Wednesday after work I went to try and get the cell phone I had purchased for making calls here in Italy set up. I had worked with Raffaella to pick out the best plan and we went to the store. Of course when it came time to set everything up I realized I had left my passport back at the office (I know none of you are surprised). I ran back to the office and Raffaella went home as the shopowner spoke enough English to get me through the rest. We get through all the information and I go to pay. My card won't work. We try another one. It won't work again. He then realizes I do not have an Italian credit card and I need one to purchase the plan. I leave...again deflated.
Thursday morning I go to purchase Season Two of How I Met Your Mother from iTunes. There are no English stations in this flat and due to copyright laws I can not watch any TV shows online. My credit card got declined which I thought was weird. So of course I just enter in my other one. Later on that afternoon I go to check my bank account and notice that my credit card (the one that got declined on iTunes is through my bank) has a fraud alert on it. I click to "see more". I am asked a series of questions to verify my identity and I am then asked if I currently have the credit card in question in my poessession. Yes. Have you let anyone else borrow it. No. Has the card been out of your poessesion. No. Then a list of charges for the last week comes up. Now this card charges me 3% on foreign purchases so the last time I used it was the day I left the US. There are about 25 charges on the card totalling over $3,000. I am asked if I made these charges. Now most of the charges of been declined (it looks like only about $300 went through). There are a few charges to Best Buy for a total of about $1,000. There are a few charges to Fry Electronics for about $1,000. A bunch of hundred dollar or so charges to Fossill, The Body Shop and other random places. The best though are the dozen or so $59 charges to eHarmony. I mean is this person opening more than one account? If so that is kind of weird. So I check all the charges I didn't make and proceed through the rest of the questions. I am a little concerend as I can not see any charges before the seventh and I have not uesd it since the 31st. I call the number on the back of the card and after I speak with a few people I get transferred to the fraud department. I explain to the woman that I am out of the country and want to see the other charges before the seventh. She explains that there are no charges between the 31st and the 7th. Phew I think. Then I ask how the purchases were made, online or in store. She looks and says all but the Fry Electronics were made online. I tell her I still have the only card in my possesion and ask how they can make an instore purchase without the card. She explains that they just need a card with a magnetic stripe and most likely just put my information onto it. I don't understand that but whatever. I explain that my main concern is understanding how they got the information and she indicated at some point they probably made a copy of my card. I have NO idea how this could happen but oh well. I check my other two credit cards and my debit card and nothing is out of the ordinary. I take a deep breath and just laugh. I mean how does this stuff just keep happening! Oh, and if I were the fraud department at MBNA I would go check the shipping address of the orders they tried to place and go knock on their door!
Oh and on another note there is something else that is slippery besides wet marble...new dress shoes! I about bit it when I got up from my desk after putting them on after I got to work. Graceful...just like my dad always said!
Friday I woke up and had a clear view of the Alps! I knew it was going to be a wonderful day! Here are some pictures of my walk to work:
The first is where the street our office is on (via Avogadro) meets with via Cernaia. The second is a picture of a random lamp post. I thought it was ornate so I snapped a picture. The third is a picture of a guy handing out what I imagine to be Torino's version of the RedEye but since I can't read it I have no idea the actual contents. The fourth is a view walking west on via Garibaldi.
Another bright spot in the day was walking back from activating my phone (instead of getting a monthly plan I am prepaying as I can do that with cash) and seeing Mini Cork again. I seriously am considering getting a shampoo there so I can hang out with the dog. As I approached I though wow that looks like she is chewing on a bathrug...and she was! Some of you may not know but Cork went through a couple beds when she was in her kennel so I switched to towels, bathrugs and blankets. She shredded every last one.
The best part of the day was when the flowers from my dad arrived! Every Valentine's Day since we have been freshmen in college my dad has sent my sister and I flowers...no matter where we are. They are always amazing! Thanks Dad!
After I got back from activating my phone I sent an email to people I work with letting them know "I have an Italian phone number". Well, in Italian there are two verbs that are used a lot avere (to have) and essere (to be). They are similar to the Spanish ser and estar. I confused the two and actually wrote "I am an Italian phone number." My days are just full of laughter!
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