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LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, &  PErsonal Growth

Thought of the Day: Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

9/15/2014

9 Comments

 

Love not your possessions but more your health, happiness, and family

You can imagine the dread and terror I felt when I realized yesterday morning that my wife and I were the victims of identity theft. We've always heard of the dangers of identity theft and how easily it can happen to anyone, but we never expected it would ever actually happen to us. I found out yesterday morning that both my wife's bank account and mine were completely cleaned out over the course of the last several days. We are looking at the numbers and trying to tell for sure, but it looks as if it is in the range of between 22,000 and 25,000 US dollars from both our accounts.

We have been international educators for the last 15 years and have experienced some difficult situations in the past. We understand that there comes risks with working and living abroad. We have always been vigilant about our safety and the safety of our boys. We never take safety for granted. However, this theft has taken us by complete shock and total surprise. 

We have lived and worked in Nanjing, China for 4 years now. We've never had a problem, but that all changed big time for us yesterday. Somehow our bank cards were copied and our pin numbers compromised. I was about to do a large bank transfer yesterday back to our Canadian account only to find out that we had zero left in our accounts. 

My school, the Nanjing International School, has been extremely supportive and is taking this identity theft crisis very seriously. However, laws here in China are different and banks do not offer compensation for these types of thefts. All we were told is that the money was taken from an ATM in Poland. Even though it is clearly obvious that we were in Nanjing and using our own cards, somebody at the same time was draining several thousand dollars per day from our accounts outside of China. The bank never put a lock on our cards or blocked the ATM transactions. It's something that we will now have to live with. The chances of compensation very slim to no chance at all. 

My wife and I are confused and don't know what to do. We are both caring, kind, generous, and giving of our time and energy to others. We teach our two boys the value of these traits on a regular basis. We practice visualization and meditation focusing on only positive things that we want to happen in our lives. Even though we are left questioning all this, we will never sway from these beliefs. As hard as it is, we will press on and continue to be the best that we can be as educators and as people. Perhaps this is a test of our resilience, who knows. I just know that we must look forward. We told our boys something last night that we feel is so true given this shitty situation we find ourselves in. 
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We are grateful for our loving family. We are all safe, healthy, and happy. Although the theft hurts like hell, the above statement is the absolute truth. I know that anyone reading this will understand and be compassionate with what we have gone through. Change your pin numbers, be vigilant, and never assume that this will not happen to you. Protect yourself accordingly, so it never happens to you or anyone you love. Thanks for reading. 
9 Comments
Jason
9/15/2014 10:18:01 pm

Andy
Man..sorry to hear about this. I hope the culprits get caught or at least their karma. Youre a good guy, definitely dont deserve this and its refreshing to see that this wont change your attitude on life. It sucks when all your life you do the right thing, help others. Empathetic and then someone does this. Its not fair. Everything has a reason a suppose. Maybe some good in this I hope, testing of your beliefs. Youre setting an excellent example for your kids. For the rest of us.


Reply
Snooze NORTHCOTT
9/15/2014 10:21:40 pm

Your thoughts touch us deeply and we will support you in any way we can. We take so much for granted in this charmed world of expat living. Let us all take this as a personal wake up call not to be complacent wherever we live and however careful we think we are These fraudsters are ruthless, experienced and global.
We love you all - keep safe and strong - Sue Simon and the boys

Reply
Mike DeNeef
9/16/2014 12:36:46 am

Again - so sorry buddy. Happened to the Aquatics Director at our sister school last year after a trip to Thailand for a swim meet. Similar amount of $$. The brave new digital world does have some issues that's for sure.

Reply
Amy link
9/16/2014 01:33:28 am

This is a really awful story. It's amazing how positive you are staying. It's great how you are being such amazing role models for your boys. They are truly seeing perseverance and calmness in the midst of a challenging situation... Out of curiosity... how do we change our passwords in China? Do we go into the main branch to do it? Or can we do it from a bank machine?

Reply
Tim
9/16/2014 02:11:59 am

Andy, Your words are powerful. Thanks for sharing your honest reflections.

Love each other a lot, and stay strong together during this time.


Amy, I believe you have to change PIN when at the main branch - no way to do it at the ATM.

Reply
Brian Lockwood link
9/16/2014 08:27:34 am

this also happened to an expat in Shanghai. I no longer trust the banks in China, they should at the very least have some better ways to block unusually transactions like this http://shanghaiist.com/2014/08/26/220000_rmb_goes_missing_from_shangh.php

Reply
John
9/20/2014 12:33:39 pm

Dear Andy and family, so sorry to hear this and hope that things clear up quickly for you all. You are an inspiration to PE teachers and we thank you for your posts and efforts.

Reply
Nasir
9/20/2014 03:24:53 pm

I am really very sorry to hear this. I don't like this happen to anyone. I think the culprit is might related somehow with the bank. You should take the help from the police. They might find out, I hope so. And thanks for your valuable and kind thoughts to let the others know, it would be helpful.

Reply
Ines Katota
9/26/2014 12:23:49 am

Andy and your family, sorry for that sad msg. Thanks for sharing a lot of information about your experience in teaching 'inquiry and specialist teaching', I have benefited so much as it is my first time am learning PYP teaching, and you have also motivated too to this programme.

Reply



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    KAUST Faculty, Pedagogical Coach. Presenter & Workshop Leader.IB Educator. #RunYourLife podcast host. 
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Helping Kids to Achieve Their Best
  • Welcome
  • The Aligned Leader Blog
  • Consulting and Coaching Opportunities
  • My TED X Talk
  • My Leadership Blog
  • Run Your Life Podcast Series
  • How PYP PE with Andy Has Helped Others
  • Good Teaching is L.I.F.E
  • The Sportfolio
  • Example Assessment Tasks
  • PYP Attitude Posters (printable)
  • Publications