Hey there, friends! Mina Starsiak Hawk, the beloved star of Good Bones, recently shared a deeply personal story about being the victim of identity fraud and a robbery. Mina opened up about these unsettling experiences during an episode of her podcast, Mina AF, which aired on February 20. Let’s dive into the details and hear what happened in her own words.
A Hustler's Game: Identity Fraud Hits Mina's Business
Now, here’s the backstory. Mina, who's 39, is currently expanding her retail empire with a new Two Chicks District Co. store in Noblesville, Indiana. But unfortunately, someone managed to open a Bank of America account using the store's tax ID number. Imagine the surprise when Mina received a credit card in the mail with her store’s name on it. At first, she was confused, but then the reality hit hard when she received a credit card statement showing 60 fraudulent charges.
Mina explained during the podcast how the fraudster managed to scam people using her store’s identity. “Whoever this hustler is, they got 60 people to Venmo this account money,” she said. "It's heartbreaking because some of the Venmos were for things like 'puppy' and 'food.' People thought they were getting a puppy or buying food, but instead, they got swindled using my store's tax ID number.”
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Sorting Out the Mess: A Trip to the Bank
To address the situation, Mina took matters into her own hands. She visited the bank with copies of several personal documents to verify her identity and resolve the issue. After sorting everything out, she made a smart decision by asking the bank staff to shred the copies of her documents to ensure no further misuse. But unfortunately, her troubles were just beginning.
Shortly after her visit to the bank, Mina’s purse, which contained a copy of her social security card, was stolen. This added insult to injury, as she was already dealing with the stress of the identity fraud. She recounted the incident on her podcast, explaining how it happened.
How It Happened: A Moment of Distraction
Mina shared that the theft occurred because she was moving too fast and not paying close enough attention to her surroundings. She was sitting in her car, waiting outside her therapist’s house. Since she and her husband, Steve Hawk, were coming from different places, they drove separately. While working on her laptop, Steve approached her car and tapped on the window. Mina rolled down the window to speak with him and told him she’d join him shortly after putting her things away.
She put her laptop away and got out of the car to attend her hour-long therapy session. In her haste, she forgot to roll her window back up. “No one even had to break into my car,” Mina lamented. “They just had to walk by and grab my bag, which contained all of my credit cards and my laptop with all of my passwords saved on it. I mean, everything.”
Mina reflected on the incident, expressing feelings of regret and frustration. “I just feel so incredibly stupid,” she admitted. “If I had been more careful from the start, this wouldn’t have happened.”
