Crook Clips Consumer Columnist

Gentle readers, in the words of President Clinton, I feel your pain.

After years of writing about credit fraud and identity theft, my credit card number was swiped last month.

Someone apparently used an imprint from a purchase I made at Palm Beach International Airport to make hundreds of dollars worth of phone calls to people I don’t know in Alabama.

So repeat after me: Always take and shred copies of receipts. When using an ATM or public phone, shield the keypad so “shoulder surfers” can’t steal your PIN. Report questionable charges promptly.

Let that be a lesson. To me.