139 replies to this topic

[mj76]

I know this isn't the law advice forum or anything, but I was just wanting to see if anyone here had a similar situation happen and could give me some advice on this since it's credit card related.

On Sat morning probably 4 -5 am I was by myself at a casino bar playing video poker, and having some drinks. At some point on the way out to walk back home I managed to get beat to a pulp, waking up the next afternoon all bloodied up head busted, nose broken, both eyes black, vision damage, cheekbones possibly cracked, lumps all over my head, what looks like a roadrashed face etc. Basically it looks like someone just stomped my face into the ground for a good minute. It was partly my ignorance for getting drunk at 4 am on a sat night alone downtown with cash on me. I was out of it the entire next day at a friends place recovering as I dont have medical insurance, it's never an option to goto ER.

Anyways, by the time I could dig into all of my 15 credit card statements to get the phone numbers to cancel all of my cards, I found out that they racked up over 70 charges between the 15 credit cards in the day and a half they had the wallet. I went and filed the police report and had my picture taken etc. I called all of the credit card companies and got a listing card by card every location that purchases were made (which took me 2 days trying understand half of the people) Ive found out that they've ran background searches on me through intelius, and mybackgroundcheck.com as they got my drivers license also. They took out cash advances at 3 casino cash cages totalling over 10,000 dollars. They bought new tires and rims and went to a car was 7 times in one day, went to Walmart like 13 times totalling 6,000, ate at 8 restaurants in one day. Like 50 other places I'd LOVE to be able to spend my own credit cards at. They left a paper trail all over the place, but I cant get any police to get on the case or give me any information about checking up on the cameras at the casinos or gas stations etc.

I had this happen another time 2 months ago (not beaten that time) and the guy took out 12,000 in cash advances at casinos on my credit cards, I gave the police the time and date of all of the transactions at the casinos cashier cage, and STILL no detective was put on the case when I had called the PD 2 weeks later.

So far what I've done, is filed the police report, done all the fraud cases with all the credit card companies. I've figured out all the times and places they've used my cards. I've been to 2 of the casinos and talked to their chief security officers (who acted not very concerned and i dont think theyll look) they just told me the police would need to contact them. I called Intelius background search company who told me they did the search on me and gave me the @aol.com email address they used (it's a valid email i emailed it and it didnt bounce back) The CSR at INtelius said he forwarded it to fraud department and they could get the IP but I DOUBT they will bother.

So what more can i do here to try to bring some justice to whoever knocked me unconscious and were probably a couple more boots to the skull from doing brain damage? It seems the police here are too swamped with cases to get on it, and by the time they do the leads are cold the security tapes are probably gone and I saw someone in the past incident who was a suspect walking around with all new clothes on with a big smile on his face. Do the banks really put pressure on the police to do investigations on credit fraud? It seems like they dont care because it's all covered. That would be fine except the damage to my face isnt covered, and I really want whoever did this to get caught.

Should I hire a lawyer, private investigator or what? I still havent even been to the hospital and have been suffering migranes head swelling and vision problems. All because I want to keep my credit good, and I know Id never be able to afford a hospital bill involving catscans etc. Everyone I ask around here just shrugs their shoulders. I'm thinking I should start calling law offices tomorrow that give free consultations, but so far I have no suspect as I had no recollection of the incident. Anyways sorry for the long long story but I am depsperate for some advice on this situation. I'm sure all of my credit cards will probably be pulled after this and my credit score will plummet after 9 years of hard work.

[sherman_must_die]

I find it hard to believe that your local PD is not concerned about a serious assault. It is not your job to piece everything together b/c you won't get very far. File a complaint with with the PD if you feel you have to.


Your priority is to protect your financial assets/status. Freeze all you reports and start monitoring. Also make sure you won't be responsible for any of the charges.

[cinnamngrl]

as far as your credit goes, You have done all you can.

you haven't mentioned the specific problems with your credit. Are people suing you for the losses?

[Cinn]

I was out of it the entire next day at a friends place recovering as I dont have medical insurance, it's never an option to goto ER.

