Yesterday, Lisa came down to the office to ask me about some unusual charges on one of our checking accounts.
They were substantial amounts with online betting establishments. Over a grand. And given that neither Lisa and I are gamblers they stood out.
They were also placed that afternoon, in Boston and somewhere else on the East Coast. I hadn’t left my office and was working on a legal matter. Lisa was upstairs working the alphabet and reading with the grans.
Given that they were run on Lisa’s card, we went back through the past week of her debit purchases and luckily, other than a failed attempt at a fast food Chicken place in RI – who knew gambling could stoke your appetite – they were legit.
The last place Lisa has actually used the card was at McDonald’s in Longmont to feed the grans a few days before.
Now bad guys have developed some amazing technology to steal your card information. The crooks have scanners that can grab your numbers out of the ether when you use them as they stand behind you on line somewhere. They have nanomatter sleeves that steal them with a swipe in an otherwise legitimate store machine. They are sophisticated and organized and often international. But they use local muts to carry out their schemes. I don’t want to suggest that any particular store presents a problem, but I do like to use cash for those kind of purchases when I’m out and about.
If we were a couple of elder pensioners, this kind of thievery could be crippling. If Lisa was not so diligent in checking our accounts, who knows how much they would have taken.
This is the world we live in. I blame a lax society that demands no accountability. And if I hear one person suggest that this is a first world problem of privilege, I will impose a third world remedy so they fully comprehend the difference in real terms before being so cavalier. I’m a BIC from the Bronx. We are not victims, and hold no grudges, but no one handed my family anything.
My wife and I have worked very hard for a long time to keep body and soul together. No one paid our student loans, or those of our children. We are very generous to those in need, and have often given people the last bill or coin in our pockets. If someone is desperately in need of food or shelter, and steals for that reason, I may look the other way one time. But this was some scumbag placing substantial online bets on the play-offs on the other side of the country. Let’s hope their teams lost.
Moreover, I am not one to turn the other cheek. If someone attempts to steal from me up close and personal, I will offer them Bronx street justice.
If they tried to take that money out of my hands, odds are they would not collect their social security. I may not be as good as I once was, but I’m as good, once, as I ever was. And I actively exercise my Second Amendment rights. Lisa too.
My bank has opened an investigation and hopefully they will find the culprit. I hope they prosecute them – at a felony level, with bail.
I will get my money back. But my faith in humanity has dimmed a little, and that sucks.
All right, enough venting.
Now I’m going to go cuddle some kitties and make my rounds. My trust in my fur covered friends remains absolute.
You fine, five readers get those skates on and attack the hill. Friday will be watching for your wave from the peak. And let’s all be careful out there. Situational Awareness must remain our mantra. Even in flyover country.
And despite the shitheads and scumbags who will do their best to get into our wallets and under our skins, let us continue to look for the best in humanity and make today a great one.
5 Responses
I know you are neither requesting nor needing any assistance, but know I am ready to assist w this 💩show…. A few years back, our Dad, a very bright and engaged octogenarian and recently widowed gentleman, was scammed twice in the course of a week, by a New England-based crew with links back to the Fraud MotherShip in Nigeria. Before he could blink, his money was offshore and untraceable. These geeks are very sophisticated and ruthless. #NoMercy
Holy Shit! I’m so sorry you have to deal with this bullshit. I hear most banks replace the money but it’s bullshit it even happens. Thank God Lisa monitors the cards so regularly. I have put alerts on any purchase by phone, in person, or online) even if I can’t prevent from happening it I know immediately. Hopefully they do investigate and prosecute. I had an issue a few years back when a check I mailed to a lawyer who handled Mom’s will and estate apparently was grabbed from a mailbox had the name changed as well as the amount. Fortunately it was Christmas Eve. I was in Florida and I was monitoring my cards daily. The bank replaced the money within hours. I was told at that time from others that they don’t really investigate or prosecute just replace the money. To this day it pisses me off that these guys know they will just get away with it.
Hopefully the grabs will be able to distract you and Lisa enough that this doesn’t rub you too much for too long. But IT SUCKS!!
I appreciate your posting today to remind us to be cautious. These folks are not terribly worried about punishment in today’s American society. I am reminded of the various videos of college students saying such things as, “We need to eliminate farming,” in order to save the planet to save the environment. The same sort of mentality and line of thinking that has reached many communities which have developed very lackluster, lenient “no-bond” releases for people arrested for violent crimes. The world has become crazy. Help.
Happens more than you think!!!
The world is full of bottom feeders
We need to monitor accounts every day. Very often starts with small purchase, then off to the races! Our physical location has no bearing on international crime. We were brought up in families that taught us how to plan and manage. Continue to have hope.