Chaos Butterfly

I was awoken early this morning by a phone call from one of my credit card companies. They wanted me to tell them if two recent charges on my card were legitimate or not. One was for $21.86 and the other was for $308.48; One was legitimate, the other wasn't.

I have been working on eliminating my credit card debt. I have a theory that credit card companies are agents of the devil. When you sign up for a credit card, you are in fact signing away your soul. If you some how, against the odds, manage to pay-off your debt before you die, you may get your soul back. When I felt like splurging on some unnecessary but for some unfathomable reason highly desirable item, I would ask myself, "Is it worth your soul to own this widget?" Frequently, because I have horribly self indulgent tendencies and mostly what I want to buy is books, magazines, cookware, and food, the answer was "YES!". Recently the question has morphed into "Will I be embarrassed explaining this purchase to my very frugal husband?" which is in fact a much stronger motivator for me then the whole soul thing.

Anyway, It was very distressing to get this call this morning. It was on a credit card I hardly ever use, which is part of why the security flag was tripped. The $21.86 was an item I had charged the day before and gotten into a bit of a tiff with the customer service rep over because she was a twit. I had thought perhaps the fraud was a bit of retribution on her part for me being less then delightful. I am happy to report that wasn't the case. She doesn't have access to that part of my account information, and I hadn't given it to her on the phone. (No, I didn't confirm this with her, but with the company she works for.)

I am aware that I am very lucky. The fraud was identified on the very first attempt and was stopped before the seller, the credit card company or I suffered a loss. I don't really care about the credit card company, after all they are agents of the devil, but I know how difficult the economy is and some sellers can't afford to have merchandise stolen or the hassle with the credit card companies. As for me, the Uniform Commercial Code would have prevented my loss from exceeding $50. An amount I would have hated to pay, but one that would not cause me long term pain.

This encounter has reminded me that our society is a very open society based on trust. Mail order would not work with out trust. Trust that the customer will pay and trust that the seller will provide the goods. Mail order developed in the 1800's. It took a great deal of faith for a pioneer in some bush-wacked back water to send money to Montgomery Ward or Sear Roebuck and expect to receive an item back. The basic trust that people will do what they say they will do is what enabled our economy to explode to the level it is today. These bottom feeders who illegally use credit cards and other forms of deceit are exploiting the basic decency of the average person. They think they are clever and are getting away with something the average person can't understand. The thing is, there are easier ways to make money, and fraud just doesn't pay all that well. Especially when you are caught and have to do time. I knew a guy who was a bank robber. He said that when he averaged out the time he spent in prison against the loot he stole, it worked out to less the $0.35 an hour.

This whole episode hasn't made me very angry, after all I didn't lose anything, but it has made me sad. In the Middle Ages, what the thief did would have been called an accident of the soul. Without realizing it he has stained his soul and diminished himself in a way which he can't understand. His taint eats away at him, the people who have to work the fraud department at the credit card companies, the sellers who have to suffer the loss, and the credit card holders who have to deal with the aftermath of police reports, affidavits, credit report problems, and a lingering fear that someone may try to damage them this way again. And for what? $308.48 worth of video games.