Telemarketers have been scamming local businesses that accept credit cards, particularly Discover cards. The operation does NOT require that anyone at the business give out an account number. That information is already available to the thieves. What they need is someone to say “Yes” in answer to a question. Then payments for non-existent goods and services are withdrawn from the business account. Month after month, until someone at the business notices that the deductions are improper.
Read John King’s post, A business headache, on the Orchard Talks blog for the details. Then check your own statements and accounts. Then you might spare a moment to raise a little Cain about why we permit financial institutions to give our private information to thieves.
No pretty picture with this post. If I could upload audio files, I’d record Miss Sadie growling. She can be fairly impressive when she’s annoyed.
Torch Lake Views 
p.j. grath
December 6, 2009
Another reason for sticking to cash. Never underestimate the cunning of those looking to fleece the rest of us.
Gerry
December 6, 2009
I hate that the Bad Guys can always spoil things for everyone else. Ah well. We have our inner resources and will make the best of it. Look at all that pretty, fluffy snow!
Bruce Laidlaw
December 9, 2009
This sounds like plain theft. The first thing I would do would be to change my bank account number. Then I would call the sheriff.
Gerry
December 9, 2009
It is theft, but it’s not exactly plain. For one thing, it can be very difficult to impossible to figure out who the miscreant is. Dan Bean is a stouthearted sheriff, but there are limits to what he can do about fraud on this scale. While the operation is large, the amount stolen from each individual is small, often passing without notice through the account of a busy retailer during a busy season. This is more the sort of thing that the Attorney General can pursue. If he learns of enough victims around the state, he just might do that.