Like Money In The Bank

As if trying to fight off this worldwide financial crisis is not enough work to do, Lima also has been beset recently by an epidemic of cloned credit cards, ATM cards, and even bank checks. Forgers and pirates and con artists are everywhere. You can even buy stolen credit cards, ATM cards, and cell phones on the black market in Lima. The authorities have done little to stop it.

As part of this crime wave, someone recently tried to access our bank account here in Lima. And that someone was not me or my wife. The bank automatically blocked and then closed the account, once it caught on to the attempted fraud. That's great - except that the bank never communicated their actions to us!

Yes, it's true: the bank (which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) closed our account without even telling us. And they had all of our contact information, too! We only learned of the closing during a routine account check on our part.

We now have to open a new account, but due to the turtle-like speed of banks here in Lima, we will not have access to the new account for at least several days. A simple phone call by the bank could have prevented all this, or at least could have expedited matters.

In these days of Internet scams, phony e-mails, cloned credit cards and ATM cards, and other assorted con jobs , and particularly as they mushroom during this worldwide financial crisis, it is beyond important that you pay close attention to any and all bank accounts that you control. It is probably a good idea to have at least two separate bank accounts open at any one time, just in case somethig happens to one of them, as happened to us. Forgers, pirates, and con artists are everywhere, and they love to prey on unsuspecting international churches and ministries. While you are "praying", they are "preying"! Keep alert, and watch all of your bank account movements very carefully. Don't be a victim!