Well, I guess it was time for me to be struck by the evils of Halloween (and no, I am not referring to the disappearing Tootsie Rolls that not one trick-or-treater came knocking to collect). Instead, I am referring to an attack from the Witch of Fraud. As my tale of the witchs curse unfolds, I was quietly going about my day (Friday, October 31st) by working throughout the morning anticipating an afternoon off from work. The afternoon plans included a check-up and new tires for my RAV4 and dinner with my parents to celebrate their October birthdays and November 1st 58th anniversary. Unbeknownst to me, the curse was about to strike! My first stop was to Kohls to purchase a chain for a pendant that my sisters, Karen L Miller and Tracy ONeal, and I purchased for mommy during our outing to Pigeon Forge; no, surprises there. Needing gas to ensure my arrival in Beckley, my next stop was to a Shell station in Kanawha City where I used my charge card at the pump. Wow, it only took $28 to fill my tank! While driving the turnpike, I accidentally broke the chain that held my cross, so I decided that I would go to the Beckley Kohls and purchase a new one. I selected a nice chain and tried to check out. The clerk told me they had experienced a power outage and was having difficulty with card transactions. Not carrying enough cash, the charge card and the debit card were both attempted and I left the store without the chain. (Theres always another day.) At this point, the evils machinations of the Witch of Fraud were all ready wrecking havoc! After dropping off the RAV, my parents picked me up and we went to dinner where we spent a couple of hours enjoying our too infrequent time together. Following our family custom of hugs and kisses, they returned me to the service department to retrieve my RAV. Confidently, I submitted my charge card for payment; only to have to returned with a whispered, It was declined. Do you have a firewall on it? With an answering, No, and theres very little balance on it, too, I handed him my bank card while thinking they must be having the same difficulty as Kohls. The card was accepted and I was on my way. If you have ever traveled Route 3 during a dreary rainy evening, you know you are going to encounter fog. A fog that was befitting a night of trick-or-treaters and pranks was beginning to swirl over the road as I approached Glen Daniel. So, I pulled off and called Bill to apprise him of my location, when he asked, Have you tried to use your charge card? Now, using a charge card for major purchases is something I do regularly. It just seems to impart a little extra sense of security in case I have an issue with the merchandise. So, I explained what happened, to which he replied, You have a message from you cards fraud alert and you need to call the when you get home. Unconcerned, I just chalked it up to the two charge attempts and figured that it would be easily cleared up. (It did remind me that I needed to transfer funds to the bank card, which I did immediately.) Safely arriving home, I shared a few minutes catching up with Bills day and then, made The Call. After a few frustrating moments of trying to convince the lady on the other end, that I could not hang-up and wait for a verification call on the attached cell number (if you know the area of which I live, you are well-aware there is a serious lack of cell service) to which you must then call back from the same cell number. Finally, after I rudely interrupted several times, we managed to come to a process for confirming my ownership of the account. She proceeded to question me on my card activities for the day and repeatedly inquired as to my use of two travel sites, with charges incurred, and a purchase through Delta. After denying the charges, I asked for the timing of the purchases. They occurred during a two-hour window, between my gas purchase and the attempted purchase at Kohls. The cards fraud department is turning the incident over for investigation and filing a police report. I have destroyed this card and must wait for the arrival of a replacement. Once again, evil has been thwarted (take that, Witch of Fraud) and good has triumphed (Thank you, Fraud Department). Most of all, I thank God for watching out for me. Frequently, I hear you can never out-give God and I know this is true. If this story did not have the ending it does, and Id been stuck with bills that I did not incure; I would still say that God is seeing to all my needs and most of my wants! When experiencing trials, I lean on Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. Perhaps, not a path that I would choose or one that I travel meekly, but one that will allow me to grow in some aspect of my faith and personality. A path that may help me to be more empathetic and sympathetic of others. One that will bear fruit. Thank you, God, for the lessons you provide through the evils that Satan designs to challenge us. (Now, I wonder, will I be able to get the bank to waive that overdraft fee?)
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 18:19:09 +0000