I thought that I had been so careful. I hadn’t even used this debit card in a while, and it was safely tucked away.

But there it was on my statement: on December 3rd, someone had a treat on me at a McDonalds in London, England -$22! And then, the next day, the thief must have gotten braver because he/she spent another $59 somewhere else in that city. Insult to injury, I was also charged two sets of ISA fees for the international use of the card.

I still don’t know how it happened. I was in London years ago, but did I use that debit card and leave a paper trail? I really don’t remember.

Luckily, I regularly check my account on-line, and I saw the deductions. I immediately called the bank and canceled the card.

I guess it must be the economy or the new banking regulations, because I now had to go through a lot more hoops than I recall having to go through in the past. First, I had to go to my local police station with proof of the thefts in the form of a print out, and I needed to file a police report. The police report then had to be attached to a special bank form that I had to bring to the local bank where I had to have my signature notarized.

I’m obviously not happy that this happened, but I want to keep this in the proper persepective-the money wasn’t taken from me at gun or knife point; I closed the account before any major damage took place (no checks bounced); and I’m going to get my money back in a few of days.

I’ve heard that other thefts like these have taken place in London-so be wise and regularly check your statements.