(Apologies to George Carlin)
“… it’s Nine O’Clock in Chicago… In America’s Third World County?, it’s 7:42; time for the Eleven O’Clock Report.” Yeh, I only recall the 7:42 part with anything approaching accuracy. And it was Baltimore. Anyway, a couple of interesting convergent posts in divergent places over the last two days. Both asking (and partially answering) the eternal question: It’s past curfew; do you know where your credit cards are?
This one at The Bleat has James Lileks relating a cautionary tale about a call from his credit card company. Here’s a taste:
“And just the other day I was blithely dismissing worries about shopping on the web. Then again, for all I know someone made an impression of the card at a restaurant; that?s still the easiest way to get someone?s credit card number. Anyway, it?s all a mystery. It can?t be connected to those troubles PayPal is having with their database ? I answered that email right away and entered my information into their new supersecret computers. I didn?t know they were co-located in Bulgaria, but you learn something every day.
(Just. Kidding.)”
This post tells of an identity theft victim turning the tables on the perpetrators (h/t Joe Zeff commenting at Pournelle’s Current Mail) Ovid goes Sam Spade all over some identity thieves:
“I’m so mad about this that the obvious doesn’t sink in for a bit. I have interesting information. You don’t have breakfast mail-ordered. These thieves were at that restaurant and that’s a local zip code….”
Cracks the case and even gets the cops to respond (!!!!). Good on him.