Ever since I have come to China, I have had issues with identity theft.  There are a group of either Chinese girls or guys running around NYC pretending to be me.  So far they tried to use my existing credit card accounts to buy things in Macy’s at the Queens Center Mall, Elmhurst, NY in October and November 2015.  They also tried to use my credit card to pay parking tickets and for parking in NYC.  They tried to buy home furniture, Coach purses, and make up.  However, the Chase system was pretty good because the charges were immediately declined and I was notified.

Turns out that this band of criminals were pretty sophisticated because they used a machine to create a fake credit card with my account number and name.  We don’t know if it was a boy or a girl who actually had the card because the Macy’s employee did not remember – there were a group of “Asian looking” people at the time they tried to purchase things.

Recently, the criminals have started to open accounts using my name and mailing address which is readily available on the internet because its considered public information.  So the Macy’s bill showed up at my house.  The account was not mine and neither were the purchases.  Called Macy’s and found out that someone opened a new account in my name and mailing address but used someone else’s phone number and SSN.  They made in store purchases for a Coach purse, Mac makeup, and Guess clothing.  Oddly, they purchased three different lipsticks from Mac, in three different transactions, and clothing of S,M, and L sizes.  So I think there were at least 3 girls there that day.

Currently, Macy’s has launched an escalated investigation without my proding because they think the usage pattern was suspicious.  They have asked for my picture.  I think they have the criminals on tape because they opened the account in Roosevelt Fields Mall, Long Island NY.  By the time I called Macy’s the investigation was already underway.  So relatively speaking, I got off lucky because at least I found out about the fraud.  Unfortunately, this is a pain because now I need to call all the credit agencies to figure out how they even managed to open the account because I have my credit on lock down which means that they are not suppose to allow anyone to open an account in my name without my verification.

So just in case any of you will encounter this unfortunate situation, you need to file reports with the police station, file a report with the FTC, and then call the big three credit card companies who issue reports.

Federal Trade Commission ID Fraud website = https://www.identitytheft.gov/

Current Mood:  Feeling Blase because with a billion Chinese people running around the world, it is going to be really hard to catch the Chinese people running around pretending to be me.  Am I surprised at the turn of the events?  Nope, just like I was not surprised at receiving fake money.

Chinese tourists love their selfies and are willing to go to extremes to get that photo.  Most people are not willing to die for their photos but there are always those rare few.

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA3OTgwOTczMQ==&mid=2690069064&idx=1&sn=c53d269c1e7b7936eb4da6f1c3ff81d8&scene=0#wechat_redirect

While I was on the mountain at 4500m, there were a group of college students from Guang Zhou who were posing for photos with the snow and landscape in the background.  The photos are obviously really nice and could have been shot for a fashion magazine.  However, while it was 35-38F, some of the students were stripping down to their tank tops or just taking off their shirts for their photos.

Current Mood:  Love photos but not willing to sacrifice too much for photos with me in it 😀

These articles remind me of this awesome trivia game which is all based on outdated laws in the U.S.  The basis of the game is to laugh at the laws that we now find irrational and guess which state and what law was still on the books.

Many states in the past had co-habitation laws which prevented different sexes from living under the same roof because of our puritan values.  The fines were steep if you consider the fact that most of these laws were passed in states from the 1800-1870s.  This was a big deal in North Carolina a few years ago when the statutes were repealed but did not know that Florida, Michigan, and Mississippi laws were still on the books.

Unwed couples in Florida can now legally live together – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35983288

Current Mood: Happy that torts and interesting law cases are making the news.  Makes teaching American law more entertaining.  Now if I can only get the students to read and watch the news clips I send them on qq group.

I think we can all agree that there are some people who behave badly no matter which country or culture they are part of.  I personally think that you are most offended if you think it applies to you and therefore, if you are not like that, it certainly would not bother you.  I need to preface this by admitting that I am told that I have thick skin and do not understand social mob and group mentality.

I am not sure why anyone needs to sit there and bash an entire culture when you can bash a particular person who has wronged you.  I do not blame all Chinese people for the fruit lady who has an advertisement which says 5 yuan lemons and then charges me 6 yuan at the university fruit store.  (Had I thought to bring my cell phone or camera with me, I could have photographed the sign which will be removed before I head back there).

I do not blame all Chinese people for the photocopy and print shop lady who has school accounts, who charged me 1.5 yuan and insisted to me that it was the correct price when color copies are only 0.4-0.8 yuan depending on how many you copy.  (Paid it because I was in a crunch but have not returned since.  Next time I go back, I am going to bring a receipt from a previous purchase.  Currently, I just go to the chop next door where the other foreign teachers go.  Might be a little more expensive but honesty is worth the extra money to me).

I will say things like the general view of my own culture is X.  However, that also does not mean that I believe the same thing or that it applies to everyone.  I do not consort with people I dislike, there are many people in the world, no reason to associate with someone I dislike.

I certainly would not bash the culture of the person I am dating because if you think they are so bad then dump them.  If the only reason you are dating the person is for sex, there are plenty of sex workers who are around who would be happy to earn your money and it might cost you less in the process – I do not want to encourage prostitution but I believe that those women would not be involved in the trade if they had another choice.

Until I read these set of articles, including the Global Times article, I did not realize that people could be so mean, idiotic, and/or culturally insensitive.  Seriously, why is there a comment section on Reddit that refers to Chinese girls who date expats as “Rainy” and what the hell does that even mean?  Do you not realize that if you insult your girlfriend then you are insulting yourself?

Also, I do not approve of the Chinese comments about expats either.  Seriously, just because most of the people who are in China are teaching their own native language to Chinese students, both sides are benefiting.  Chinese students learn another language if the person is any good.  (If the person is a terrible teacher then the fault is your school or institutional administration who has low standards).  Foreigners then get to travel on lower pay than what they make back home but at least they get to travel.

Foreigners on Reddit Are Slammed by Chinese Newspapers

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA3OTgwOTczMQ==&mid=422663153&idx=1&sn=aaf725c59a67f11fa4e4ecce5e513b7a&scene=5&srcid=0330ZfzxbFaT28Dcu3jGYjQK#r

Article referred to in the article above – please note that this fake story was created by a Chinese woman not a Foreigner who was looking to bash Chinese citizens.  Apparently, she wrote this story because her husband made her mad.  Who knows what the real story is…

Fake News! Shanghai Girl’s CNY Dumping was a Big Hoax

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA3OTgwOTczMQ==&mid=423750277&idx=1&sn=88e7380d055ce5f976a0319f81bf3e7d&scene=5&srcid=0330bxoilwQNtgoVdClSjTQf#rd

Current Mood: Disappointed at the illogical and highly irrational emotional people out there.  Good thing the aliens do not read we chat or internet news 😀