Did you remember to get milk at the miscellaneous food store?

So, Matt got a call Monday afternoon from a number he didn't recognize. Thinking it was the washer and dryer delivery people (hooray for clean clothes!), Matt answered.

It was MasterCard. They - or at least a computer voice - said they had picked up a suspicious charge on Matt's account. The charge was for $1.68.

Matt verified that he still had his credit card and that he had not charged $1.68. Then they started to ask for all this information and Matt freaked out, told the guy he'd have to hang up and call back. Paranoid much?

Matt appreciated that MasterCard caught the charge, and they caught it fast. The charge was made at just after noon and they called by 3 p.m. on a charge of less than $2. That's pretty impressive. OK, very impressive.

Anyhow, after talking to the credit card people Matt got his card canceled and got a new one, etc., etc., etc. But Matt wanted to know: who made this fraudulent and miniscule charge?
The credit card company said the charge only showed "miscellaneous food store" in Chicago, Illinois. No phone number, no company name, no street address. (Which is probably why it got flagged.)

But Matt wanted to know more. Mainly, he wanted to know if he had gone to the wrong internet site or the wrong store. But the credit card company couldn't help, which was a bit frustrating. How can Matt avoid this in the future, if he doesn't know what went wrong in the first place?

Sorry, no can do, MasterCard said.

So, instead, Matt consoled himself with thoughts of random people at the Miscellaneous Grocery Store and Emporium. It probably wouldn't take too long to shop at MGS&E. You would just head straight to the check out counter. They would hand you a bag of miscellaneous groceries. Then you'd get home and find out what's for dinner.

"Hey honey, we're having pancakes, lime ice cream and a Seventeen Magazine tonight!"