The morning coffee was burnt. Grace didn’t think much of it until she opened her banking app and saw a 47.92 charge to something called “Aurum Bridge LLC.” She didn’t recognize the name. She didn’t shop much online and hadn’t even ordered takeout this week.

At first, she assumed fraud. She called the number listed but got only static, then a single tone. It sounded like the hum between TV channels. The voicemail kicked in: “This line has been disconnected.”

Her eyes drifted to the transaction date. November 11th—Veterans Day. She’d been at home then, asleep until noon, and no one else should’ve touched her account. Still, when she looked again, the charge had changed—47.92 became 48.92. Then 49.92.

The numbers ticked upward in real time, climbing by the minute.

Grace grabbed her keys, heart racing, half ready to drive to the bank. But when she checked the account again before leaving, the balance had been drained entirely. Only one new line appeared at the bottom of the page:

Aurum Bridge LLC – Thank you for your payment. We’ll see you soon.