My son Aaron came home from school today to find the front door open just a crack. He peered in and saw that our dining room window had been broken. He called 911 and called me at work. We had been robbed.
Aaron waited for the police to show and led them thru the house. No one was there but he could see that they had been thru some of the rooms. I called Rob who unfortunately being a cop himself could not leave work but I ran out of my temp job like a flash! I called Brianne who headed over to be with Aaron and texted Nicole to come straight home.
The police officer was dusting for prints when I got home and told me it was okay to look around to see what was missing. Aaron said they trashed my bedroom so I headed upstairs. Every drawer in the bedroom was emptied on the floor and I could see immediately that our large gun safe was gone as was one smaller safe from the closet. Curiously the smallest hand gun safe was just sitting there where they must have dropped it.
On further inspection we discovered that Rob's and my mp3 players were gone as was Nicole's ipod and camera. They took 2 broken cell phones and some foreign change that Aaron had. They took the wii but not the wii fit board, guess they got enough exercise carrying the gun safes which weighed a ton! I found all my jewelry (not that I had much) just tossed on the bedroom floor. I'm not sure what else might be missing.
The kids helped me clean up, there was glass from the window spread about 20 feet into the house. We found the rock they threw too.
There have been a lot of burglaries happening in the area lately. Is it the economy or maybe I just live in what I thought was a nice safe neighborhood, not a poor area, just comfortably middle class.
It could have been worse. Both my younger kids almost didn't go to school today as they are both nursing colds. I shudder to think what could have happened if they, especially Nicole, had been home. It could have been much worse.
Ironically I am taking my first grade Girl Scouts to tour the Police Station tonight. Some fun!
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Fraud! I feel violated....
I'm an ex banker and hubs is a cop. So we try to be extra careful when it comes to our identity and our banking information. We use the debit card at grocery stores but tend to pay cash when we eat out because of skimmers. So imagine my surprise today when the fraud dept calls my house. Actually I was skeptical, hung up on the automated call and called my bank directly. They didn't see anything and I just figured I was part of a phishing expedition. Then later that day I tried to use my card in the ATM. DENIED!!
I came home and called the bank again. This time they put me thru to the fraud dept. They asked me a bunch of questions about my recent purchases. Thankfully they didn't ask what I bought at the pharmacy, just if I had gone there. Then they came to a charge from Kingfisher Airlines made at 1am while I was gently sleeping amid my plethora of cats.
So some bastard in India has my debit card number and took a $85 flight. Of course my husband is sure that this is all my fault. That I must have let someone skim my card. This is the same account he uses, but he is sure I'm just shouting out my number over a PA system or something.
So I had to cancel my card, which is my access to cash! And it will take about 10 days before the new card with the new number shows up. So I'm back to writing checks or going to the bank or my favorite, transferring money to my son's account and asking him to make a withdrawal and bring me cash.
For those who don't know what skimming is: Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. It is typically an "inside job" by a dishonest employee of a legitimate merchant. The thief can procure a victim’s credit card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device (skimmer) to swipe and store hundreds of victim’s credit card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim's credit card out of their immediate view. The thief may also use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the 3 or 4 digit Card Security Code which is not present on the magnetic strip.
Or what phishing is: phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
I came home and called the bank again. This time they put me thru to the fraud dept. They asked me a bunch of questions about my recent purchases. Thankfully they didn't ask what I bought at the pharmacy, just if I had gone there. Then they came to a charge from Kingfisher Airlines made at 1am while I was gently sleeping amid my plethora of cats.
So some bastard in India has my debit card number and took a $85 flight. Of course my husband is sure that this is all my fault. That I must have let someone skim my card. This is the same account he uses, but he is sure I'm just shouting out my number over a PA system or something.
So I had to cancel my card, which is my access to cash! And it will take about 10 days before the new card with the new number shows up. So I'm back to writing checks or going to the bank or my favorite, transferring money to my son's account and asking him to make a withdrawal and bring me cash.
For those who don't know what skimming is: Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. It is typically an "inside job" by a dishonest employee of a legitimate merchant. The thief can procure a victim’s credit card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device (skimmer) to swipe and store hundreds of victim’s credit card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim's credit card out of their immediate view. The thief may also use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the 3 or 4 digit Card Security Code which is not present on the magnetic strip.
