I feel for you as I work in a factory in hickville. I have very long hair so I get the drug screenings everytime we have one. I think this is on purpose to keep bodies there. If they sent someone to drug screening and they failed then they would lose a body. I have asked the man that travels to the restroom with me about it and accused him of just wanting to see what I had and since have not had to go again.

I understand completely.

It's a shame that "random" testing is too often done on the basis of outward appearances rather than behavior patterns but people do love their stereotypes--saves them from the dangerous business of having to think. LOL.

Well, all the charges have disappeared--thank God.

I thought it was interesting that the customer rep I spoke with at the jewelry store--in Pennsylvania--was able, through experience, to piece together my whole story before I told it to her.

She asked me if I'd been to Oklahoma lately and if I'd stayed at a hotel. I told her "yes," about six months ago.

She told me she couldn't share any specific details from her end but that virtually all of their fraudulent transactions arise from information gathered during registration at hotels.

From that I surmised that registration at the front desk, along with the mandatory presentation of ID and home address creates the critical mass of information necessary to make the scams work. How one is supposed to avoid that risk is something I just don't know.

MichaelAT

maybe we could give false info at hotels?? That is a rotten start to your day, MAT - glad it got better.

I'm sorry Miikul. I hope you get that bank straightened out. Today I'm taking a break from the world and doctors. Sometimes we can get stretched to our limits by other people's human mistakes.

Carla

Scary, scary, MAT and utterly believable to me.

I had a bizarre 9 months or so wherein my mail was not coming to me after I moved, the post office could not say why, and my accounts were changed to another address that the companies couldn't give me! I was able to put a 'possible' fraud alert on all but Amex, which I didn't pay so that the card would be useless.

In the end, a banker who knew me gave me the address, I physically DROVE out there, walked up to the lady's house and asked her what the h*ll was going on.

She had a cousin with my name, whom she hated and was owed money by. She thought the mail was hers.

The post office found later that the woman had lived at my apartment complex, and she had checked 'family' when she moved on her change of address form. The post office then uses last name, street name and last 3 or 4 digits of the street number. Ours matched, so she got my mail!

I was never able to prove that she did anything to my accounts because the comapanies don't keep the things that need signatures! Or they charge $20 an hour to look through records. Hopefully that's changed due to computer databases being more popular nowadays but who knows?

The planets align against us sometimes, is what I think ;] There's a hauled-to-jail story over a $7.50 check from 10 years previous that has a technological/human glitch, too, that is fun to tell at family reunions.

Always expect the unexpected, lol.

Dear Michael,
Your first chapter. What a nerve-racking time that must have been for you, so sorry this happened but thank God it got sorted out and any doubts by the rest of the staff where soon halted. What a relief!
#2 What another terrible shock (most people's worst nightmare) and a hastle that was, Let's hope all is nipped in the bud. But the banks should stand by what they offer and the credit card companies do for sure I believe, so hopefully you will not be out of pocket in the end. But still a huge pain. Just seen your later post on how it was linked to a hotel you stayed at. Even credit card info is not safe there, and you would think that it would be! harrumph!!

That was a terribl sad story about the guy who deposit his days cash into the night deposit. Oh, how cruel that was. People like that should be well compensated for the rest of their life.

............and if you need to pray, stay away from computers or machines - that's if you want to get the message accross! tee-hee! ........and you will, because you need all "good things from now on"
Big Hug Michael and have a GREAT day today!
Pauline - VI

ha ha

The jokes on me.

I just checked again and all the charges are back--plus a few more.

Just have to laugh.

This is going to be fun--

(I really am laughing, in all sincerity what other course is there?)

MichaelAT

I don't get it, this is definitely not your fault and the recourse is with the bank or credit card company, surely.

I am sure it will get sorted, Good luck again!
P

Gallows humor ;]

Although, clearly there are worse nightmares. I like to think the universe throws these curveballs in little dribbles, thereby staving off one massive curveball that would be a nightmare.

There, you're not gonna be hit by a bus tomorrow. Smile and sleep soundly ;]