They Will Know You By Your Charges
My American Express card was intercepted in the mail this past week. The only reason I was even aware of the heist was due to an e-mail I received asking me to verify a suspicious charge.
I’m not all that paranoid about purchasing things via the world wide web. I’m not reckless either. But hey, if I can get 3 dozen bead-head wooly buggers in various sizes and colors for only $17.50 (including shipping) what’s a guy to do?
My first thought was that the e-mail I had received was a phishing scam. This is an attempt by a con-artist to get you to divulge your credit card information through a web-site that looks just like the actual website. So, I called American Express to inquire as to the validity of the e-mail and learned that my card had been swiped and was being used in vain.
The friendly customer service representative began to list a few of the attempted charges. She explained how these charges were not consistent with my prior purchasing habits and thus were suspicious and suspected to be fraudulent.
I was relieved and grateful of course and amazed at the software behind the scenes which knew about my spending habits. This amazement was even greater considering that the first attempted charge was from Fredericks of Hollywood. The remaining charge attempts were along that same line.
Aside from all the big brother conspiracies and discussions about groceries stores and video stores tracking your purchases (they do you know?) it was kind of cool knowing they saw that junk and knew it wasn’t me.
Not that they know me personally but I was known by my purchases or better yet by what I didn’t purchase (at least not with that card ever again!).
I wonder what would happen with that kind of purchase history disclosure in other areas of our life? Isn’t that what accountability is all about? Maybe online viewing accountability should extend to our purchase history and habits.
I know this type of disclosure could be abused and used as a means of control. I just think in the long run we would be healthier spiritually, emotionally and physically if someone we loved and trusted knew to ask: “Hey, I saw you purchased 200 cases of twinkies last month. Do we need to talk?”
Hey, I want a bead-head woolly bugger!
Yeah, it’s hard getting used to looking up “Los Angeles” in the box scores but I’ll trade the confusion for a competitive team any day. I can’t even TELL you how much I want to beat the Yankees. I can’t help rooting for the Nats a bit as well though. What a happy bunch of guys, freed from the restraints of Montreal. Mon Dieu!
My credit card company called me last week too, but because I was trying to buy “Stat Tracker” from Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. They must NOT know me very well.
Yesterday I got my box seat tickets for the Angels/Dodgers game on May 21. Doug is GREEN! Heh heh.
How scary…
I mean, really, how scary that people can “track” us. However, in your case, what a blessing.
Every once in a while, I just want a “do-over” so I can completely wipe the slate clean and try to have a perfect and flawless history.
I guess Jesus did that for me, huh?
I am fixated to some extent on the aspect of what Randy just shared that has to do how a potentially frightening incident developed into a refreshing and gratifying one. Things do work out for the good of those who love God. The big brother criticisms still stand though and I know Christian women who credit Frederick of Hollywood with spicing up intimacy between them and their husbands but one gets the gist of the pattern averred here.
One of my father’s sayings seems adequate in this instance. “God keeps the most comprehensive records” he says. “No idle talk” the bible says goes unoticed. I am not as afraid of the “big brother” capabilities of technologically savvy institutions with access to large and comprehensive records as I am of heaven’s records which has eternal consequences for me.
Realizing this, I am minded to conduct my self in such a way as to develop a pattern that hopefully makes me able to benefit from American Expresses customer protection services. Whether or not that happens the certainty of accounting at the great judgement in heaven remains. Between both accountings their is plenty of motivation to keeps one’s ducks in a row so to speak.