THIEVERY!

Someone has stolen my identity.  That's weird to say.  What I mean is that someone has access to certain information about me that allows them to criminally interact with financial institutions in my name.  They are not dressing up as me, they are not in my email, they are not on my facebook account, and they are not here posting fake posts.

What they did, however, is confusing.  They opened a credit card account with a large department store, immediately charged something that included delivery and then paid it off before I got the bill.  I'm not sure if they thought it would be such a minor blip that I wouldn't notice, but of course I did.  I spent a long time on the phone filing a complaint and bringing bars down on my whole credit situation.  I'm not spread very far, so there isn't much for them to tap into.

I'm pretty sure that I know where the leak sprung from.  They did not use my real credit card to purchase anything, so they did not tap into my network connection to collect the data.  The only place I've recently revealed the piece of info critical here, my SSN, was when applying for a job with an international company called Lionsbridge. What they do is still beyond me and apparently beyond many who apply.  However, it was not Lionsbridge who collected the data, but a third party that they use to screen applicants.  After going through about four pages of various hoops to apply for a job, they start digging into the questionable areas, claiming that they are going to check your credit rating to verify that you are not a scumbag.  When you are out of work and spend that much time trying for a job, you tend to be ready to do things you normally wouldn't.  I remember taking some time to consider, but in the end failed the test, I gave them info that has led me to this.

I really wish that I was the one running down this investigation, what with all of my TV and movie criminal justice experience.  It should be easy to track down the perp, what with both the delivery and the payment, but instead of nailing them I'd offer them a chance, seeing as how they paid for what they stole.  If they would cough up where the info came from, and I could run it back to that company that I suspect, I would then put out feelers to find out if anyone else has had the same issue.  If that were the case, I'd start looking into malfeasance on their part.  If they are knowingly lax in their security procedures, I'd bring the big hammer of a very expensive lawsuit down on them, either forcing them to clean up their act or get the hell out of the business altogether.

Instead I get to fill out forms and affidavits and such, wondering what the hell happened.

Lesson learned.