We had a great couple of days during the Fourth on Daffodil Hill. The “non-fireworks” were better than those in San Diego.

Big surprise this evening when my credit card called and advised me of probable fraudulent charges against my credit card.

The caller knew the charges that originated in Michigan were not in accord with my spending patterns and details of my account. I heard out the call and thanked the caller.

I then called my credit card provider and verified that my card had, indeed, been compromised.

Destroy old card, obtain new card within seven to 10 business days, letters of explanation, change credit card auto-pay and on and on.

I think that this case is similar to one several months ago in Idyllwild. While my credit card provider told me that my credit card account may have been hacked recently, the theft and intrusion may have incurred a year ago.

Lesson-learned: Do not let your credit card out of sight and be sure that it is swiped only once. There are gadgets that can record credit card numbers in bogus swipes. Let it not be yours. Never record you credit card number on a transaction from an incoming telephone call, and if you can, avoid using your credit card number on a wireless, unsecured Wi-Fi call.

John Kracha
Idyllwild and Chula Vista