Aren't credit cards supposed to make things easier?
I’ve been considering a new camera for a long time. Today I caved and ordered a Canon Digital Rebel XT. In lieu of the mediocre stock lens I ordered a Sigma 18-125mm, which has much wider use and higher optical quality. For storage I got an 8 GB Compact Flash card, which still blows me away when I think about it.
Credit cards are supposed to make buying (our patriotic duty in America) so easy, but I found myself hampered today at every turn. The camera and lens are definitely entry level, but it was more than I’ve ever scrounged out from between my sofa cushions. Apparently it was enough to set off alarms at Citibank. I was soon receiving phone calls and warning messages saying my account was experiencing “suspicious” activity. I glanced out my window, expecting to see Homeland Security and a SWAT team setting up a perimeter. They remained hidden.
A woman on the phone asked me for my credit card number and a password, which I had forgotten but was able to bluff through. She began listing off the purchases that had just been blocked, asking if they were mine. When I had confirmed them (it felt more like pleading guilty to a list of criminal charges) she pressed a magical button and everything went through.
While I appreciate the measures they’re taking, it could be annoying if I used my credit card for everything. But I guess a phone call is better than being billed for 120 Smashing Pumpkins concert tickets and 14,000 tennis balls. What really surprised me was the relative ease with which I convinced Citibank that I was me. A pimply Kroger checkout kid could have done it. I’ve been the victim of attempted identity theft once before, and I don’t intend to repeat it. Maybe I’ll blog about that sometime.