Identity Theft

Craig and I have become pretty good friends. Well, his list and I are friends in the business sense. I’ve posted nearly 40 items on the site since early April and have had great success. I’ve also met some really nice people in the transactions… an elementary school teacher, a police officer, a college professor, college students, a Canadian, a young married couple, a receptionist at a country club, a professional house painter, to mention a few.

Two weeks ago I posted the antique chest that belonged to my husband’s grandmother, and received an email inquiry the next day. The buyer is in the States studying and wanted to ship the piece back to England. We agreed that a shipping agent would handle the packing and shipping and that we would use PayPal for the transaction. Because this was an international transaction, she asked if she could pay me for the shipping through PayPal also and if I would pay the shipping agent through Western Union.

So, okay, I got an email from PayPal instructing me to open a Western Union account and where to wire $690 (for shipping). Thank God, literally, that I needed to run home over the lunch hour to get my Western Union account code off my home phone voice mail because I had time to re-read the PayPal email. As many of you know, I’m a ferocious stickler for good grammar, spelling and punctuation and I have high standards for businesses. The grammar in the PayPal email had some inexcusable mistakes (…at any of there office in…) and that raised a question in my mind. I contacted PayPal, forwarded the email and was told it was a phishing expedition. After I told Bill about it, he googled the alleged agent’s name and address and found that the guy was a convicted sex offender!

Although I did not lose any money, the alleged buyer and her agent now know my email address and my current address (until June 20th). I’m still sick about the close brush with identity theft and fraud.

The incident helps to remind me, though, that my identity as a child of God is secure as long as I listen to His voice and not to that of the father of lies. Satan is the master at identity theft. If we listen to his voice long enough we start to believe we’re someone or something that we’re not – God. And that’s real identity theft!

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1b