Friday, May 6, 2011

Y'All Gonna Make Me Lose My Mind

Things all crazy up in here.  I swear, this week....  I mean there is the usual busyness of this time of year and preparation for the Summer Reading Program.  There is actually plenty of time, but by the beginning of May our boss gets all spun up and imagines fires where there are none.  So there is that.

Then, I woke up yesterday morning to five little messages...five Paypal transactions that I most definitely did NOT authorize.  Each one, right after the other, in the amount of $35.  So for those doing the math, allow me - $175 boom, out of my checking account.  So I call paypal and let them know they're unauthorized...ah, yes, we will investigate, we already were questioning them, yeah, let us look into it, you'll receive notices as they are resolved.  But the money is gone at the moment, right?  Oh yes, that takes place 7 seconds into the transaction.  But it'll be taken care of.  And talk to your bank too.

Luckily, I had all this time in the morning, because I didn't have to report for jury duty until 11.  Yes!  That special treat awaited me too...jury duty!  So, after I took Handsome Lad to school I went to the bank and told them what happened.  I had to fill out a form for each of the transactions, close my checking account and open a new checking account.  So, it is all being handled on that end too...but it took an hour and a half of my life to do this...plus waiting on new checks (which I really only use for rent) and more importantly a new debit card.  But, all should be normalized in about a week to ten days.

*PS - Told it was better to connect Paypal to a credit card, rather than a bank account, but I don't have a credit card.  So, I probably just won't have Paypal.  Also, I did go around and change all of the passwords at all of the sites I could think of.

Next off to jury duty.  Now, THAT went well.  I got there at 11, and by 11:45 I was walking back out, as the defendant they'd called us in for had decided not to have a jury trial and they had no other need of jurors.  So free for another year!  Whew!  So, after the banking issues and a brief stay at West Covina's County Courthouse I basically had this bonus day off!   And you guys saw me a couple days ago...surely I needed a bonus day :-)  And it was very nice.  Even got in a good, good talk with DR.

I don't know...I have probably said this before, but I really do think of myself as the luckiest unlucky person in the world.  

See you tomorrow when we try to PASS with our Saturday Scavenger Shots.  Wish me luck there...

4 comments:

Tara said...

Damn, that's a kind of bad busy, but it sounds like things are getting straightened out. Stupid, senseless, rotten hackers. :(

I'm so glad that, after everything, you still had a bonus day and it treated you well!

secret agent woman said...

This is why I don't allow anything to access my bank account. With a credit card, you aren't liable for fraudulant charges.

AlienCG said...

I've had a corporate credit card number stolen, which sucked since I had to pay the bill and then get reimbursed. My name and other vital info about me was also on a hard drive that was stolen from a state intern's car. I feel your pain, but I'm sure PayPal will help you recover the funds. I'm sure they don't need anymore black eyes on their record.

It's only a year wait in California? In Ohio, I believe it's 18 months or two years between jury duty stints.

laura b. said...

Tara: Yes, luckily it will all be straight again soon. And I did really enjoy the extra time I ended up with that day, in the end :-)

Secret: You're exactly right. I'm edumacated now!

AlienCG: Oh, yeah...that definitely sucks! Between my bank and Paypal this will be handled, but given my situation, I doubt I'd use Paypal again no matter what :-(
Yeah, here the wait is only 12 months. We gots plenty of crime to contend with I s'pose.