CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE – FRAUDULENT CHARGES

Kayla felt her stomach drop as she scrolled through the long list of charges on her banking app - $3,500 at a luxury jewelry store, $7,200 withdrawn from an ATM she'd never visited, even a $22,000 purchase for a sports car she didn't own. "This can't be right," she muttered, her hands shaking. Frantically, she called her bank's customer service line. "I need to report fraudulent charges on my accounts, immediately!" The representative clicked away at their keyboard. "I'm showing substantial recent activity that does seem suspicious, Ms. Danvers. Can you verify the genuine charges you've made over the past week?" As Kayla tried to recall her purchases, she heard the front door open. "Babe? You home?" Lance called out. She waved him over urgently. "Someone has stolen my identity. Look at these insane charges!" Lance's jaw clenched as he scanned the statement. "Those bastards...Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." Over the next hour, Kayla got transferred from department t