Battleangel | Personal

Yes, I think it is clear now that yours truly was subjected to credit card skimming or some other sort of electronic theft at the end of last year. I sort of miss the old school robberies where you knew what was going on, as it happened. The upside here being that you can go after the bank and reclaim your money. So I guess the new economy still has its advantages even if it entails a police report and a ton of forms.
With all the related crime that has been popping up, it seems likely that card manufacturers will be moving to entirely chip based solutions shortly. There is of course also a chance that databases are compromised but compared to the more low-tech skimming approach, it seems unlikely.

More info as it becomes available. But it’s obvious now where the mysterious Naturomeds pills came from. Duh. I should have checked my accounts there and then. What puzzles me is who would order this crap, in addition to some of the other items I surmise have been paid for. Online poker for instance. Some sort of online games, but from the look of it low-tech material. It seems wholly unlikely that someone would take a risk like this and buy essentially crap? My understanding of skimming was that withdrawals are generally small, smart and subtle. Sure, Poker winnings (or in this case losings) could be set up so that the money traded hands (in good faith) or for that matter used in reckless gambles. But pills? Pretty lowbrow tastes and techniques if you ask me. I can’t rule out foul play of course in the sense that I’ve been targeted specifically. But from the looks of it, it seems to be just another fraud case.

The money has been refunded pending a formal investigation by the bank. Not much else to add at the moment.