Officially Unofficial Build Email Libations Game........

BostonBadlands

Talk about the Monday blues!

I checked my on-line checking account balance Saturday and found somebody had forged a check for $10,000 and successfully transacted it! When I looked at it carefully, I think I figured out what he did: he intercepted a check I wrote, then used AI or Photoshop to reproduce it, minus the payee and other information, but retained my signature. Then he re-wrote it to himself for $10,000 and transacted it. So I contacted the bank's 800 number and closed the account. Adding to the mess is that I have two important checks outstanding, one to the Infernal Revenue Service and the other to the Commonwealth of Taxachusetts which will now bounce, "Account Closed."

Remember Mr. Btfsplk from Lil Abner, old-timers?

Monday blues--and I don't even work!
Well, off to the bank branch...

Damn, and a classic check, not even from digital banking. Even physical checks aren’t safe. We’ve never resorted to digital banking because of fraud and now even physical checks are being fraudulently reproduced! Damn AI!!! Hope it all works out. 🤞🏽

Lots O Fords

I am really enjoying your adventures

Not sure "adventure" is the right word. "Shitshow" might be a better word.

Good morning my Libations Crew family! I didn't do anything to the Bronco yesterday. Way too cold.
And no one has posted any pics from Saturday as of this morning.
New air compressor was delivered yesterday. Hopefully I can open it, assemble and test it out this afternoon.
Rock crawling is a very physical activity! I was sore everywhere yesterday.
Hope everyone has a great day! Stay safe out there. Hug the ones you love.

BostonBadlands

Talk about the Monday blues!

I checked my on-line checking account balance Saturday and found somebody had forged a check for $10,000 and successfully transacted it! When I looked at it carefully, I think I figured out what he did: he intercepted a check I wrote, then used AI or Photoshop to reproduce it, minus the payee and other information, but retained my signature. Then he re-wrote it to himself for $10,000 and transacted it. So I contacted the bank's 800 number and closed the account. Adding to the mess is that I have two important checks outstanding, one to the Infernal Revenue Service and the other to the Commonwealth of Taxachusetts which will now bounce, "Account Closed."

Remember Mr. Btfsplk from Lil Abner, old-timers?

Monday blues--and I don't even work!
Well, off to the bank branch...

Oh, man, that REALLY SUCKS!
This is one reason I hate using checks anymore…

Bluestreak57

Oh, man, that REALLY SUCKS!
This is one reason I hate using checks anymore…

I always hated writing checks and have been a paperless digital guy since the late 80’s and I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but I haven’t used checks since 1991. That’s when I started using a paid service called Checkfree to pay my bills every month. The only things I rarely had to write a check for was government services like renew a drivers license, etc. Checkfree was eventually bought by a big finance corporation 20 years ago and offered for a fee to banks as the free service most banks give its customers.

Hey @Darrel what air compressor did you get?

SAVEUP

2025 ended with a bang. On Dec 16th I learned that my Boss will be let go at the beginning of 2026. Merry Christmas? I am not supposed to know but we have been friends for 30 years and he told me the day after he found out. From the unofficial channels it sounds like they will be cutting about 5% of the company, which is about 70 people. Happy New Year? My Team is currently working a few million in projects, so I have no idea what managements plans are but they have to cut costs so they will still get thier EOY bonuses (Our Fiscal year ends in April). If you're the praying type please add me and my team to your list.
This week will be a hectic one.

I hope everything works out for you and good luck in the future!

The end of 2025 threw a few surprises my way too. The company I had been working for the last 7 years had filed for Chapter 11 over a year ago. A private equity group bought up all the debt and spent most of the year going through all the legal mumbo jumbo to get final possession. They met regularly with everyone and touted about how much money they were going to invest into the company. They took possession early November and 1 week later they axed 10% of the office which included myself. I've always worked remote so I got a random Tuesday morning meeting pop up on my calendar which I thought was strange. When the meeting started and I saw our HR gal sitting there, I knew I was toast. Once the meeting was over, my work account was shut off. I couldn't say good bye to any of the engineers I had been working with or my boss which by the way didn't know it was going to happen. So for the first time since I was 16 years old, I don't have a job.

After talking with our financial advisor, I've decided to retire or at least never hold a full time job again. I'm kinda looking for a part time gig to fill my time and give me a bit of extra spending money. I've applied for a substitute teaching position and may give that a try.

I haven't been on much the last few months since I've been trying to stay off the computer and keep active. I will say that retiring just as winter has started really is not a good idea although I really didn't have much choice.
Still trying to figure out this whole retiring gig but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Suzy and I have a few vacations already planned out. Starting out with a cruise starting this Friday. Can't wait to get into the warm sun again!