It always blows my mind when people say this even though their life could be hanging in the balance. Are you more scared of medical debt or dying? Sacrifice a few trips to the casino to pay it down. Please go get checked out, especially considering you're now suffering migraines and vision problems.

[kevinkev99]

I'm sorry this happened to you, but have to ask: why do you carry so many cards with you at once? I never have more than 3-4 on me at any given time. For the exact reason of what happened to you. If i get mugged or lose my wallet, I don't want to have to contact the world to get things shut down. How about in the future you carry your primary, and a backup or two?

As far as your perps go: don't the casinos ask for a fingerprint when giving a cash advance? Aren't the cops interested in that tidbit?

Edited by kevinkev99, 19 May 2010 - 06:32 AM.

[cinnamngrl]

yes it does seem a little strange. how is anything going to improve in your life if you don't have your health?

[beli]

I was out of it the entire next day at a friends place recovering as I dont have medical insurance, it's never an option to goto ER.

It always blows my mind when people say this even though their life could be hanging in the balance. Are you more scared of medical debt or dying? Sacrifice a few trips to the casino to pay it down. Please go get checked out, especially considering you're now suffering migraines and vision problems.

+1 I'd also take all this info to a lawyer and see what they say if you can sue the police department/casino etc. Sounds like they racked up quiet a serious debt, enough for felony warrants at the very least.

Edited by beli, 19 May 2010 - 08:01 AM.

[cb_opus]

mj, I was assaulted and mugged also, and while not injured as severely as you were, I still understand some of what you're experiencing. It's not right that this happens to anyone.

You've reported the crime (why you didn't call/scream for the police the moment - or two - that you awoke baffles me, I admit) and you've reported the stolen cards to the cc company. THAT's what you can do.

I know it's frustrating, but it's NOT your place to investigate the crime. Tell the police what you know and let them handle it.

What you can and do need to do is follow each card issuers processes for handling the fraudulent charges - find out what they are, and follow them exactly. (E.g. Amex never even let the fraudulent charge post to my account, BofA did, and needed an affadavit of fraud to take care of it.) Set up a credit monitoring acct (USAA is probably your best bet at this point), and watch your reports like a hawk - pull daily. Get a copy of the police report - it took almost a week to get a copy of mine - seemed like six months.

Be prepared to spend money on having any affadavits notarized - you'll have to get a new photo id/driver's license first, which is difficult in itself when all your stuff has been stolen. I know.

You have enough to deal with - do not get caught up into trying to solve the crime as well.

YOU take care of you, and let the police do their job. Take advantage of victims' services if available in your area, if you think you need them, or even if you don't. That's what they're there for.

I know it's hard, but do hang in there. Good luck!

[On a positive note - I met SO many gentle and thoughtful folks during this time, all the way down to the lady at BJ's who told me I didn't have to have my picture taken for my replacement member card (my face was still a mess a week later). I'm a girl, I worry about idiot stuff like that.]

[Tappanzee]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

[LKH]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

Also, how do you not learn from the first time 2 months ago? I'm having a hard time with this.

[centex]

I'm sorry this happened to you, but have to ask: why do you carry so many cards with you at once? I never have more than 3-4 on me at any given time. For the exact reason of what happened to you. If i get mugged or lose my wallet, I don't want to have to contact the world to get things shut down. How about in the future you carry your primary, and a backup or two?

As far as your perps go: don't the casinos ask for a fingerprint when giving a cash advance? Aren't the cops interested in that tidbit?

In the grand scheme of things, they may view this as 1) too small to be concerned with given that you are looking at barely $10K across three transactions or 2) that it is properly the province of another agency. A third possibility is that it is not something that requires IMMEDIATE attention from the agency. Lastly, the police MAY view it as simply too coincidental for it to have occurred a second time in such a short window, especially combined with a victim claiming injury but who elected not to go to the hospital. Not helping matters is that the report apparently was not made from the scene of the beatdown...it is not fair that there is a disparity in the treatment of such cases, but that is how many agencies tend to be, especially when gambling is involved...

Also, not all agencies are good about keeping victims informed about the progress of an ongoing investigation.