Or what phishing is: phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I didn't get to throw the book at anyone...
I went to the big city today to do my civic duty...Jury duty! This is the 3rd time in about a year I have been called to serve before that it was 31 years since my last summons.
I took the bus in, something I haven't done regularly for over 6 years. It took an hour to get there. There is a county courthouse about 10 minutes from my home, but I don't get a choice to go there. It makes about as much sense as having my mother-in-law who lives in the big city get sent to suburbia where I live to serve her jury duty. She had to take 3 buses to get there. It hasn't gotten any better going to the city and still took an hour for me to get there. I check in and then wait. After a while we get to listen to instructions, watch an instructional video and then wait some more. The clerk finally calls names for the first jury panel. 40 names, I was number 13. Off to the 7th floor to meet the bailiff. She has us line up in numerical order and then leads us to the courtroom. She stops and says, "number 13, please come to the front of the line" Hey that's me, what the heck did I do now, I haven't even set foot in the courtroom yet. Well, number 13 gets to lead the first 12 into the jury box and number 13 gets to sit right next to them. The others just took seats in the spectator section. Then the judge gives us more instructions, he introduces the cast - defendant, his attorney, the prosecutor, the clerk, the court reporter. Then he reads the charges and asks us if we know any of the witnesses listed. Finally the judges starts asking us questions to see what kind of people we are. Most of us seem fairly normal, just doing our duty. There was one nutcase who on hearing that this was a drug related case decides to expound on his beliefs that the USA is wasting taxpayers money on the war on drugs, yada yada yada. Every time the panel was asked something, this guy had something to say. Finally it's lunch, and we all race out of there for an hour and a half.
After lunch, the prosecutor and the defense attorney ask their questions. Then they start eliminating jurors. I was the first one the defense excused. I think it might have had something to do with the fact my husband is a cop. I don't know if Mr. political activist got dismissed or not. Anyway it was 3pm and I was so ready to go home. And since it went til 3pm I only had to take one bus home. If I had had to leave earlier I'd have had to take at least 2 buses and it would have been 2 hours to get home instead of an hour. All this fun for $10 a day.
I took the bus in, something I haven't done regularly for over 6 years. It took an hour to get there. There is a county courthouse about 10 minutes from my home, but I don't get a choice to go there. It makes about as much sense as having my mother-in-law who lives in the big city get sent to suburbia where I live to serve her jury duty. She had to take 3 buses to get there. It hasn't gotten any better going to the city and still took an hour for me to get there. I check in and then wait. After a while we get to listen to instructions, watch an instructional video and then wait some more. The clerk finally calls names for the first jury panel. 40 names, I was number 13. Off to the 7th floor to meet the bailiff. She has us line up in numerical order and then leads us to the courtroom. She stops and says, "number 13, please come to the front of the line" Hey that's me, what the heck did I do now, I haven't even set foot in the courtroom yet. Well, number 13 gets to lead the first 12 into the jury box and number 13 gets to sit right next to them. The others just took seats in the spectator section. Then the judge gives us more instructions, he introduces the cast - defendant, his attorney, the prosecutor, the clerk, the court reporter. Then he reads the charges and asks us if we know any of the witnesses listed. Finally the judges starts asking us questions to see what kind of people we are. Most of us seem fairly normal, just doing our duty. There was one nutcase who on hearing that this was a drug related case decides to expound on his beliefs that the USA is wasting taxpayers money on the war on drugs, yada yada yada. Every time the panel was asked something, this guy had something to say. Finally it's lunch, and we all race out of there for an hour and a half.
