'Good Bones' star Mina Starsiak Hawk reveals identity got stolen, purse taken from car

Mina Starsiak Hawk is sharing the frustrating details about having her business identity — followed by her purse and her laptop — stolen from her in recent weeks.

The former "Good Bones" star tearfully recounted the difficult experiences on the latest episode of her "Mina AF" podcast. Starsiak Hawk told listeners that a thief opened a fraudulent credit card account using the name and tax ID number of her store Two Chicks District Co.

"Someone stole my identity and the store's identity," said Starsiak Hawk, explaining that she only learned of the fake credit card when a bank she normally doesn't use mailed it to her.

Later, a statement for the card "with probably 60 transactions" on it also arrived in the mail.

"Whoever this hustler is, they got 60 people to Venmo this account money," she said. "And it’s so sad because some of the Venmos were like 'Venmo for puppy,' 'Venmo for food.' Like, someone thought that they were getting a puppy and they just got swindled using my store’s tax ID number."

Starsiak Hawk visited the bank to prove the card was fraudulent, which required her to carry various personal documents, including a photocopy of her social security card, in her purse.

The HGTV's luck soon turned dark again when both her purse, still containing the sensitive documents, and her laptop were stolen from her car.

Starsiak Hawk explained that she and husband Steve Hawk met at their therapist's office for a session. While waiting on Hawk, she worked on her laptop in her car.

In retrospect, she said, she was "moving too fast" that day and neglected to fully roll up one of her car door windows when she went inside for the couple's appointment.

"No one even had to break into my car," Starsiak Hawk said. "They just had to walk by it and grab my bag that had all of my credit cards, my laptop that has all of my passwords saved in it, because struggle bus and I just autosave them. I mean, everything."

"I just feel so incredibly stupid," she added.

The home renovation expert said she also blamed herself for the credit card fraud for not having "done things right to begin with." The fraud would never have happened, she said, if she'd arranged to have "proper fraud reduction" for her business.

"That's where my brain went. Like, I'm not doing any of these things well," she added. "You can see, I'm letting things pile up."

Despite the recent setbacks, Starsiak Hawk, who shares son Jack, 5, and daughter Charlie, 3, with her husband, told listeners that she's staying productive.

"I’ve gotten up every morning this week at 5 a.m.," she said. "I’ve worked out every morning at 6. And I’m in the store every day trying to make it as amazing as possible so it has the best chance of success."

"I’m up in my little podcast space every week recording, trying to do something that’s meaningful for you guys," she added. "I’m trying to be a good mom. I’m trying. And I guess the point of today’s episode is: no risk, no reward."

Starsiak Hawk's life update comes four months after the series finale of "Good Bones" aired on HGTV.

The home renovation program followed Starsiak Hawk and her mom, Karen E. Laine, who co-founded the home renovation business Two Chicks and a Hammer together, as they transformed rundown homes into stunning remodels.

In September 2023, Starsiak Hawk revealed on her podcast that frictions between Laine and herself contributed to the show's demise.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com