Deano Bronc

So for the first time since I was 16 years old, I don't have a job.

After talking with our financial advisor, I've decided to retire or at least never hold a full time job again. I'm kinda looking for a part time gig to fill my time and give me a bit of extra spending money. I've applied for a substitute teaching position and may give that a try.

I haven't been on much the last few months since I've been trying to stay off the computer and keep active. I will say that retiring just as winter has started really is not a good idea although I really didn't have much choice.
Still trying to figure out this whole retiring gig but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Suzy and I have a few vacations already planned out. Starting out with a cruise starting this Friday. Can't wait to get into the warm sun again!

You'll get lots of advice. Here's mine:
Don't waste a moment filing for unemployment. It will start from when you file, not from when you stopped working. So: no down time, there!
Organize and document what your income will be, see if you file for EBT. In Boston, qualification for EBT is the magic gateway to all sorts of things: discount transit fares, reduced YMCA membership, museum passes, university tuition, etc. Take note of what income is to be reported. For example, Social Security or VA payments may not be included, so be careful with all that. If layabouts and illegal immigrants can get it, so should a long-time American taxpayer!
Do circulate your resume. Something interesting you hadn't know about or would otherwise have considered may show up. AI is big in the resume field, not only as a work skill, but lots of resumes are prepared and assessed by AI. The rules have changed.
Stay physically active. DO something. The best fitness regimen is the one you will keep doing.
Beware the dangers of passivity and inactivity. People (men especially) who go from high-involvement careers to zero activity die young. Speaking of which,
Are all your finances, accounts, log-ons, insurance policies gathered in a single paper and digital file?
Most people should not file for Social Security until they're 70.
But you MUST file for Medicare at age 65, even if you don't collect SS.

Godspeed, and enjoy your new life!
"Man's adversity is God's opportunity."

Update on my checking account S.N.A.F.U.

Went to my usual bank professional, and we worked through it all. The account was closed (frozen) Saturday via the bank's web page. My wife and I officially closed it, and opened a new one. We have only those two Federal and State tax checks outstanding, and my bank will honor them when they're presented for payment.

Now I have to change the bank account number on my payees: utilities, credit cards, Amazon, all that. I'll just do them one at a time as I need to, starting with American Distress, which was due Saturday.

My banker says that intercepted, copied, and falsified checks is very big right now. She says don't send checks through te mail, use electronic on-line payment options.

Astronaut

Hey @Darrel what air compressor did you get?

A Vevor. 2 cylinder. 10.6 CFM. 12 volt. Calibrated gauge, but haven't learned how to work that yet. Screw in or thump attach.
I left about 2lbs air needed when I aired up Saurday. Dang, this thing is fast!

DEBO294

Damn, and a classic check, not even from digital banking. Even physical checks aren’t safe. We’ve never resorted to digital banking because of fraud and now even physical checks are being fraudulently reproduced! Damn AI!!! Hope it all works out. 🤞🏽

Actually, physical checks have been a problem for a LONG time. It goes back to, basically, the invention of checks. Common schemes included forged signatures, altered amounts, stolen checks, or writing checks on accounts without sufficient funds. Despite declining overall check usage, fraud from physical (and remote deposit) checks remains disproportionately high relative to other payment methods. Personally I stopped using physical checks a long time ago.

Like most things AI, it's made the problem worse AND better. It's helped fraudsters create fake checks, and at the same time, banks have started using AI to spot the fakes. Basically, it's an arms race.

I'm glad to hear that you worked it out with the bank @BostonBadlands !

DEBO294

Great picture of you! Such a cute smile.
My working days are going to come back way sooner than I want. 😥

BostonBadlands

Sounds like a fraternity stunt on a passed-out brother.
My son had his eyebrows shaved once when he was drunk and passed out. He never got that drunk again!

If soldiers passed out while we were partying in the barracks, we would play tic tac toe on their faces with camo paste, or make them look like KISS, but camouflaged. 😅

DEBO294

353 days left, and counting!

BostonBadlands

Talk about the Monday blues!

I checked my on-line checking account balance Saturday and found somebody had forged a check for $10,000 and successfully transacted it! When I looked at it carefully, I think I figured out what he did: he intercepted a check I wrote, then used AI or Photoshop to reproduce it, minus the payee and other information, but retained my signature. Then he re-wrote it to himself for $10,000 and transacted it. So I contacted the bank's 800 number and closed the account. Adding to the mess is that I have two important checks outstanding, one to the Infernal Revenue Service and the other to the Commonwealth of Taxachusetts which will now bounce, "Account Closed."

Remember Mr. Btfsplk from Lil Abner, old-timers?