As an aside, this is why one never wants to carry all of their cards to a casino...there was a discussion on 2+2 the other day about a beatdown at Hawaiian Gardens (with additional comments that the location seems to be a common place for such activity to occur).

[centex]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

As far as the advances, I can tell you that some cages do not look real close or even look to see if the thumbprint was smudged...at the right time of day, some simply go through the motions, especially on small advances (which in the big picture, these appear to have been). Also, giving the benefit of the doubt, never rule out having someone on the other side of the cage providing meaningful assistance in the furtherance of the advances.

[Tappanzee]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

As far as the advances, I can tell you that some cages do not look real close or even look to see if the thumbprint was smudged...at the right time of day, some simply go through the motions, especially on small advances (which in the big picture, these appear to have been). Also, giving the benefit of the doubt, never rule out having someone on the other side of the cage providing meaningful assistance in the furtherance of the advances.

Ok, the cage thing could maybe happen (still though, we're talking 3+ times where the cage employee didn't check the license photo...that's pretty wild) but I can't even fathom casino security not taking either of these two matters seriously. Casinos don't like it when anyone but them are taking money on their grounds.

All of that said, OP, if this really did happen and no one in the area seems to give a d-mn, just move out of that area lol

[Kevin22]

Have you tried calling your local news station? If this isn't an attempt at cc fraud by you this story might interest a reporter seeing as how authorities don't want to help.

[frontalot]

Why are you spending money on gambling and drinking but do not have any health insurance? It seems to me your priorities are out of whack.

Perhaps you should look into treatment for your gambling and alcohol addiction.

[ronnieron]

You can go to the hospital, and get treated, worry about the bill/debt later. How long ago did this happen? Any new info? Have you been watching your surroundings? They have your address and you never know when your house is being cased. I would suggest at least getting a surveillance system, and possibly a fire arm or two.

[somedaysomehow]

Guys, if the OP's story is true (and honestly, we have no real evidence to the contrary) passing judgment on his morals is REALLY not the thing to do right now. Just sayin.'

OP - If you're low income, you definitely CAN go to the ER, even without insurance! They're required to treat you at no charge if your income is low enough and you don't have insurance. Even if your income isn't low enough for FREE treatment, they'll still adjust the cost based on what you can afford, and set up payment plans with you. If you're having neurological symptoms (and it sounds like you are), go, today, or you're risking a lot more than your credit score. If you're that worried about what they'd charge, call them right now and ask about income contigent payment. They'll transfer you to someone who can let you know what kind of discount you might be looking at.

[Bobbydebt]

Why are you spending money on gambling and drinking but do not have any health insurance? It seems to me your priorities are out of whack.

Perhaps you should look into treatment for your gambling and alcohol addiction.

Hows the weather up there?


OP, go get looked at, NOW! Credit <<<<<<<< Health

Your original post is pretty well written for someone suffering those symptoms. Most people suffering from head trauma cant follow a pen being waved in front of them by a physician, let a lone write 5 or 6 well thought out paragraphs. I suffered a severe concussion about 7 years ago, and could not make complete sentences for weeks.......

[santacruz]

[mj76]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

I found it had to believe also, but when I went to the places to ask the people at the cage and the security officers in these 3 casinos how they did it I was just met with cold stares and unconcerned people. They just all told me that without the police agency contacting them they couldnt disclose or go through any of the tapes and didnt want to tell me much.

Let me clarify, the time the guy took out the 11,000 in (money order) cash advances, it wasnt a case of assault, just theft. My dad was telling me that the police dont care because everything was covered by fraud protection, and he turned out to be right.

I have only taken out cash advance on a credit card once at a casino and it seemed like it was a hard process even for me, so I was totally shocked by this and at the lack of concern by both the police and casinos. I think it also has something to do with the zipcode that I live in. Im guessing that this guy just had some white guy that somewhat fit my description go in to do it ssince they had my ID also

Edited by mj76, 19 May 2010 - 05:19 PM.

[Operation_Home_Ownership]

Why are you spending money on gambling and drinking but do not have any health insurance? It seems to me your priorities are out of whack.

Perhaps you should look into treatment for your gambling and alcohol addiction.

Hows the weather up there?


