Is there only one lab in town?

Diaphone Jim wrote:

Is there only one lab in town?

It's a mammogram, so there aren't many, and they're nearly all owned by one company, which has a single appointment line for all their locations.

I did eventually speak to someone at 12:45. The call was incredibly brusque and efficient, done in exactly one minute seven seconds--which means the problem is managerial incompetence and a galling lack of staff, rather than an incompetent staff who is dragging out every call. As further evidence that the appointment line is the problem, the lady offered me multiple appointment times both today and Monday. She might literally be the only one taking appointments for five or six locations.
 

Clodfobble, not to minimize your situation, but have you considered that maybe October is the busiest month, and on top of that, the cumulative tidal wave of every year's October patients having 12mo follow-ups?

Flint wrote:

Clodfobble, not to minimize your situation, but have you considered that maybe October is the busiest month, and on top of that, the cumulative tidal wave of every year's October patients having 12mo follow-ups?

Ha! I genuinely did not know until I googled it (while thinking to myself, "what the fuck is this fucker talking about?") My annual was actually due in March and I just didn't get around to it until now. But also, this lab does MRIs and Bone Densities and Xrays, too, and they had actual appointments available right away, so it's not like the lab itself is busy. Just this one poor phone lady.

I've had three credit card numbers stolen in the last month. It's disconcerting, to say the least.

Clodfobble wrote:

I've had three credit card numbers stolen in the last month. It's disconcerting, to say the least.

That's crazy. Christmas shopping on-line?
 

griff wrote:

Clodfobble wrote:

I've had three credit card numbers stolen in the last month. It's disconcerting, to say the least.

That's crazy. Christmas shopping on-line?
 

Nope. One is my catch-all online card, which gets stolen about once a year--it is what it is. The second is recurring autopay bills and Amazon only. The third is groceries-only, which 99% of the time is in-person at one store, but once or twice a year gets used online (such as bulk ordering frozen meat, or when it's time to re-up on the 25 lb. box of almond flour, etc.) The last one is the one that really shocked me, that number has been going strong for nearly 20 years.

Clodfobble wrote:

I suspect there's been a big data breach (or several) that we'll only hear about 9 months from now--old dwellar hot_pastrami, for those who remember him, said that the open donation link on his website occasionally gets hit with a bunch of automated small donations, which is how thieves test which card numbers are still good. It's a software arms race to prevent that kind of automated process from going through, but he noted that in the last month it's gotten really bad, as many as 20,000 attempts at a time.

So I should be suspicious of the mysterious penny credit transactions I see on my card statements?

I'd definitely be suspicious of any transaction I didn't make. That said, they could be conversion charges if you're in the habit of buying things in multiple currencies. My credit card statements put those in a different place than regular transactions, though.

Clodfobble wrote:

I'd definitely be suspicious of any transaction I didn't make. That said, they could be conversion charges if you're in the habit of buying things in multiple currencies. My credit card statements put those in a different place than regular transactions, though.

So I rang the bank and asked and was told they are cashback on transactions I've made. I suggested that this should be made clearer on the statements by, for example, listing the events next to each other. I explained that if banks want me to be vigilant in examining my bank statements for any irregular transactions they should make things more transparent. The operative I spoke to saw my point and promised to pass the suggestion up the line. I don't expect anything will change as a result of that conversation.

Stored credit card numbers can be stolen by malware on a device. It wouldn't hurt to go to your browser's settings and look under Autofill and/or Payment categories to ensure there are no credit card numbers stored there. You can also select the Autofill Form Data to be among the items deleted when you clear your browsing history. Be sure to logout of websites after transactions. Run a full virus scan if you haven't done so for a while. In essence, try to rule out a compromised device.

Mr. S.E. Xobon.

It's also possible that scammers just guessed your card number. Here's a nice article from the UK on how a "guess attack" works:

Scammers guessed my credit card number - and they could guess yours too.

It's not so difficult to do and almost impossible to prevent the initial fraud. You're probably already doing what can be done if this is the cause. Sorry you're having a run of bad luck.

PS: I wonder what security measures are in place for those who use credit cards to pay their monthly fee at boardhost.com? This place hasn't exactly demonstrated the most advanced technology. Maybe use a one-time number here if you're not already using Venmo or PayPal.

Mr S.E. Xobon.

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