(First off sorry if this is layed out oddly and hard to read, I copied and pasted it out of an email I sent and didn't feel like retyping it.)
On my way to work this morning I stop for gas and my card declines at the pump. WTF I've got money in there, what the hell's going on? So I still have enough gas to get to work and as soon as I get there I go online and check my account. I have THREE FUCKING DOLLARS!!! I see all these charges that occured yesterday and completely wiped out my entire account balance. I call the bank right then and report it. I mean all kinds of charges $350 to safeway, $290 to the auto part store, $275 to Best Buy and the list goes on.
I'm freaking out because it's the end of the month, I've got bills to pay! So the bank is investigating and I filed a police report but the both say that there's little they can do since it's not a lot of money (to them) and all that will happen is I'll get my money reimbursed from Wells Fargo. Yeah that's wonderful I'm glad to have that fraud protection but what about the mother fucker who did it? He's gettin away scott free?
I don't fucking think so. I've spent the entire morning trying to put together the pieces to the puzzle, and I've got some leads.
Okay a little background. My girlfriend Jessica and I just bought a condo together and moved in a few weeks ago. New locks installed and since these are new condo's the superintendent has access to them while they're finishing minor details. He's a friend of ours. A security guard has been working nights in the parking lot since we've moved it.
Okay back on track now. I came home from work at 6pm yesterday, ate a sandwhich and left a few minutes later for class. I apparently forgot my wallet when I left. It was in my gym back on the floor in my room. No big deal, I don't need it for school. Jessica's Mom is staying with us this week. (In town from Montana for a wedding) She and Jess were gone all evening too, but I'm thinking her Mom being from Montana isn't used to locking doors, and left the back door unlocked. These fraud charges all occured between 8pm and 10pm last night and nobody was home until 11pm. Whoever did it had to enter the place, take the card, go use it, and then put it back exactly as it was. Who the fuck could it have been? My main interest right now is the security guard for several reasons Which I'll explain in a minute. Anyway He's young, maybe early 20's and has always been very friendly in an annoying kind of way. Everytime Jess or I would get home at night he'd come talk to us. EVERY TIME. I thought nothing of it, just that he was kind of annoying. He would always ask us if we would mind being what he called "resident contacts" and would write down our name, our unit number, and the time we were coming in, going out, or even taking out the fucking trash. I've talked to him quite a bit and he seemed normal but something in the back of my mind was saying shady, but I ignored it.
Well he wasn't there last night. It was some new guy. I'm wondering because he knows exactly when we would come and go on certain nights throughout the week. He must have realized that Tuesday and Thursday nights I had class and was never home before 10:30, and he must have made sure neither of our cars were there and at this point entered the condo, took the card, used it, and put it back before anyone got home. I've had a weird feeling about this guy since day one deep inside my conscience, but it was more just not really liking him being there, not that he was suspicious. I do know he just bought a new car because he showed it to me one night. Hmm...who would want to spend $290 at Pep Boys Auto? $275 to Best buy? I dunno, maybe a new deck or perhaps some speakers? I have the exact times of each transaction and will go to each store and request that I see each survalence video at the times the charges took place. Now if the stores let me have that access is still a question I have but I'm going to try.
This seems way too perfect to be a random burglary. Whover did it wanted to make sure we didn't notice right away. The fact that my debit card was all that was taken is a little strange. For example, we just got a brand new computer, both Jess's and my ipod were both on the kitchen counter, tons of CD's, DVDs, electronics, and around $2000 worth of tools I have. Oh and my golf clubs and video games. Why stop at the debit card?
If I were robbing someone I'd have thought this place was a gold mine! (not to say we're rich or anything but over the years have worked hard to buy nice things.)
Now of course this is mere speculation as my investigation will continue so I can't jump to conclusions just yet, but I soon may have a suspect as the situation develops.
I'm in the process of contacting the security company to find out as much as I can about
this guy, such as if any reports have been filed while this he's been on duty.
Am I crazy? Am I taking this way too far? I mean I'm going to get my money back either way, I just have a hard time knowing that someone did this and got away. What do I do if I discover my assumptions are correct? I mean if I look at these tapes at the store and see this kid, I'm going to lose it! I have easy access to the other condo properties he works at and would be very VERY tempted to bust open his skull. And I'd hurt him bad, I'm a pretty big guy. Unfortunatly I've got a lot to lose, but have a very short fuse.