Monday blues--and I don't even work!
Well, off to the bank branch...

Fingers crossed that your bank's fraud department is top notch.
I used my debit card inside at a gas station and a month later my debit card was getting declined on a $25 purchase. Nothing makes a person contact a bank faster, but it was Sunday. Checked my account on-line and there were 2 cash withdrawals at a Wells Fargo ATM. $200 each.
The bank told me when and where my card was scanned, after they called the fraud department. They were working with the police to catch them. Walked out with a new card and the bank deposited the money the next day.
Hope it works this easy for you.

Odd that I was just wondering yesterday if there is personal 1st party cyber coverage people can buy. Yes, I've been in insurance 47 years and I don't know this. But I do know about cyber for businesses and I believe a lot of these policies cover something like this. Crime coverage may too. SQUIRREL/SHINY OBJECT

BostonBadlands

Update on my checking account S.N.A.F.U.

Went to my usual bank professional, and we worked through it all. The account was closed (frozen) Saturday via the bank's web page. My wife and I officially closed it, and opened a new one. We have only those two Federal and State tax checks outstanding, and my bank will honor them when they're presented for payment.

Now I have to change the bank account number on my payees: utilities, credit cards, Amazon, all that. I'll just do them one at a time as I need to, starting with American Distress, which was due Saturday.

My banker says that intercepted, copied, and falsified checks is very big right now. She says don't send checks through te mail, use electronic on-line payment options.

I have found (my experience) that credit cards are safe, and IF something goes wrong, whether caused by me or someone else, they are super easy to deactivate and replace…. And being able to dispute charges and letting them (cc company) go after the bad guys gives me tremendous piece of mind…. I’m very reluctant to write a check anymore, and I keep my blank checks around mostly so I can find my routing and account number with relying on my CRS-riddled grey matter. Of course credit cards are an option ONLY if I commit to paying the balance in full each month.

My banker has always encouraged me to use my debit card ONLY for ATM cash withdrawals, and to not use it for sales transactions due to the “hold” most businesses will put on them, which can be very slow to be released… You might have the money in your account, but the “hold” can really wreak havoc with your daily life…. I get it, and understand why they do it, but I don‘t use the debit card except in a cash machine…

Deano Bronc

I hope everything works out for you and good luck in the future!

The end of 2025 threw a few surprises my way too. The company I had been working for the last 7 years had filed for Chapter 11 over a year ago. A private equity group bought up all the debt and spent most of the year going through all the legal mumbo jumbo to get final possession. They met regularly with everyone and touted about how much money they were going to invest into the company. They took possession early November and 1 week later they axed 10% of the office which included myself. I've always worked remote so I got a random Tuesday morning meeting pop up on my calendar which I thought was strange. When the meeting started and I saw our HR gal sitting there, I knew I was toast. Once the meeting was over, my work account was shut off. I couldn't say good bye to any of the engineers I had been working with or my boss which by the way didn't know it was going to happen. So for the first time since I was 16 years old, I don't have a job.

After talking with our financial advisor, I've decided to retire or at least never hold a full time job again. I'm kinda looking for a part time gig to fill my time and give me a bit of extra spending money. I've applied for a substitute teaching position and may give that a try.

I haven't been on much the last few months since I've been trying to stay off the computer and keep active. I will say that retiring just as winter has started really is not a good idea although I really didn't have much choice.
Still trying to figure out this whole retiring gig but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Suzy and I have a few vacations already planned out. Starting out with a cruise starting this Friday. Can't wait to get into the warm sun again!

Dean,
It’s always a bit jarring to suddenly “quit working”… When we came home from the island I decided I was not going back into education full-time, and spent a year at Lowes (a great time working for peanuts), a year as a middle school teacher’s aide, and a year as full-time caregiver for my (then) youngest granddaughter (definitely the best job ever)…. At 62 I decided to start drawing my SS (Sonya was still working), and I have done just odd jobs here and there since then… having “eased” into not working made it a much easier break, and now that Sonya and I have been fully retired for there years, we couldn’t be more pleased with the flexibility of coming and going that life now provides…

Good Luck to you and Susie (sp) as you navigate this new normal…

Deano Bronc

Still trying to figure out this whole retiring gig but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Suzy and I have a few vacations already planned out. Starting out with a cruise starting this Friday. Can't wait to get into the warm sun again!

I wish you the best, Dean. I hope that this turn of events offers you opportunities to explore avenues that suit your interests and unique abilities! I think you’ll do just fine. 😉

I got caught imbibing at one of my favorite Seattle watering holes…

Dry January @ Reuben’s

I wasn’t drinking the NA offerings, however. 🤪