Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Theft

The theft of Reha’s wallet happened on Saturday night. Most likely taken from our unlocked van. Yes, we live like we are in the “country” and didn’t bother to lock our doors. That’s changing, I assure you. Either it was a crime of opportunity with the unlocked van or someone swiped it, IF Reha left it at the grocery store. Crime of opportunity either way.

Late, late Sunday night we knew something was probably amiss. We’d cleaned the entire house and looked everywhere, but nothing was turning up. But because of the sort of people we are (dumb and naïve, in this case), we figured the wallet, purse and Blackberry would turn up. They were probably just lost or misplaced.

Not so much.

By Monday, whoever took her stuff was living pretty high on the hog. To the tune of over $8K from our checking account. Somehow they figured out her PIN number and then it was game over until we figured out what was happening and we could start canceling things. Plus charges on our personal AmEx, plus charges on her corporate credit card.

We don’t normally have such a monstrously huge balance in our checking account, but we are about to pay for Carrie’s Japan trip, plus assorted re-model related expenses. They hit us at the right time, basically. Which put me into paranoia over-drive mode, thinking they were somehow stalking us. Probably not true, but that’s why I went to Home Depot last night and started turning the Deal Family Compound into the Deal Family Fortress. I’m going to call an alarm company at some point, I think.

The credit card charges are less complex than the ATM/EFT charges. We just call up and say, “card was stolen, take evasive action! We didn’t do all that crap!” and it’ll get taken card of. (Hopefully, it’s been pretty easy so far with the CC companies). Since the ATMs/ETFs require a PIN number, the bank (and the merchant) consider them “authorized.” Obviously, they are not authorized transactions, but we have to file a “fraudulent transaction claim” for each ATM/EFT (18 of those on one account, unknown number on another). We’ll get all the money back, but it’s going to take 10-20 days (per transaction), so I’m betting we be out that moolah for a month.

In case anyone is worried, we have plenty of food and the mortgage is paid. All the charges will eventually be reversed and we have insurance out the wazoo (I think! Checking on that later today) for this sort of thing and they didn’t get all our money. I keep some cash stashed in the rabbit pellets for just such an occasion. Oh crap… I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t tell, mmm K?

For the record, her PIN number wasn’t in her wallet or written on the card or something equally moronic. Personally, I think they used a PIN reader/decoder thing. Because they also used a different ATM card from Re’s wallet. Or they just got lucky. We don’t really know how they got they PIN number, but man, once they got it, they went to town.

One major problem is that her Social Security card was in there. This is the most depressing thing, actually. Now we get to deal with the two most delicious bureaucracies ever invented, the Feds and the credit bureaus. If you have your SS card in your wallet or whatever, take it OUT and put it $SOMEPLACE_ELSE where it will be safe. Do not be dumb and carry it with you.

Another joy in all this is that the “robbery” occurred at our house, which is in the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s jurisdiction. But the fraudulent transactions were all over the map. So we have to file police reports from each of those localities and then feed them back to Deputy what’s-her-name at the Sheriff’s office. You have NO idea how much fun this has been so far. And plus I get to hear every cop make that sighing “tsk, tsk” noise when they ask about whether the car was locked or not and why she had her valuable stuff in the car. Thanks, that’s WAY helpful, Officer.

Here is a print-out from my online banking thing-y yesterday. (image pops when you click on it. Might not pop up in a feed reader).

I’ll leave it to you readers to tell me how you spend $738.35 at Walgreens. Probably buying the most psuedo-ephedrine the law will allow at each location, plus other crap is my guess. I really think this was/is the work of meth-addled tweakers. Bastards are probably still awake.

Thing is, these people will probably get caught. Every one of those places has surveillance cameras. Heck, Wal-Mart probably has a camera trained on you, RIGHT NOW, to make sure you don’t try anything funny. And they left a name and address at the PC store (where they probably bought some AWFUL Windows box that has neon lights and a built-in smoke machine, ugh). If they are smart, it’s a fake name, but I just have this feeling that these people aren’t that smart. Though if they are using a magstripe reader to get someone’s PIN number, that smacks of cleverness.

Speaking of PINs. I think I’m all about biometric identification. A four digit number just doesn’t seem like it’s good enough in this day and age.

