis on
forgery charges after witnessing an exchange of checking account
numbers and names. Moon was giving his accomplices
information from customers' checks and they used forged
checks to purchase merchandise in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana,
and Illinois either for resale or to keep for themselves,
Covey said. Germantown Police Detective Mike Grey followed
a trail of receipts to the Pizza Hut after several Germantown
residents reported unauthorized purchases made from their
checking accounts. "They emptied out my account for about
700 or 800 bucks," said John "Bad Dog" McCormack, a morning
radio personality for a local rock station. "They couldn't get
much more because I work in radio." Moon was arrested
March 29 after Grey found evidence linking him to the forged
checks in his trash can at his Memphis home.
 

Professur

Well-Known Member
Here's an idea for people. Forecast what you're gonna spend, and carry cash. Carry secure credit.
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
Professur said:
Here's an idea for people. Forecast what you're gonna spend, and carry cash. Carry secure credit.

I pay with debit if I feel comfy with a place...if not and I don't have cash I pay credit. My mom carries $20 or $40 in the car at all times when the gas prices are being retarded cause she won't use debit at a gas station since a lot of people had their info stolen and their accounts emptied after using their cards at a gas station a few years ago and she wants to beable to buy if she sees the price down. If I have cash I tend to spend it so I think I'll end up buying a lot of gas on credit...I'm gonna need to keep a spread sheet or something to track it so I can be prepared for how much I'll owe each month.
 

Professur

Well-Known Member
Nixy said:
I pay with debit if I feel comfy with a place...if not and I don't have cash I pay credit. My mom carries $20 or $40 in the car at all times when the gas prices are being retarded cause she won't use debit at a gas station since a lot of people had their info stolen and their accounts emptied after using their cards at a gas station a few years ago and she wants to beable to buy if she sees the price down. If I have cash I tend to spend it so I think I'll end up buying a lot of gas on credit...I'm gonna need to keep a spread sheet or something to track it so I can be prepared for how much I'll owe each month.

I'll come back later after HL gets done reaming you out.
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
Professur said:
I'll come back later after HL gets done reaming you out.

What? If I have the cash in my account what's wrong with paying on credit? If I keep a spread sheet and transfer the cash out of my spending account each time I put something on credit so it's all sitting in one place waiting to make the end of month payment what's wrong with that?
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
Professur said:
Not having an exact running total.

Uh, did I not just say I'd keep a spreadsheet with a running total of what I had put on credit for the month??

Right now I got months and charge nothing at all so I always know how much I have charged because it's only ever one or two things and it's easy to remember. If I start charging gas and such though I'll need to keep it in a spreadsheet rather than my head...but I'll still KNOW
 

highwayman

New Member
The only checks I write are for the morrtgage, then I have just enough in the account to cover what is outstanding. Other wise I carry cash...
 

SouthernN'Proud

Southern Discomfort
Nixy said:
Uh, did I not just say I'd keep a spreadsheet with a running total of what I had put on credit for the month??

If you have that much discipline:

1. Then you have enough discipline to pay cash.
2. You're representative of about .0061% of society.
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
SouthernN'Proud said:
If you have that much discipline:

1. Then you have enough discipline to pay cash.
2. You're representative of about .0061% of society.

I am VERY good at tracking my spending...VERY good. I am just not so good at the "Man I wish I had a bottle of juice, I shouldn't break a $20 for it though" I'll break the $20 and then the next day be like "hmmm this twonie is enough to get me a coffee, may aswell" and then later on be like "hmmmm $6 for a magazine, oh look I have a $5 bill and a loonie, SCORE!" if I don't have cash on me I don't buy the little things which quickly add up to a lot of money. I also only use my credit card if it's a big purchase and I want the points (I get GM points when I use my credit card) or if like I said I don't feel comfy using my debit.

