As it turns out, the recent theft of my identity (you know, the credit card debacle) was part of a larger operation. According to some reports, at least 550 other people also had their accounts illegally accessed. The numbers continue to rise, and the latest estimate is that the thieves got away with at least $100,000 in cash. Police suspect that an organized crime ring may have been involved. You can read an LA Times article here. What you can't read in that article is that I figured out that all the scamming occurred at a local gas station (actually three stations were involved). The case broke on Friday, but what the reports don't tell you is that I TOLD THE POLICE TO CHECK OUT THAT GAS STATION TWO WEEKS AGO!!!! (of course, I told the Newport Beach PD; the Costa Mesa PD and Secret Service are actually on the case, so I don't know if the officer I talked to actually passed on the information).

In any case, the police (and me, as of two weeks ago) figure that the thieves put a device on top of the actual card reader at the station. People swipe their cards, and the device (as well as the actual reader) collects their information. As they enter their pin number, a camera records their pin information. Later, the thieves make fake cards and use the stolen pin numbers to access the victims' (e.g., me) accounts. I became aware of the danger when I saw a report on Dateline or 20/20 or something.

Either way, when I put my card into the machine at that particular gas station, it felt odd, difficult even. I specifically remember thinking, "Gee, I hope there isn't one of those things on here that can steal my information." I went to the car and told Sarah that there might be something amiss. I even said, "Well, if there are strange charges on our account in a month, we'll know what happened." The fact is, I didn't really believe that it was going to happen. I just figured I was imagining things. I GUESS I WAS WRONG.

Not only did I break the case and not get credit for it (when I told the officer my thoughts after our money had been stolen), I also probably could have prevented the whole thing if I'd pursued my concerns like some sort of obsessed info-phobe. Oops.