Anyway, it’s going to be Dante’s ninth circle of Hell around here for a while, but we’ll get through it. Thanks for all the well wishes! Lock up the family jewels, people! Bad people abound! And they want your stuff.

I don’t know if I’ll be posting anything “else” for a bit. This whole drama will likely suck all my free time and I’m not in much of a mood to be funny. And, I’m having a hard time sleeping well. I got up 4 times last time, hearing “stuff” going on that turned to be just the wind or whatever. Plus, I have to dig the moat for the Deal Family Fortress. That’s going to take a while.

1. I’m so sorry to hear this.  It really does turn your life upside down.  If my sister’s experience with something similar taught me anything, it is to watch the kids’ reactions really carefully.  My nephew still has trouble sleeping (4 years later) after their house was broken into by a passing crack-head.  (They live in the country on 5 acres of land, not visible from the street-- totally improbable.) I hope your family heals quickly from this invasion.  What a mess.  Take care.

   Posted by Colleen  on  03/27/07  at  01:19 PM

2. Good point. Kids are fine so far. They tend to ignore things unless they are right in front of them. :-]

   They are just excited that they get house keys now.

   Posted by Jon  on  03/27/07  at  01:27 PM

3. Definitely pegs the Suck-O-Meter. As for the moat, if you need any help acquiring alligators let me know because “Florida.”

   Although I’d go with crocs and/or morays if I were you. Sing with me:

   If you fall in the moat
   and get bit with a jolt
   That’s a moray…

   Posted by Radioactive Jam  on  03/28/07  at  05:43 AM

4. Oy vey.  I’ve been stolen from, but never to that extent.  As bad as my piddly loss made me feel - emotionally I just felt so violated - I can only imagine how y’all’re feeling.  And frankly I don’t want to imagine it.  Ouch.  Hope it all works out. 

   And I’ll be locking my car doors from now on.  And the back door for that matter.  Yeah, we’re stupidly trusting - and lazy.  I just never have bothered because I’m so juvenile-ly impatient I can’t take an extra 30 seconds to secure our home.  Thanks for the wake-up call...I’m just so sorry it happened at all.

   Posted by elizabeth  on  03/28/07  at  07:06 AM

5. Youch.  Sorry about all that, especially the knowing tsk tsks from the cops.  When our garage was burglarlized last year, the write-up in the newspaper (yes, news was slow in Utah County that week) said something like “guess they didn’t read all the previous stories about people stealing things from unlocked garages.” Made us feel pretty stupid.  But really, WE WERE HOME at the time.  Bleck.  Good times.

   Anyway, I’m having fun perusing your site.  Thanks to RAJam for the link.

   Posted by Julie Q.  on  03/28/07  at  07:35 AM

6. That is just brutal!  man - i hope things go easier from here on out.

   Posted by ALRO  on  03/28/07  at  08:57 AM

7. We don’t have a Walgreens up here but I am sure it is a fine establishment :-)

   You are coping well considering.  Hope they get the thieves.

   Posted by Sirdar  on  03/29/07  at  09:37 PM

8. My wife got hit the same way a week ago.  Left her purse in car. Believed it was locked and armed.  Within 45 minutes someone had gottent in the car and stole the purse,(We have darkened windows and purse was on floor...)AND went to a nearby ATM and made 3 withdraws zeroing the balance.  Pin was NOT written down, and card had virtually never been used where pin number is entered. No doubt used a magnetic strip reader.
   Not a pleasant experience to deal with for sure.  Will be doing my own “investigation” including surveillances of the area for anticipated repeat activity.  I’ll catch the SOB’s and there will be a little “Frontier Justice” going on!

   Posted by Rocky  on  04/13/07  at  01:08 PM

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Holy Crap! Look at all this STUFF down here. It's awesome!

 

Really, I'm glad you made it down here. Almost no one ever comes down here. I'm like in a freaking dungeon down here. I get lonely. But not you. YOU made it all the way to the end of the page. For this I think I've a little crush on you. I don't know, is "love" to strong a word to use in this situation? Well, if it's not "love," then it's very strong "like." I'm totally in like with you for coming down here. You are awesome. Please love me back! I know, I know, I shouldn't be all needy, it's not attractive at all, but you don't know how it is to be stuck down here. Who scrolls all the way to the end of a page anymore these days? Anyway, thanks for shedding some light down here in the depths. I appreciate it. Shoot me an email and I'll send you a dollar, OK?

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