CIC CREDIT MONITOR SERVICE ripoff 79.95 charged to my visa without authorization ORANGE COUNTY California

Your card should just re-issue a different account number, especially since you have made it clear this was an unauthorized charge. Did your husband apply for a "free" credit report online? This might be why the charge ended up on your account.

I'm not sure about the number you called, but a number I have that's been working is 1-888-888-8553. This is CIC Monitor's customer service.

You're not out of the woods yet, unfortunatly they now have access to possibly all of your personal account information. This means checking, different credit cards, debit, savings and possibly even an IRA. They work with Experian, a credit card reporting agency that has this information on all of us.

Just to play it safe, it would be best to change ALL of your account information, and treat it like theft. Inform your bank and credit card company you might have been a victim of fraud or even theft. Direct them to this site. This possibility of theft or tampering with your records, should entitle you to one free credit report for this year. If you need a second report, you shouldn't have to pay more than $9.

If possible, for the sake of other victims please consider accessing www.ftc.gov, to fill out an online Complaint Form. The more people that file, the faster they will respond. They might even shut them down all together.

For that free report, just go directly to the agency of your choice, and eliminate the middle man.

If you don't change your account information, you will be at risk for being billed all over again, one full year later.

Please consider filling out that form, at the Federal Trade Commission's website.

Thank you.