[legion]

I should have known...

Tuesday I get a voice mail from a flower shop saying there is a problem with my order, I need to call them. The number is an 819 area code. I assume this is either a wrong number or an attempt to phish for credit card info, so I don't return the call. I log onto my credit card account online and notice nothing out of place, so I don't pay it any attention.

Friday night I'm out to dinner with my wife. I pay with my credit card. It is declined. So is my wife's (different card on the same account), so I know the problem is with the account and not the card.

I get home and call the Credit Card company, I'm told there is a hold on my account and I will be transferred to their security department. I am also told that they tried to contact me on Wednesday, but that the phone number they have for me is disconnected. (I got rid of my land line a few years ago and forgot to give the CC company my cell phone number.)

The next person I talk to goes over the last week's charges. Three stick out--they are all for online dating services. They she tells me charges they have declined. One for flowers, three for online porn sites. (Does anyone still pay for that?) They close my account and FedEx me new cards. I'm told I will have to dispute the three fraudulant charges that went through when they post on my account.

I call the flower shop from Tuesday. They tell me they are close to closing and I need to call back tomorrow. I ask where they are located and in a thick accent the lady says what I think is "Tibet".

I call the flower shop back on Saturday. They tell me they are in Quebec, Canada. They give me the IP address from which the order was placed, and tell me it originates in Nigeria (by checking a log file on their server). I am also told that they can't find the order itself and will call me back when they find it. (I wanted to know who the flowers will be delivered to.)

My theory is that my CC info was stolen from an online store I have ordered from. I've ordered stuff from literally hundreds of different online retailers since I've had this credit card, so it's pretty much impossible to tell which one. I also think that the thief is in North America, not Nigeria (I think they were spoofing the IP for their orders).

Why do I think this? First of all, whoever ordered the flowers put in my cell phone number, not the defunct phone number that is associated withy my CC. I always put my cell phone number in on online orders so that I will get the phone call if there is a problem. Second, the flower shop ships to North America only. I'm guess the thief wanted the flowers shipped to someone they could actually meet. Third, they used my credit card to buy accounts for online dating sites, on of which only serves North America.

Speaking of online dating sites, the thief opened accounts on udate.com and dating.com. I can't find phone numbers for either one, and I don't want to use their stupid customer service e-mail forms. Anyone know how I can track down a real phone number for these? (I've already tried Google searches for disgruntled ex-customers.)