I found this fraudulent 39.95 charge on my account today. Appartently it was submitted on Dec. 3, 2008. My bank gave me all the information that it could. This apparently is a monthly fee to an adult entertainment website. I am a consultant with Mary Kay and use ProPay. The processing center at the 800 number has flaged my account number in her computer and requested the money be returned. She advised me to go to my bank in the morning to begin the fraud investigation.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I WAS BALANCING MY BANK OF AMERICA CHECKING ACCOUNT, AND FOUND A $39.99 CHECK FROM MB PINK HOME ENTERTAINMENT WAS DEDUCTED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT, IN MID-NOVEMBER.
THIS IS DISTURBING, GIVEN THE LEVEL OF SECURITY SUPPOSEDLY ESTABLISHED AROUND B OF A's ACCOUNTS.
I HAVE NOTIFIED THE FBI VIA THEIR ONLINE WEBSITE, AND HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE BANK...WHICH TOLD ME THAT THEY "CANNOT ACCEPT EMAIL COMPLAINTS REGARDING CHECKS" AND TO CALL THEIR Check Fraud department at 1.800.317.6345 TO REPORT A CLAIM.
I WILL BE DEMANDING A PROVISIONAL CREDIT, ALONG WITH A DAMNED THOROUGH EXPLANATION AS TO HOW SOMEONE GO THEIR THIEVING HANDS ON MY CHECKING ACCOUNT INFORMATION!
THIS WAS AN E-CHECK, NOT ONE WRITTEN BY ME. I HAVE HAD NO DEALINGS WHATSOEVER WITH THIS "COMPANY", AND THIS WAS A COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED FRAUDULENT THEFT FROM MY ACCOUNT.
I also found a check from MB Pink Home Entertainment posted against my account. I am a Mary Kay Consultant and use Propay. I spoke with MK legal - they were investigating - gave me this story that their system was encripted & didn't see how it could be linked to them. I contacted Propay as well. Their investigation concluded that it had nothing to do with them & that it was probably someone entering random numbers & miraculously found my checking account info!
I think there is more to it & nobody is going to admit it! The fact that "pink" is used sends a flag to me - a direct target to MK?
I too noticed a charge on my account for $39.95 and called the number on the issuing notice. The name on the notice was not even mine! They told me that they froze my account from being used and I would receive a refund in 7-10 business days. I also used to be a MK Sales Director and used ProPay at that time (my ProPay account was closed in Jan 2008 and I have not been with MK for over 2 years). This is rediculous. The name on the notice was actually one of my old unit members. I'm sure I had probably allowed her to process something through my account at some time but my account would still not have her name on it. I hope they get it refunded! I am so glad to be out of MK - this is just more baggage to go along with it! www.pinktruth.com
My name is Detective Flynn and I work for the Pitt County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina. I have recently been assigned a case that is extremely similar to most of the complaints that I have read on the internet. Here is what I know.
Everyone appears to be getting these unauthorized charges in several different names. I have found MB Hot Planet, MB Digital Underground, MB Pink Entertainment, MB Moon Park, MB Ryco Pics, and some others. All start with "MB" and provide a 1800 number to call. The 1 800 number has been different in many of the cases.
The "MB" stands for M Billing. This company claims to be a third party check processing center based out of Nicosia, Cyprus. I spoke with two different women at [protected]. Both women sounded American and had no hint of an accent. I was advised that the funds billed to your accounts is for subscription fees to the different Adult/ Pornographic websites. M Billing processes these payments when a subscription is ordered online.
The majority of the time the information used on each victim is very old. Some people report that their maiden name was used. A usually the address on the check is several years old. Some of the victims are deceased and the accounts are closed but the payment was processed anyway. There has been some mention of a Mary Kay security breach where the victims information has been compromised. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM THIS.
Please look at the back of the check that was paid by your bank. There should be a routing number [protected]. In every case that I have come across the routing number is the same. This routing number belongs to Central Federal Bank in Fairlawn, Ohio. [protected]) They have advised that they have hired an outside agency to investigate the account that the money is being deposited into. They have not provided me with any information on the account so that I may apply for a search warrant and continue my investigation. I have learned that the account belongs to yet another (or possibly the same company under a different name) third party check processing center. The second check processing center is based out of New York.
I only have one victim in my jurisdiction and the loss is only $39.95. In viewing the number of complaints on websites like these it appears that there are hundreds of victims. The total dollar amount must be very high. In order to really do anything about the business or individuals that are responsible for compromising your information this case will need to be handled at the federal level.
I would appreciate an email from each and every one of you that has been victimized. We will need to work together to create a comprehensive list of victims to turn over to the federal investigators. Please include your name, address, phone number, bank name, amount of loss, and whether a refund was issued by your bank or not. If a refund was issued by your bank then they are considered a victim as well. I am sure that if we can produce a dollar amount worth paying attention to the banks will get on board and the investigation will be taken seriously. Also the federal law enforcement agencies simply can not invest the time and resources into each and every case. A total dollar amount and a consolidated list of victims may persuade them to take this case.
Again, if you have been victimized by any business starting with "MB" please email me.
Detective Flynn
Computer & Financial Crimes Detective
Pitt County Sheriff's Office
Pitt County North Carolina
phone: [protected]
email: dbflynn@pittcountync.gov
Post Script: I am having difficulty getting the response I had hoped for. I can plainly see several hundred posts online but only a small group of people has contacted me. I am sending this exact post to many people in an attempt to contact those that may not read the complaints board or [redacted] often. If you received this more than once and have already contacted me please disregard. My information can be verified through the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office located in Greenville North Carolina for those that feel uneasy about contacting me. Thank you again.
On 11/24/2008 a charge for $24.95 came through my acct. in the form of an electronic check. My bank called the number on the check and they said they were a third party billing company for MB Pink Home Entertainment and the charge was for an adult website subscription. I told them it was unauthorized and they said they would credit my acct back. We'll see. I, too, have used Mary Kay's Propay site which seems to be a common link with these complaints. I will call both MK and Propay next week. Propay seems to be the only possible way someone would have all my info, including my name and address.