As I enter the not so lovely world of identity theft...

Thursday was a day to spend with Jarret. (As NJ teachers, we were off Thursday and Friday. Teacher's convention? Puh-leez.) We went out to lunch, and I paid for it with my credit card.

Later, we were wandering around in a store and I wanted to buy something. I handed over my credit card...where it was declined. I found the cash in my wallet, and was on my cell to check my credit limit before I even got to the car. I was still well below the limit, as I thought, but Jarret assured me that it was a cloudy day, and there was probably a glitch in the store's computer system.

We then went to another store where my credit card got declined again. Time to call the credit card company again and get a real person on the line.

"Well, yes, we stopped transactions on that account," said the security person. "There was a $3000 charge at a Circuit City in Miami."

What?!

"And a $300 charge at a Home Depot in Miami. You did not make these purchases, correct?"

After I assured the woman that I was in New Jersey (as evidenced by the charge I'd made for lunch less than half an hour before the first one from Miami) we sorted out which purchases were mine, and which weren't, and now my credit card account is closed and I'm getting a new card in a few days.

Basically, someone in Miami got a hold of my credit card number, and proceeded to buy a really nice TV and installation equipment for it. Jarret wondered how a Circuit City employee could let anyone make a purchase for $3000 without checking ID, which leads us to believe it might have been an employee at that store, or just another reason why the chain's finances are currently in the toilet, because now that my account's closed, those stores don't get their money.

Luckily, I noticed something was wrong quickly, and my credit card company is very very good with security. Because the last thing I need right before I buy a new car would be for my credit score to tank. I would have had to buy a used sub-compact!

Um, yeah, more on the buying a new car thing later.