After lunch, the prosecutor and the defense attorney ask their questions. Then they start eliminating jurors. I was the first one the defense excused. I think it might have had something to do with the fact my husband is a cop. I don't know if Mr. political activist got dismissed or not. Anyway it was 3pm and I was so ready to go home. And since it went til 3pm I only had to take one bus home. If I had had to leave earlier I'd have had to take at least 2 buses and it would have been 2 hours to get home instead of an hour. All this fun for $10 a day.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Ross: Dress for Less, or Less than Less
Just after spending $60 on a new swim team suit, Nik mentions that M and S have cute dresses that sparkle and she doesn't. Her BFF is having her birthday this weekend and her parents are taking her and 4 of her friends to see The Phantom of the Opera with dinner first. So it's bling time! I'm an indulgent mother and I love seeing my girl decked out and being cute but we are on a budget, big time. I said, lets go but cheap or nothing! Off we head to Kohls. They had some sparkly dresses but frankly, I don't want my daughter to look like a hooker and that's all the special occasion dresses they had in Jrs. So off we go, Marshalls -nothing, Nordstrom Rack, nada. Then we see Ross. I don't like going into Ross. It's kind of shabby and the customers and staff always are rude (ok, maybe not always but every time I darken the door). The racks are all too close together and I hate having to try and slide by all the skinny gals who seem so put out that I ask them to scoot their cart over.
Nicole and I maneuver ourselves to the dresses and start sorting thru. They had a few very small dresses (Nicole is very petite, until she came around, I had never looked in a size 00 rack before) She finds 2 dresses that don't look like a street walker or Las Vegas showgirl might own and we head over to the fitting rooms. Nicole is in there about 30 minutes. It's 2 dresses, come on! I start texting her - do you need help? are you dead? wtf? Finally she's out and she loves this little black dress with a big rhinestone decoration just under the bust. It's all floaty and very nice. We head to the racks again to see if we can find some kind of coverup. We did find a wispy chiffon scarfy thing that's beaded.
We finally get in line and what a line it is. Everyone in front of us has a cart filled up and while we are waiting, they have family members adding to their ever growing pile of stuff. Our clerk is in no hurry and doesn't seem to know how to count cash. So she counts the cash she is given 3 or 4 times. I think one person gave her about 80 one dollar bills. Doesn't anyone use plastic anymore. I felt like I was in that Visa commercial where everything comes crashing to a halt when the idiot brings out cash. We waited another 30 minutes in line before we finally get there. I'm nearly comatose and my feet are achy. The clerk rings us up, I pay and off we go. As we head home, I asked Nik what the total came to. Yeah, yeah, I don't always pay attention. She says, $17. Wait a minute, the dress was $14 so what about the scarf? Nik, "oops, she didn't ring it up." So with the help of the clerk, we just sorta shoplifted from Ross a $10 scarf. And no, I didn't go back right then and there. This morning I asked Nicole where the receipt was and the tags from the scarf. In the trash, outside, at the curb, and just moments ago I heard the truck. I'm a poor excuse for setting a good example.
Nicole and I maneuver ourselves to the dresses and start sorting thru. They had a few very small dresses (Nicole is very petite, until she came around, I had never looked in a size 00 rack before) She finds 2 dresses that don't look like a street walker or Las Vegas showgirl might own and we head over to the fitting rooms. Nicole is in there about 30 minutes. It's 2 dresses, come on! I start texting her - do you need help? are you dead? wtf? Finally she's out and she loves this little black dress with a big rhinestone decoration just under the bust. It's all floaty and very nice. We head to the racks again to see if we can find some kind of coverup. We did find a wispy chiffon scarfy thing that's beaded.
We finally get in line and what a line it is. Everyone in front of us has a cart filled up and while we are waiting, they have family members adding to their ever growing pile of stuff. Our clerk is in no hurry and doesn't seem to know how to count cash. So she counts the cash she is given 3 or 4 times. I think one person gave her about 80 one dollar bills. Doesn't anyone use plastic anymore. I felt like I was in that Visa commercial where everything comes crashing to a halt when the idiot brings out cash. We waited another 30 minutes in line before we finally get there. I'm nearly comatose and my feet are achy. The clerk rings us up, I pay and off we go. As we head home, I asked Nik what the total came to. Yeah, yeah, I don't always pay attention. She says, $17. Wait a minute, the dress was $14 so what about the scarf? Nik, "oops, she didn't ring it up." So with the help of the clerk, we just sorta shoplifted from Ross a $10 scarf. And no, I didn't go back right then and there. This morning I asked Nicole where the receipt was and the tags from the scarf. In the trash, outside, at the curb, and just moments ago I heard the truck. I'm a poor excuse for setting a good example.
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