Tim Hortons is a MAJOR weak point of mine and they only take cash...no cash = no spendy :D
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
I hate being in debt...I mean HATE it. I don't even like the thought of taking out a loan for a car but I really have no choice in that case...I need a car and I don't exactly have $20 000 sitting around. I don't get into credit car trouble cause the thought of being in debt makes me sick to my stomach...if I am spending cash however I know it's money I have and I'm not gonna be stuck paying insane interest on it...so I spend and spend if I have cash.
 

SouthernN'Proud

Southern Discomfort
OK, whatever. This horse has been beaten to death before. I still have to chuckle at the idea of not being able to pass up a magazine, but then coming home and doing a spreadsheet for a gas purchase, but hey, whadda I know?
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
SouthernN'Proud said:
OK, whatever. This horse has been beaten to death before. I still have to chuckle at the idea of not being able to pass up a magazine, but then coming home and doing a spreadsheet for a gas purchase, but hey, whadda I know?

If I have cash in my pocket it's out of my bank account and thus in my head already spent. So, if I don't carry cash it sits in my back account and it's $20 less a week that I spend...that's $80 a month...that adds up to enough for a week long trip to dominican all inclusive every year if I go in the off season...if it's on the credit card I consider it money spent and thus immediately deduct it from the amount in my account even if the money sits in my account for 3 weeks until the bill comes...in my budgeting it's spent money. That's where the spreadsheet comes in...the amount that my bank tells me I have is not the amount that I REALLY have because some of that money is already spent...just not deducted yet. I keep track of all that stuff. I don't have very much restraint but I do have mad organizing skills and if I don't have the cash free or "un-tied up" I don't spend it (which is where my hatred of debt comes in). I've had money sitting in my account for MONTHS now that I haven't touched. I've turned down doing things because I "had no money" because the money sitting there I have already decided to spend on my downpayment for my car.

On that note, I am toying with the idea of opening up a second account and transfering 1/4 of my total monthly bills plus any CC purchases into that account every week and then that money will be just for paying my bills...it's a more tangible version of the spreadsheet.
 

alex

Well-Known Member
*writes checks only for major bills, $50 cash from the ATM every Monday morning for lunch all week, debit card for everything else.....and Quicken to keep up with it....reconcile my account every Saturday morning, to the penny, for the past 8 years.

I've caught the bank over charging my debit purchases more than once, and it's always in their favor...funny that.

Twice in the past 5 years, I've had Visa cancel my debit card because they thought someone was trying to use my account # to purchase something illegally. They do follow your trends and watch for that stuff. I feel perfectly comfortable using my debit card.
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
alex said:
*writes checks only for major bills, $50 cash from the ATM every Monday morning for lunch all week, debit card for everything else.....and Quicken to keep up with it....reconcile my account every Saturday morning, to the penny, for the past 8 years.

I've caught the bank over charging my debit purchases more than once, and it's always in their favor...funny that.

Twice in the past 5 years, I've had Visa cancel my debit card because they thought someone was trying to use my account # to purchase something illegally. They do follow your trends and watch for that stuff. I feel perfectly comfortable using my debit card.

Visa would be credit card here...we don't have debit cards associated with Visa...I have heard of banks refunding money when people have their info stolen and accounts emptied but it's a lot more hassel and less likely than if people charge stuff to your credit card. Our debit cards must be manually swiped and a PIN entered...we can't use them like credit cards like you guys do for online purchases and the like.
 

alex

Well-Known Member
Nixy said:
Our debit cards must be manually swiped and a PIN entered...we can't use them like credit cards like you guys do for online purchases and the like.

Why would it matter? The transaction is immediate and WILL NOT go thru if you don't have the money in your account anyway :shrug:
 

Nixy

Elimi-nistrator
Staff member
alex said:
Why would it matter? The transaction is immediate and WILL NOT go thru if you don't have the money in your account anyway :shrug:

Because they're not set up like that...they're bank cards...they don't work like credit cards here (in the sense that you can just use the numbers to do the transaction)...WHY they don't work like that I dunno.
 

Gonz

molṑn labé
Staff member
Online banking...checks for the mortgage...debit card or credit card for all else. I usually spend (and carry) less than $10. cash all month.
 
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