pulsefmonline.com

[LindaNorton]

When I got back to New Jersey, it took me the entire day to wade through the hundreds of emails, dozens of phone calls, faxes, etc., and to start logging the credit card receipts from a trip to Florida followed immediately by a personal trip to Texas to be with my ill daughter. It became clear to me, as I did so, that there must be an error… that I was nowhere near the limit on my credit card even though the credit card companies both said I was maxed out on my cards. I phoned the first credit card company and requested a list of the transactions that hadn't shown up on my statement yet. They faxed me a list of charges, and I was absolutely floored -- there were at least half a dozen charges that weren't mine. The worst part was that the charges followed our geographic location. It was obvious that either "Brian" had used my card without my permission, or that somebody had been using my card to make Internet purchases without my knowledge, AND that somebody (the same person?) had been at Epcot, most likely on the same day I was there, using my card.

I asked "Brian," point blank, whether he had used my card without my consent. He said he had not and verbally listed the items he had used my card for -- airline tickets, to hold the hotel and car rental, and to purchase business cards (which I had not approved, by the way, but which I decided not to pursue at that time since I was extremely grateful for all the help he had given me on the TV show. Later, I discovered that he had parked the title of "Executive Vice President" on the business cards and was passing himself off as a person of authority at Urangatang. It appears he may also have referenced himself as the "Executive Vice President" of Urangatang on the credits of the TV show; a fact I was unable to confirm until much later since I had not received the finished DVDs of the TV show.) During that conversation I cautioned "Brian" not to use my credit card for any purpose at all, and specifically told him that I cannot afford to buy a digital video camera yet… that I had to wait until I was financially whole again.

I called the credit card company back and told them which of the charges were not mine. I also told them that the airline had NOT told us it would be charging us extra for changing the date of the ticket and that I needed to dispute that additional, unexpected charge. I also had the company change the number of my credit card so that nobody could use it besides myself.

It took me awhile to decide whether I believed "Brian" or not. I decided to go into protective mode and not give him any more of my credit card information, and to do my own bookings myself.