Bruce's journal (original) (raw)

Yesterday, some enterprising bastard decided to rip off my credit card to the tune of £500. Unfortunately for them:

1. my bank, smile, is remarkably astute, it would seem, and declined the transaction
2. they were unlucky enough to try it on Ladbrokes' website - a site whose fraud team I provide technical assistance to. They had my name, address and, intriguingly, mobile phone number correct in the account registration details - but not my date of birth or other details. The presence of the mobile phone number pretty much guarantees that the details were lifted from another website - my mobile phone billing is all online, its number simply wouldn't appear in my refuse. All told, they managed to successfully authorise £58.89 worth of online transactions before my bank cut them off - and I should get that back. It's annoying as I'm temporarily without credit card and have to memorise a new number but little more than that. Even the police managed some close approximation of usefulness and promptness in getting me a crime reference number - although the desk sergeant I spoke to wasn't aware of the practice of 'chip-dumping' (ie, buying online poker chips with a stolen card then deliberately losing them to accomplices who cash them out).

In other news, I now have some funky yellow on black contact lenses and a pair of fitted Scarecrow-brand fangs (as recommended by all good vampires everywhere) ready for tomorrow night's Hallowe'en psy/trance night. Fun and games.