Friday, June 19, 2009

A Strange Day Indeed

This is the moment when I wish I had a British accent and a mustache I could twirl. If I did, I would say, while twirling my mustache and peering over my spectacles, "this has been a strange day. Yes, by george, a strange day indeed!"
~
Seriously, though, I needed to inject some humor into this day, if only for myself! This morning started out fairly normally until the UPS man showed up on my front porch. An unexpected UPS envelope was left outside of my door because of the barking of my dogs inside of the door. So...I picked up this very thin envelope and read the senders information. Hmmm, no one I know. From California. . . I open the envelope and lo and behold. Three, count them 3, USPS money orders, each for $975.25 each. My first thought was "Lord"? Nah. Couldn't be. My second thought was, "I'd better start investigating this." I noticed upon closer inspection that the name and address signed on the money orders was different than the return address of the sender on the envelope. *Aha. First clue.
  • I sat down at my trusty computer and did a search for the sender's name. Nothing. Then I tried doing a reverse lookup search using only the address. Voila! A different name attached to the address with a phone number. I dialed the number while my son stood by my side. . . A lady answered. I said to her, " Hi. You're going to think this is strange, but do you know someone by the name of __ _____? She said, "Well, first of all, no it isn't strange at all. And second, no I don't know anyone by that name, but you're not the first one to call and ask me that question. She then began a 30 minute recounting of everything she knew, which did NOT include how and why this person would have her address and be using it to send unsuspecting people all over the country either checks or money orders. She had received a call from a lady in Tennessee and from a man in Florida. She has also gotten to know her local UPS person on a first name basis, and they keep anything returned to this name and her address in their "fraud file" to investigate further. She said that no one had been able to figure out how this person got their name and address and why they would send this to them. She had seen a report on some news show about a scam where the crooks want you to deposit the checks into your bank and then they are able to see your bank and account information and empty out your accounts! Egads! She proceeded to give me the police report # she has filed at her county sheriff's department.

  • After hanging up the phone I received 3 phone calls from an "unknown" source. All 3 were some man with a very heavy foreign accent trying to tell me something I couldn't understand a word of.
  • Next, I received an email, telling me they were glad I had received my package and would I please follow my instructions and do as I was told.
  • What instructions? It was then I discovered I had indeed been sent an email at 10:30 pm last night telling me what to do with the money. Help! I was to forward it to somebody in the UK by Western Union and give them the confirmation # afterwards. But I didn't do it.
I'm too smart for that I said to myself. I would never fall for anything so sinister. Then some of the wording in his email started to click, sounding vaguely familiar. Oh boy. Am I an idiot. I know better than that. How could I be so stupid? About a week ago, I received an email from a Secret Shopper company wanting me to be a mystery shopper for them. I had tried to sign up about a year ago to do something like this, so I thought, well good, that would be fun to do! So, I sent them back all of my information. Aha. There it is. That's how they found me. In fact, in the original secret shopper email, they promised me a 200.00 fee for completing my assignments. And in the email I received today, they told me to keep 200.00 and forward the rest to them.
  • To make a long story a little bit longer, I printed off all of the emails. I have them in the UPS envelope with the money orders. I have also saved all of my phone messages from this criminal. I'm thinking the money orders are stolen probably from the USPS. So, I think I'll contact them first.

I hope this is the end of it. But all day, I felt so creepy. Like someone was spying on me, or worse, trying to take something valuable from me.

  • I proceeded to my 1:00 job interview at a well known coffee shop and will find out Monday if I will be working there for the rest of the summer.
  • I went to work at my job this evening and when I got home, my daughter called me asking if I had seen her wallet. We then embarked on a heartrending search for her wallet, which contained many, many valuable items. My heart was breaking for her and me both. I drove back through the gas station, where she remembered using it last. I retraced her drive watching along all of the curbs and in the grass on the corners. I got out and actually looked in all of the trash cans at the gas station and on the top of all the gas pumps, while customers looked at me like I was a suspicious character! Can you imagine!! My daughter called her bank and reported her card missing. I drove on back home, remembering that her address was on her DL and maybe, just maybe, as I fervently, fearfully, prayed, that the person finding the wallet, would be a kind, honest sort and would find our phone number.

  • I was home not very long when the phone wrang. rang, I mean. It was a very young sounding young man, who asked if I was my daughter? I said "no, but this is her mom!(with every hope in my heart)" He said, well, I think I found your daughter's wallet. " I wished I could have reached through that phone and hugged that boy. I told him "Bless you! Oh Bless You!" He offered to meet us at a local elementary school parking lot to give it back. He had found it at the gas station. I can't describe to you, the renewed faith this gave to me! I had been calling this day a stinky, awful, stressed out day. And within seconds, I was praising God and telling this boy"God bless you!".
So, my daughter's wallet was returned with everything still intact. I'm so thankful. And, I think we both learned valuable lessons today.
  • I forgot to mention, at some time this morning, running out of breakfast cereal and the fighting between siblings and parent that ensued and as a result, my son storming off on his bicycle while I'm worrying myself silly over him. Then, hugs and forgiveness afterwards. Oh, my. No wonder I'm tired.
  • Well, I couldn't waste a crazy day like this. I hate to admit my foolishness in such a matter, but let it be a warning to all!
  • Oh, did I mention I got soap in my eye while showering to get ready for my job interview? Oh, never mind.
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise." 1 Corinthians 3:18
  • Oh, shoot. I hear strange noises out in my garage! Will this day never end? I hope it's the neighborhood cat. Sigh. . . .

4 comments:

  1. Have mercy girlfriend. It just sounded like your day had way more than 24 hours in it! LOL. Wait, that may have been how long it took me to read it all! LOL. Just kidding. It was fun to read all about your adventure!
    Hugs.
    Kim

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  2. Goodness gracious!! What a day you had! Thank goodness every day isn't like that one!! The good news; you were in control or should I say HE was in control and everything worked out!

    Hope you get that job! ((hugs))

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  3. Karen...what a day...very weird...do hope that things sort themselves out...think I would have been going straight to the police myself...and I am soo pleased that your daughter has her wallet back!

    Reminds me of when I lost mine at a subway while visiting Washington...and reported it. My sister was just saying to me as we were about to depart (minus my wallet) that I wouldn't ever see it again...and I said out loud..Dear God please let someone hand it in...A couple of minutes later, just as we were about to leave, the PA said for me to go back to the office....it had been handed in at the next station. Minus the 20 dollars of course (lucky there wasn't more in there)...but at least I had my cards back..and the sweet wallet I had bought in Ireland years ago! Praise the Lord.For some honest people!

    Thanks for your visits to my posts lately! I didn't manage to do the challenge ..a bit difficult when I was flying for 24 hours the day before!

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