You Have Been Compromised

I was shuffling through the pile of that day’s mail while carrying items into the house after a day trip. I noticed a letter from my credit union and realized it was not a pitch to get a loan or a toaster. (Do banks still give toasters?) So instead of making a second trip to the garage to bring in more items, I ripped open the envelope and was not disappointed. My debit card had been compromised. The fault lies with the merchant/payment processor, which I take to mean the company that data gets sent to when I swipe my card. The credit union said I would get a new card within 10 to 14 days and could continue to use the compromised one in the meantime. Or I could call an 800 number and cancel my current card and do without. I opted to do without. What annoys me in all of this is that Visa would not identify the merchant/payment processor. I’d like to know who screwed up, but in the end Visa is no doubt taking better care of the processor than it is taking care of me. Time to occupy Visa. I should be thankful, I suppose. At least my checking account wasn’t overdrawn.