I received an unexpected wake-up call on my San Diego layover two weeks ago. The fraud department at my credit union was calling me at 5:30am. Unfortunately for me, I had only fallen asleep a short time prior to my phone call. You see, I had received news earlier in the day that weighed heavily on my mind. Sadly, I found out a Skyter I few with in Cincinnati had been arrested on Federal charges. I’ll admit. I wasn’t sure which shock was worse…..The fraud department calling while I was in the middle of my REM sleep…..or the realization that a person I enjoyed flying with was involved in fraudulent behavior. Two weeks later I’m still baffled by the news I received on both accounts.
Incredibly, my trip that week started off lovely enough. I was flying with three spectacular Skytresses. More importantly, the reroute gods didn’t rear their ugly little heads and mess up my layover plans. No siree. We made it to our Cincinnati layover as scheduled. Better yet, I met up with my dear Skytress friend, Jennie Lou. Yes. THE Jennie Lou that has filled my blog posts for the past two years. When I walked into the restaurant Jennie Lou was excitedly jumping up and down waving to me. I burst out laughing. Not surprisingly, that was the first of many laughs we shared that day. Heck. Between the laughter and all our catching up, we barely had time to breathe. It was wonderful!
As you know, the airline industry took a brutal hit from Covid. Unfortunately for the Cincinnati Skytresses and Skyters, the Cincinnati base was downsized significantly. Many people, like Jennie Lou, took the early retirement package. Other Skytresses and Skyters were forced to transfer to other bases to maintain their quality of flying. Jennie Lou and I updated each other on the whereabouts of our Cincinnati family of Skytresess and Skyters. Jennie Lou ask me if I had heard the latest news about our fellow Skyter. I hadn’t. Jennie Lou disclosed he had been arrested two weeks prior. I was gobsmacked. Jennie Lou pulled up an article on her cell phone and read me the felony charges he was facing. She then showed me his mugshot. I’ll admit. My brain didn’t know how to process this unfathomable information. I thoroughly enjoyed flying with this Skyter when I was based in Cincinnati. I couldn’t understand how he became involved in criminal activity. I felt sad for him. I was angry with him. Admittedly, I was extremely grateful he was no longer a Skyter for our airline at the time of his arrest.
When I got to my hotel room in San Diego I felt compelled to google our fellow Skyter. I was trying to make sense of the deplorable charges. Sadly, I could not. Everything I read reaffirmed he was indeed a fraud. I struggled with this realization. I had so many unanswered questions. Mostly, I wondered how this jovial Skyter I flew with was involved in abhorrent fraudulent activity. What was he thinking? Didn’t he care about his actions? Didn’t he care about the people he was hurting? Now he was behind bars. What was he thinking now? These questions replayed on a loop in my head. It was extremely difficult to fall asleep. When I did fall asleep I had incredibly bizarre dreams about this Skyter.
Those dream abruptly ended when my cell phone rang. I was so startled the fraud department was calling I actually hung up on them. Well, actually, I hung up on the automated machine wanting me to verify my identity. Heck. I couldn’t even verify where I was at that moment. When I finally got my wits about me, I logged on to my account. I didn’t notice any unscrupulous activity. However, my instincts told me I better call the credit union. Incredulously, fraudulent activity seemed to be the theme of this trip.
The kindhearted agent in the fraud department asked me if I was trying to purchase something via an app. She explained they received an alert for an impending purchase of zero dollars at 830am. Zero dollars? That didn’t make sense to me. It didn’t make sense to the fraud department either. I explained to the agent it was 5:30am where I was and that I had been sleeping. She then verified my past purchases with my credit card. All the while, I wondered who from my previous purchases was trying to fraudulently use my account. I felt violated. I was angry and irritated that some nefarious person was trying to take advantage of me. At that moment I regretted not using good-old hard cash for several of my smaller purchases. Ultimately, with the help of the agent, I decided I would lock my account. I could still have my credit card available to pay for my parking when I got home to St. Louis that evening. My plan was to go to the credit union at the airport prior to my next trip and get a new credit card. It seemed like a perfect plan.
I had barely closed my eyes again when I received a text message from the fraud department at my credit union. My heart sank. The fraud department had noticed more suspicious activity on my credit card. Via text the credit union wanted me to verify two purchases. I thought, “Oh, Boy. This can’t be good.” And I was right. They wanted me to verify two separate purchases for the identical amount at Apple.com. I answered “no” as to whether I authorized the purchases. I’ll admit. I was furious at the audacity of the person trying to use my credit card information. If I could have texted “no” a hundred times I would have just to make an emphatic point. Another texted popped up on my cell phone screen. It was inquiring whether my card was lost, stolen, or in my possession. I quickly replied that I had possession of my card. If I could have typed “Stop that thief! They’re a fraud!”, I would have. I didn’t need to, though. A second later I received a simple text response saying “Thank you. Your card has been blocked to prevent further unauthorized purchases”. I felt very conflicted. I was thrilled I had beat the fraudulent person at their own game. However, I was still livid at the deceitful person for both trying to use my card and for having to deal with their actions at 5:30 in the morning. Of course, I had a renewed appreciation for the fraud department at my credit union. As I placed my head back on my pillow, I conjured up a mental image of someone at the fraud department with their hands on their phone ready to call when suspicious activity alert sounded. I envisioned them wearing a cape emblazoned with the word, “Fraud” in a circle with a line through it. Truthfully, the agents in the fraud department are my unsung heroes. Once I had purchased several hundred dollars worth of makeup while shopping with my friends in Atlanta. No sooner had I swiped my credit card, the fraud department called me. Yessiree. They suspected fraudulent activity. It was humbling to tell the man at the other end that I did indeed just spent several hundred dollars on makeup. Now, if I had a female agent call me, I know she would have completely understood this purchase when I verified it. Nonetheless, I was grateful the fraud department was quick to respond to my purchase. I know the agent was at the ready to catch a fraud. Instead, I’m positive he mumbled under his breath, “Who spends that kind of money on makeup?”
I used another credit card while I waited for my new credit union card to arrive. That credit card isn’t associated with my credit union. Even though I know this credit card company also has a fraud department, I still felt exposed to frauds with each purchase I made. I’ll admit. I didn’t feel secure in the knowledge that someone at this credit card company was diligently waiting to call me with fraudulent activity. No siree. I envisioned this person would be on a coffee break when fraudulent activity was occurring. Their cape would be rolled up in a ball to give them lumbar support when they returned to their desk to get to the next level on Wordspace.
This past Friday I drove to the UPS office to pick up my new credit card. The UPS delivery man tried to deliver it to my house a few days prior. I anticipated the delivery while I was on my trip. Thus, my Mom diligently waited all day for the UPS man to arrive so she could sign for the delivery. Of course, the one time she left her post to go to the bathroom, the UPS delivery person came. I didn’t mind driving to the UPS facility to pick my new card up, though. Actually, it felt very satisfying to pick my card up. Once again, I feel confident knowing my credit union will act swiftly if someone tries to use this credit card without my authorization. Yessiree. I can see the agent clearly in my mind….their one hand on their phone,…their other hand tapping the word “fraud” glistening on their cape…shouting at their computer, “You’re not Eileen Gaffney! No siree. You’re a fraud!”