Little Red Verizon-Hood

When this text message buzzed in on my cell phone the other day, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it:

From: 900070002925
FREE VZW MSG:
You are trending to incur substantial data usage charges on your account. We can help. Call 888-320-0591 for details. Reply Q 2 opt out.

Helpful warning or wolf in disguise? You decide.

Verizon: Why can’t you hear me now?

There are few things more disturbing than being a victim of credit fraud. I have twice had my credit card number stolen (not my card, mind you, just the number). My card issuer has been great both times. They sent me a new card overnight and I was not responsible for any of the fraudulent charges.

But the biggest hassle by far is updating my credit card information with all the merchants with whom I have registered for automatic payments, reward programs, quick checkout, etc.  Cable, travel agent, Amazon, etc.  I have about 20 of these. I learned my lesson the first time this happened and I now keep a handy list of all these businesses. So the second time I was a victim, I just went down the list and updated them one at a time. Simple, right? Think again.