Victim of Fraud

Yep, it's true. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe I did not catch it sooner! The other day while doing bills on-line, my husband Trey, questioned me about a bill that posted to our checking account that he assumed was a scrapbook kit club charge since in the item line description it said "Paperstreet". I recently cancelled my last kit club membership (boohoo!!) so I too was somewhat surprised and looking at the description of the charge that posted, I also thought it was a scrapbooking related charge. I knew I had not purchased anything lately on-line or otherwise, so I started investigating the charge. The post to our bank account on-line also had a web site notated which was Epoch.com. Epoch is an Internet Payment Service Provider (IPSP) which enables merchants to accept payments online. I had never heard of them before, but maybe some of you have. I proceeded to call them only to be told that somehow someone accessed my debit card number and was using my debit card to pay for a subscription to an on-line adult entertainment website!! Not only that, but this subscription charge has been posting to my account on a monthly basis since Aug. of 2006!!!!!!!!!!@@@@@!!!!! $24.87 a month since Aug. 2006!!!!@@@@@@@@ !!! How both my husband and I overlooked this, I will never know. Epoch told me they had some email address linked to my debit card that neither my husband or I recognized. They said whoever was at this email address had been using my debit card to pay for the adult website. Epoch said they would stop all payments and could refund me up to 4 months (going back 120 days) of payments but that was it. We also called our bank and spoke to the fraud department. They said if we filed a claim with them, they could only credit us back 60 days, so suggested that we wait and see if Epoch would credit us back, since they would go back as far as 120 days. The bank said this kind of thing does happen more often than you think. Weird. I feel violated. Still seems fishy to me.

Well, enough of THAT story. I finally took some pictures of my latest Valentines project. I've done an album like this in the past - "What we Love" - the Adams Family. In fact, I had one published last year in Paper Trends Feb./Mar. 2008 issue!! My very first publication!! It was pretty exciting being it was my first publication and they did a two page spread on it!! It's fun to look back at each family member's list and see how it has changed over the years. This latest album is made with a chipboard album from Maya Road. The papers are from KI Memories Wild Things paper line and the embellies are a mixture of KI Memories and Making Memories.

REDECORATING

Just a little facelift here for my blog. I finally finished updating my blog header. Thought it would get me in the mood for working on Valentines cards and projects. I have all my Valentine scrappy stuff out in my scraproom and am trying to decide on what to start next. Maybe I will check out some challenges and see if I can get motivated!!

Little Bird Out in the Cold

Record low temps here in Wisconsin, and more snow on the way again!! It has been below zero both today and yesterday, with windchill down to -40. School was cancelled both Thursday and Friday. The kids are climbing the walls, as am I!! Today we might go to the local ice rink to skate (indoor - of course!!), then out to a movie later. The kids spotted this little bird sitting in the tree outside by our deck. They couldn't believe he was out in this cold and wanted to bring him inside!! LOL!! This reminds me - I need to get out to my bird feeder and refill it with more winter seed.

I've been getting a little scrapping and submitting done on these cold winter days while I am holed up inside. Recently, I had one of my layouts (Hugs) published in Memory Makers Jan./Feb. 2009 issue. It seems like this was submitted soooo long ago - WAIT - it was!! Just now getting it published!! I have been on such a dry streak lately, I sometimes feel like giving up on submitting, but I guess you don't get published unless you keep trying, so I keep plugging along. Honestly, my favorite part about getting published is my kids' reaction to seeing themselves in the magazine.



Here is another LO I finished recently with one of my favorite paper lines from Making Memories - Noteworthy. I don't think I will ever tire of it. I recently stopped all my kit club subscriptions. Really trying to cut back on spending. I have sooo much scrappy stuff too to play with, I need to stop buying more. I have made a resolution to start working with WHAT I HAVE ON HAND, with maybe a new TIDBIT added here and there!!


Last but not least, I will finish up with my December Daily. Yes, I DID finish it, just never got around to posting the last few days. I enjoyed this project and look forward to pulling it out next year and looking back at Christmas past!! This has prompted me to do a similar monthly picture journal. I got the idea for a picture/journal in a class I did with Danelle Johnson last year. Didn't get it done last year, but no time like the present to start it, this being the beginning of the new year and all. I will post some pics of it at the end of the month. I am sure some of you have already seen this project on Danelle Johnson's Blog. Oh, and promise to myself - update blog header!!






** Sorry, missing Dec. 21, 22 and 24 - can't get these photos to load right.