Stop It! A Little Story About Identity Theft

Gather round, children, and let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a man who went on a long journey. He was a very brave man, venturing into the wilderness alone on his two-wheeled steed. Along the way, he checked into a local inn, where two young wenches fumbled around with his debit card before welcoming him into their establishment.

A day later, when he was farther along the unbeaten path, he received notice on his cellular telephone that there was suspicious activity on said card and that it was being terminated immediately. He instantly knew that the two wenches had pilfered the 3-number code on the back of his card and used it for their own bidding. Not having planned for this, the brave man was left with no debit card and little cash for the rest of the journey. Fortunately, he was meeting up with other brave souls, one of whom was kind enough to pay his passage until he could return home. [After that, he fatally injured his steed and harmed his own self, but that is a story for another day. Ahem.]

The moral of the story is: this fellow and his bride now cover the 3-digit code on the back of their debit cards with a handsome sticker, so as not to be pilfered again. Of course, if such debit card were stolen, the sticker could be removed; but this at least prohibits wandering-checkout-clerk-eyes from memorizing the number and using it for their own gain. And the brave rider and his trusty [new] steed rode off into the sunset, living happily ever after.