1/9/15 I've Been Burgled?

    Well, woke up Sunday morning at the crack of noon only to realize I was the victim of credit card fraud.  Good thing we're almost broke, we noticed it almost instantly.  I like to challenge my wife, Saturday night we were down to about $200.  I told her, let's see if we can make it to Friday on the $200.  We do keep a little extra money in the house and our savings has a good $800-$1000 when things are working right, don't worry, we won't starve.  But since we live and die by the swipe of the card, when I have extra from OT, I try to pay off different credit cards.  Doesn't change anything, we promptly go buy stuff we don't need sometimes just from boredom.  We have a problem, I know.
    A couple years ago, someone decided to be a champ, a generous, generous soul.  They stole some credit card checks from our house and donated $2000 to Red Cross on our behalf.  I caught this, and about needed their services on the spot.  Called the credit card in question and even they said it looked suspicious, my cheapness is known throughout the land, I guess.  Anyways, we cancelled that transaction, and set up a bunch of protective alarms through our bank.  For example, if we write a check for more than $1000, we get a text.  If we go below $100, we get a text, and so on and on. 
    Sunday morning, between my chills and diarrhea (I've been kind of sick, no fever though), my wife noticed on her phone a note that we were out of money.  I just waved her off, we've been running around, it was bound to happen, but we also had a call on the house phone and this got Sherlock Holmes looking through our bank account online.  Sure enough, some lower life form took my credit card info and bought himself some car parts at Auto Zone in North Austin to the tune of $178.  They then tried to fill up their car with $24, but it was declined, cause we just don't roll with that kind of cash.  On the one hand I say Ha!, busted, on the other hand, this just reeks of a poor desperate soul trying to fix his POS vehicle.  Doesn't even have the fortitude to fill up his gas tank, $24, come on buddy, live a little, throw in some Slim Jim's for the missus, maybe a soda for the kid in the back seat. 
    It should bother me more, but our bank promptly put a stop usage on the card, they refunded my money within twelve hours, and I guess no harm, no foul.  This poor low life might have paid more than the $178 for the credit info, hope he goes back and stabs the a-hole who sold my info, probably a clerk getting paid minimum wage.  Ughhhh, everybody has become a victim, at least give him a good swift kick in the ass, stabbing just sounds dirty.  Yeah, stick a finger in his/her butt.  That'll teach them.  You have my permission for that, not for the stab Mr. Criminal.  And take your car to someone who knows what they're doing, you working on your own car after this, just makes me think you'll be stranded on the side of the road again, and soon.
    If there's a lesson for my ones (someday you'll be thousands) of readers, put your money in a good bank that'll refund your money when things go wrong, they do, eventually.  If a cashier looks suspicious, like he has a pen and writes your credit card number down and puts it in their pocket, don't trust them.  Give him the two fingers thing pointing at your eyes and his and say "I'm looking at you."  That usually makes a bad guy change his ways.  No, but this kind of crap is going to happen in this day and age, don't let it ruin your day.  My wife turned into the Hulk, while I was trying to talk to the bank people she was systematically kicking holes in the wall between the studs.  Even though we get our money back, I now have to patch up 40 size 8 karate kicks all over the house.  Guess who really snaps into a Slim Jim!!!!??