Cookie is here to tell you that the past week has been no fun. No. Fun. At. All.
Well, that's only partially true.
The real scoop is that the husband and I piled all of suitcases into the Scarab (what Cookie's calls the Prius) and we set off for Ohios over Memorial Day. Why do I call it "the Ohios"? If you have even been to Ohio, then you know that it isn't a homogeneous state - its actually six states in one - and all four corners and central Ohio all have different outlooks and goals. A person from Shaker Heights and person from Cincinnati have very little in common, other than needing food, air and water. Toledo and Dayton only share the desire not be the fourth city of the state, but the gene pools don't match up. And Southeastern Ohio has more in common with Alabama than Youngstown.
And part way there, I was parched and tried to buy a Pepsi, because Joan Crawford would have wanted me to, and when I handed the lady my debit card she said "Sorry Hon, but this card has been declined and put on capture. I had enough pocket change for the Pepsi, and rushed out to the husband who informed me that his card was denied at the pump, too.
Since we can get to the Ohios on one tank in the Scarab, I immediately called the credit union and spoke with "Mary" and Mary said that my debit card had been blocked on my personal account for transactions at a supermarket and Target store in Bel Air, Maryland to the tune of $1,400 in one day. Thats a lot of Toasters and Cool Whip in any sense of the word. When I asked about my joint card, it too had been zapped.
The husband's personal account? Frozen, possible fraud.
"No, fucking way," said my husband.
Mary asked, since we were on speaker phone, "Did you have four transactions at a Wal-Mart in Dundalk, Maryland for..."
And before she could even utter the amounts the husband said "I never shop at Wal-Mart and I have never set foot in Dundalk."
For my part, I felt dirty. Dundalk? PLEASE!
So the next morning we trudged to the credit union and spent three hours filling out paperwork and swearing the truth on affidavits.
And they made us whole, ordered us new cards, and out we walked, still we felt like we do every time we pass a yield sign - violated.
The trip was a success and we've been enjoying a leisurely week. Still, we are creeped out. To know that someone tried to rip you off, and they went to Dundalk to do it? Ewwwww!
Oh, Hon - all sympathy. Been there, had it done to me - twice, in fact, last fall, courtesy, I think, of having (shameful admission) shopped at Target. In both cases the cards were used to purchase baby supplies and service-station snacks and ciggies, but one was in south Florida and the other rural France. Go figure...
ReplyDeleteYou need to let go, and go Target. You could get your stuff cheaper at Kmart, but have you been in a Kmart recently? Its so dead even the vultures don't want to circle them.
DeleteSomeone made a card with my info and bought car parts at Auto Zone in Bumfuck Missouri. I didn't know what an Auto Zone was let alone stepped foot in Missouri.
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst part is that they won't tell you when they caught these folks, or what they bought. What the Hell do you buy in Wal-Mart in freaking Dundalk?
DeleteI've had this happen to me. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE. I have no idea HOW it happened but someone charged a whole crap load of crap from Walmart. I have NEVER shopped at Walmart in my life. Eventually, we cleared it all up but I feel for you. Happy you two got it all sorted out.
ReplyDeletejeez. just what you need when you're on the road.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen this happen to a friend, I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I've been all over Ohio and at the time, found it fab for thrift shops, flea markets and yard sales.