I learned this past week that I, along with dozens of other Flathead residents, recently got hacked.

This was my first experience, and I appreciate the fact that watchful people at my credit card company immediately caught wind of what was happening and shut it down quickly.

While investigators continue to pursue leads in a big case that impacted credit card services at grocery stores across Northwest Montana, credit cards are now being accepted at Super 1 Foods and other affected stores.

It appears criminals gained access to the credit card accounts at these stores and then made fake cards with real account numbers on the cards’ magnetic strips.

I first caught wind something was wrong when my credit card wouldn’t work at the local gas stations. I drove to my credit union right away and asked what was going on.

“Have you been to New York recently?” the woman at the credit union asked me.

Apparently someone tried to use my credit card twice in New York City. Both times it was denied, and eventually my card number was suspended.

That was the good news. The bad news is that the woman at the credit union shredded my card and I won’t get a new one for several weeks. Fortunately I have a backup card, but I’m also looking at temporarily joining the cash economy. It could be worse.

Richard Hanners is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.