Merry Christmas Phoenix - You Suck

We are home from holiday travels!!! It was so nice to see family and take a long computer break, but it sure is nice to sleep in my own bed and plug back in. What's NOT nice is the credit card bill I received yesterday. A credit card bill from a Visa card that has a zero balance and that I had to dig out of a desk. A credit card we have not used in forever, but keep for emergencies. A credit card that now has $1,709 on it.

You might remember less than a year ago when Mark was in Europe and got his card copied. We got a very early call from Scotland Yard about the Euro-thieves and our international debit card debacle. The thieves got their cash but eventually we got it resolved.

A few weeks ago I received a letter from my hometown bank (where I have this Visa card) letting me know that I could get a new one as mine may have had a security breech. "But it's got a zero balance, is in a drawer somewhere, and hadn't been used in ages." Obviously I didn't get a new card and according to the statement, someone in Phoenix, AZ had a very good Christmas on me at Walmart. There are 4 charges totalling $1,709 and a fifth purchase was attempted, but the fraud alert had kicked in and put a hold on the card. Apparently $1,709 in Walmart charges, in one day, out of state, triggered what's called a prism alert. Since I hadn't given Visa my new phone number (didn't cross my mind) I only discovered this when we got the mail.

Seriously? Seriously. The Visa department says I used my card somewhere (Walmart, Target, or somewhere) even if it was over a year ago. Then recently the thieves hacked into the store (merchant), got my name and card number, and made a duplicate card. As soon as I get the paperwork back to them, Visa will take care of the rest and I should get my money returned. Since I have a great alibi (our level II ultrasound took place on the spending spree day) I can't imagine that it won't work out. Still, some jack#@@ used MY name to rip me off and it makes me mad. Twice in 1 year! Even with a police report, I seriously doubt the thief will be pursued. In the end Walmart will eat it and I think they should for not getting ID.

Random Information

Tomorrow is Sophie's biopsy for Hirschprung's disease at St. Louis Children's Hospital. We're staying the night as she has her pre-surgery appointment for Strabismus and tear duct surgeries (scheduled for 5/19) with the opthomologist on Friday. Prayers welcomed, updates forthcoming.

The credit union finally reimbursed us the funds that were "withdrawn" in London. Bout time.

Today Sophie had her 1/month Developmental Therapy with Judy. We both agreed that she is a smart cookie. So is Judy. Plus, she has great toys.

According to my dear friend Amy, it's Wordless Wednesday, but rules are meant to be broken. That said, this dorky pic is a shot out to my BFF Darcy - Queen of the self portrait.

(post dental cleaning cell phone self portrait)

Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise...

...we'll sell our house on Thursday, 11am. We listed it mid-June 2007 and moved out of state in July. That's a load of Benjamin's paid in 2 house payments and double utilities. A month ago the 1st buyer walked away with cold feet 4 days prior to closing. A phone call tonight from our realtor informed us that "all systems are Go" with the current buyers. As we pack an overnight bag and prepare for the trip back to Madison, WI tomorrow, it's hard not to worry about that darned creek, especially as my home town is actually flooded.

If you're in the market to buy or sell a home in Madison, WI, I STRONGLY urge you to look into the services of Jessica Spotts with Stark. She joined our efforts in January and has been amazing. If you need a new roof, our experience with Crest Homes has been great as well.

UPDATE: The unlawful withdrawal from an ATM in the UK finally showed up today. We'll see just how quickly we actually get the $ back from our credit union. Brilliant!

London Calling

New Scotland Yard

Yesterday we received an early morning phone call from New Scotland Yard. An Inspector of Crimes from the London Metropolitan Police was calling to follow up on M's ATM card debacle.

Maybe I should back up. Wednesday (April 23) M received a phone call from the fraud security company associated with our credit union about a suspicious charge. The charge happened on April 23, or 3 days after his return from Europe. According to the security company, "M" withdrew about $400 from an ATM in Dagenham (East London) somewhere between using his card at the Post Office and the grocery store in the States. What!!!? Uh, no.

M's card was not stolen. M's card was never out of his possession as he has it in a Harley wallet with chain. M is careful and is aware of the ATM card reader scams. So how could this be?

As best as he can tell, his card was copied when he used an ATM in Heathrow Airport where he transferred to a flight to Cologne, Germany. He wanted to buy our son a post card of a Flying Scotsman train. The value of the dollar is so bad (ex: $20 bought £8, the postcard was £1 or $2.50 - yikes!) The ATM he used was next to a cash exchange place, it had no external card slider, but was the type that you insert your card. It seemed safe. His card did not get stuck or captured. However, after attempting to withdraw money, he received an error message (something about being unable to process his VISA card). He went on his way and thought nothing more about it.

Immediately after the call from the security company we cancelled his card, we put a fraud alert on his credit reports, we contacted the London Police via email, and the next day we got new accounts. Thursday I received an email reply from the London Police that Heathrow was out of their jurisdiction and they had forwarded our information to New Scotland Yard - Metropolitan Police.

Back to 7:45 am Friday morning. My cell rang and Inspector M was calling from London to follow up and complete a police report. We are very impressed with how quickly they got back to us. Inspector M was very nice, thorough, and had a very strong accent. Both M and I had a hard time not giggling as he reminded us of characters from Monty Python or Wallace and Gromit.

Play the movie above for a quick snippet of W&G

Hopefully it's all over. In fact, so far the funds have not actually been taken out of our account. It is unclear as to whether or not the thieves actually received money, or just attempted the withdrawal. If it does show up, we've already filled out the papers to contest it. That and with the police report, we would get the money back. Nevertheless, we will be nervous and check our credit reports regularly.

It does leave us scratching our heads. How did they copy his card? What newfangled technology has been developed to copy cards that are inserted (but not captured or stuck)? Will the thieves simply toss out his copied card now that it doesn't work?

Lastly, according to the police website, this type of crime tends to be perpetrated by Eastern European organized crime types vs. Brits themselves. So, did M fly all the way to London to get ripped off by the Russian Mob? We will likely never know.