"Raising Arizona" Thieves Steal HD TVs, Baby Clothes

In Raising Arizona, Nicholas Cage holds up a convenience store for some cash and an economy-sized pack of Huggies diapers. The whole scenario is ridiculous and played up for laughs, but earlier this week, three women in North Carolina followed suit, using stolen credit cards to buy baby clothes.

The stolen credit cards belonged to teachers at two local elementary schools. One of the women, who as of now has not been identified, walked into the schools and asked to use the bathroom. At one school, she had to sign in at the office, and she used a fake name. She then sneaked into several unoccupied classrooms where several teachers had left their purses and stole their wallets.

From there, the three women, one of whom is pregnant, bought an American Express pre-paid credit card and went on a shopping spree. Their purchases included an X-Box, two HD televisions, a phone, and baby clothing.

This story would be kind of funny if it wasn't so sad for the people these selfish women were stealing from. I mean, these credit cards belonged to elementary school teachers, a profession which is underpaid, under-appreciated, and overworked. I don't really care what excuse these women have for their actions because honestly, there is no excuse for stealing anyone's credit card, much less a teacher's credit card, and using it to buy two HD televisions.

The good news is that the police have video surveillance of these women, and it is only a matter of time until they are caught. For going on their Raising Arizona-esque shopping spree, I am awarding the Navin R. Johnson Award to all three of these women and especially the still-unidentified pregnant woman. You will most likely be bringing a child into the world just as you are heading off to prison. How stupid can you get?

To learn more about responsible credit card use, check out http://blog.mycreditspecialist.com, and go to http://www.mycreditspecialist.com to sign up for a free credit evaluation today.

Credit Card Thief Sends Thank-You Note, Flowers to Victim

I read about a lot of credit card thieves. Scam artists, struggling businessmen, irritated in-laws, millionaires buying pizza, I've seen it all. Of all the credit card thieves, however, I have never heard of a thief sending his victim flowers...and a thank-you note.

Last week, Rhode Island resident Stephanie Marisca had $2,500 in fraudulent online purchases charged to her Bank of America card. Bank of America quickly closed the account, and the police immediately started tracking down the thief. At this point, I think that a smart criminal would lie low for awhile until the police stop looking, but instead, he decided to send Stephanie flowers and a handwritten card which read, “thnx for ur money.”

Now, if I was Stephanie, I would already feel pretty vulnerable and angry seeing as someone just tried to steal thousands of my hard-earned dollars from me. After all this person has already done, I would be livid if they had the nerve to send me a note. I don't know if the thief did it because they have a sick sense of humor or if they honestly thought that the flowers and note would make Stephanie feel better. Either way, this criminal is unbelievably selfish and stupid, and I hope the cops find fingerprints all over the letter.

To learn more about protecting your identity and responsible credit card use, check out http://blog.mycreditspecialist.com, and go to http://www.mycreditspecialist.com for a free credit evaluation today.

Low Debt, Low Credit Scores in Alabama

There are a lot of misconceptions about credit scores and debt. Many consumers believe wrongly that if they don't have any debt, they don't have to worry about their credit score. To disprove this notion, consumers only need to take a look at the great state of Alabama.

According to a study from CreditKarma, Alabama has the fifth lowest average amount of debt statewide. Many consumers would assume that Alabama's average credit score is pretty high, but they would be wrong. Alabama actually has the fourth lowest average credit score statewide, coming in with an average score of 642.

Credit scores are meant to gauge the risk of lending to a consumer, and debt does play a role, though not in the way some people think. In order to have a good credit score, I need to have a strong credit history. I have to borrow money whether by a loan or by using my credit card, and then I have to show that I can repay that money. Debt starts to play a role when it comes to credit utilization. For example, if I have a credit card, I only want to use a small fraction of my credit limit, and I don't want to carry a large balance from month to month.

The trick is to use your credit card enough to establish a good credit history but not too much to rack up debt. Alabama is doing pretty well staying away from debt, but by being credit-shy, they are hurting themselves later if they want to buy a car or get a loan.

To learn more about responsible credit card use, check out http://blog.mycreditspecialist.com, and go to http://www.mycreditspecialist.com to sign up for a free credit evaluation today.