Hacked

I have a credit card that we use only for emergencies or tuition -- and when we travel. When I enroll in grad school I pay using this credit card. When I buy the $100 text book, this is the card I charge it to. If, God forbid, the dogs need surgery or dental cleaning or horribly expensive x-rays, we use the credit card. And when we travel out of town and stay in a motel, we charge the room to this card.

In the fall we had used the card for dog dental surgery and hip exams -- racking up about $3000 worth of bills. I had paid the January tuition with the card - but the moment I was reimbursed for the total amount, I peeled off a check to completely pay that off. When we went to Houston for Christmas we used the card one night down and one night on return -- and for the car rental.
That's it. We keep the balance low, but we are currently carrying a balance, mostly due to dog related health issues from the fall.

Today I accessed the account on-line to make a payment. And found that since February 18th, I'd been in New York buying Sprint phones. I'd flown twice on Southwest Airlines. And I'd paid $618 to Sprint for cable and phone service.

I called the company, spoke with their fraud department, got the card canceled and the investigative wheels in motion. They told us we had been "hacked." Wow! This is our first time dealing with fraudulent charges and it sure leaves you feeling vulnerable.