Is there any news more disturbing than a credit watch alert from Equifax on Black Friday?!

Nevermind the reason I even have credit watch, one year complimentary.

I retrieve my long forgotten login and password with remarkable ease online. It's so easy it makes me uneasy. The accounts in question are, in fact, the same account. The percentage increase is calculated at 2,484%.

I suppose such an increase would blow most people's credit limit. But I keep this card around $50 a month.

Equifax gives me only the card's bank name. Not the account number and no other transaction information except the reporting date, yesterday.

I connect to the bank's online account system and check recent activity for both accounts. Nothing recent, nothing due. I call the bank, nothing pending. Of course I can't remember this charge, are you kidding?! I'm told this sort of thing happens occasionally. The customer service representative acts as if it's Equifax's error.

So I call Equifax and discover that this bank reports much later than other banks. "This may be a charge that you've already paid, in fact!" Hmmm. I check previous statements and find that this charge was incurred more than six weeks ago! No wonder I don't remember it!

No, seriously, it was our weeklong hotel stay early last month when our hardwood floors were being finished. It's a legitimate charge long paid, but not a very timely alert.