OP, go get looked at, NOW! Credit <<<<<<<< Health

Your original post is pretty well written for someone suffering those symptoms. Most people suffering from head trauma cant follow a pen being waved in front of them by a physician, let a lone write 5 or 6 well thought out paragraphs. I suffered a severe concussion about 7 years ago, and could not make complete sentences for weeks.......

WOW! Exactly, how are you writing this so clearly and you have self-diag broken nose, black swollen eyes, busted head, etc etc????

How did manage to get home without someone offering a bloody person help?? I too am having a hard time absorbing this plus the lack of care for yourself, but credit profile being in tact is paramount?? Sheesh

Edited by Operation_Home_Ownership, 19 May 2010 - 05:22 PM.

[mj76]

Why are you spending money on gambling and drinking but do not have any health insurance? It seems to me your priorities are out of whack.

Perhaps you should look into treatment for your gambling and alcohol addiction.

perhaps youre right about that and that is also probably the reason that no one is too concerned with my case also. They think im just another low life gambling alcoholic that got rolled in Reno.

just for the record though, I was only playing quarter video blackjack and i consistantly sit there and drink free all night and still win 20-60 by the end. (maybe it was actually the casino that did it?) joking, but really its not bad for just a cheap few hours of entertainment

[mj76]

Why are you spending money on gambling and drinking but do not have any health insurance? It seems to me your priorities are out of whack.

Perhaps you should look into treatment for your gambling and alcohol addiction.

Hows the weather up there?


OP, go get looked at, NOW! Credit <<<<<<<< Health

Your original post is pretty well written for someone suffering those symptoms. Most people suffering from head trauma cant follow a pen being waved in front of them by a physician, let a lone write 5 or 6 well thought out paragraphs. I suffered a severe concussion about 7 years ago, and could not make complete sentences for weeks.......

WOW! Exactly, how are you writing this so clearly and you have self-diag broken nose, black swollen eyes, busted head, etc etc????

How did manage to get home without someone offering a bloody person help?? I too am having a hard time absorbing this plus the lack of care for yourself, but credit profile being in tact is paramount?? Sheesh

if you dont believe me, I could direct you to my Facebook page where i uploaded my picture. Its not like I havent had a busted up face before, I used to box and play football most of my life, and I'm deathly afraid of hospitals, so it's natural for me to just want to heal up on my own and take the ignorance is bliss route.

Have you ever been to Reno NV on a weekend day or night? Someone walking past you bloody in the street or lying face down in an alley isnt exactly an uncommon occurance.

But anyways, I figured I would get all into defending whether or not im lying on here and I really didnt come here to do this so I'm not going to get into that anymore.

Edited by mj76, 19 May 2010 - 05:33 PM.

[orl2185]

You seem more concerned on your credit and gambling issues as compared to the medical mishaps. I'm kinda baffled here.

No Pun Intended,

[mj76]

When you take out a cash advance at a casino, you have to present your license to the cage and you have to authorize the transaction.

I find it REALLY hard to believe someone was able to take out $20k in cash advances and not have it stopped by the cage when the picture on the license clearly didn't match up with the person in front of them

I also find it very hard to believe that the casinos were not concerned....

Also, how do you not learn from the first time 2 months ago? I'm having a hard time with this.

You can go to the hospital, and get treated, worry about the bill/debt later. How long ago did this happen? Any new info? Have you been watching your surroundings? They have your address and you never know when your house is being cased. I would suggest at least getting a surveillance system, and possibly a fire arm or two.

Because I am a hardheaded idiot that when someone steals from me I have the mentality of "bet you cant do it again" I dont feel like I should ever alter my lifestyle in fear of someone trying to take advantage of me or roll me in an alley. I have changed my thoughts about that now though and will DEFINITELY only carry 3 cards tops in my wallet at a time. The thing is Im too stingy sometimes and try to get the most % I cant out of all my cards at different stores which is why I carry so many on me.

About worrying if they come after me, I live in a motel building on the 4th floor with like 200 other neighbors, so I wish they would try to come find me at this point. Im pretty heated and taking it kind of personally that they beat me this bad without just taking the wallet and running off