MB Hot Planet Fraudulent Bank Charges, identity theft Greece
Tonight my wife noticed a fraudulent check for the amount of $34.95 from one of her seldom used accounts. The check was either phone/internet issued, to the order of "Payment Systems". There is stamp with the name "MB Hot Planet Customer Service".
There are many cases of this reported on the internet both on this website, and on others (see below list).
There is a very disturbing trend here: all of the victims are women who are, or have been a Mary Kay Consultant--my wife included. We suspect somebody at Mary Kay, or some in-between person has leaked financial and personal information.
Given the ease in which these fraudulent phone/internet changes occur (all they need is your bank's routing number and your bank account), we STRONGLY suggest that each of you double-check your accounts (especially one used for Mary Kay in any capacity), and close them if possible.
Other complains, most of which are women and/or have been Mary Kay Consultants:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/
reports/0/393/RipOff0393838.htm
(((link redacted)))
(((link redacted)))
(((link redacted)))
If you have already been victimized, submit a police report and call _all_ of your bank (esp. those you've EVER used in any way with Mary Kay) immediately. As I understand it, the safest thing to do is to close the old account and open a new one with a different bank account number.
Be Vigilant!
Concernedperson
Beverly Hills, California
U.S.A.
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Detective Flynn
Greenville,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
MB Companies--MB Hot Planet, MB Digital Underground, MB Ryco Pics, MB Pink Entertainment, MB Moon Park and more
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, December 11, 2008
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 1-866-700-0304. 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 241272118. 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. ( 330-666-7979) 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: 252-902-2767
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 rip off report 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.