Identity Theft (Part 1)

I had my wallet stolen this week. It happened while I was at the pharmacy counter in a Walgreen's Drugstore. Strange thing is the person that did it was so good s/he did it in front of the pharmacist, her assistant and the general manager of the store! And me! As well, the security camera was running, so it's all on tape.

Getting to view the tape is the hard part, but I'll get to that later in my story.

After I became sure the wallet was gone, I (of course) had to leave all of my prospective purchases at the store because I had no way to pay for them. I went home to call the police to report the crime. I knew I'd need that report for the credit companies and their fraud investigators and I had to hurry!

Then...I had to make the phone calls!

The police dispatcher insisted I wait for the officer outside of my building. There's a pub downstairs with seating on the sidewalk, so I pulled up a glass of ice water, a pad and my cell phone and began calling the credit card companies while I waited for the policeman. (I have one of those companies that will make the calls for me, but their records were not up to date so I really had to do this myself. Dumb me.)

Two hours later I had the phone calls pretty well wrapped up, just in time for the officer to arrive. I was shaking by the time he got there. I thought I was cold, so I asked my husband to bring me down a jacket. But then I realized I wasn't really cold. I had started shaking when the people at the credit card company checked their records and were reporting to me on how FAST the thief and accomplices were using my cards! They had bought six tanks of gas in less than ten minutes. Think about that. They had to get on a cell phone, decide to meet at one gas station and pass a single credit card from pump to pump to pay for several tanks in one visit. You've got to hand it to them. They have a system!

They tried several cash withdrawals but those failed because they had no pin number. I have no idea what else they have tried to do since then, because the cards are canceled and I've been too busy visiting my bank to cancel and re-open my checking accounts.

One thing this has taught me is to simplify my financial life!

One thing that bothers me is these "guys" now have both of my home addresses -- my home in Wisconsin and my home in Chicago -- because one is on my driver's license and the other is on one of my checkbooks.

I finished up my time with the police and went back upstairs, only to hear a national news story featuring a woman who ended up with $177,000 in mortgages on houses she didn't know she owned. The identity thieves managed THAT with just her driver's license! So I'm feeling a bit violated and nervous. My hands are shaking again just typing this.

The security camera at Walgreen's will never be viewed. Why? As the policeman said, "You're still alive and you're not seriously hurt. We have a gang murder that happened last night that is keeping the detectives busy. Sorry."

Sorry. Yep, I am too. I take part of the blame myself, but whoever did it was a real pro.

So be careful out there folks....

Seared Halibut with Roasted Cauliflower and Pepper Bites

Serves 2

2 pieces of halibut approximately 7 ounces each
Your favorite fish "rub"
Olive oil spray
1 medium cauliflower cut into florets (Keep them about one and half inches or smaller. Cut them in half if you need to.)
1/2 Red pepper cut into dice
6 Tbl mayonnaise (Lite is fine.)
4 Tbl Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Emmenthaler cheese (or Swiss)

Coat your halibut with olive oil spray. Rub the fleshy side of your halibut generously with your favorite fish rub. Let sit so the flavors soak in (just a few minutes while you prep the veggies).

Put the cauliflower, mayo, mustard salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to coat the cauliflower. Then transfer the mixture to an ovenproof glass pan. Sprinkle on the cheese and the red pepper bites.

When you are ready to cook the fish, spray a cast iron pan with olive oil spray. Put the fish in fleshy side down (skin side up). Put the heat on Medium High and let the fish cook for 5 minutes. You are searing the flavors and the rub into the top of the fish.

After 5 minutes, turn fish over carefully with a spatula (skin side down).

Now put both pans (fish and veggies) in an oven set at 400 degrees and roast for 15 to 20 minutes. You'll know the fish is done when it's white all the way through and flakes off of the skin easily. The cauliflower should be slightly al dente, and the cheese will form a crust of sorts over the vegetables. The red gives it color or you'd have a dull, monochromatic meal and we can't have that!

By the way, if you don't normally like cauliflower, you are likely to like it this way. You'll have plenty of veggies to go with the fish and a little extra to spare.

Enjoy!