I have to call the credit card company today, after they flagged a nineteen cent fraudulent charge to Twining Tea. Was it just a test to see if the card will work on larger orders? Or, did someone really try to charge a cup of tea or maybe a single packet? As a result, I might have to cancel my card and go through the hassle of changing all my automatic charges, some of which still require a mail-in form. It’s funny – my wife just commented yesterday  about a neighborhood tea shop and how they could possibly stay in business. I suggested we call for a tea (tee) time? She thought maybe it was a Mafia front occupying a pricy piece of real estate. There is, in fact, an on-line story about how one of New York City’s last Mafia social clubs has been made over into an upscale shop selling organic tea. 

I suppose that since there’s a coffee shop on every corner there’s probably a market for tea. I don’t really drink either, but since coffee shops offer tea then it’s logical that tea shops sell coffee. There is a Tea Culture in many countries. Afternoon tea is a British custom, while tea ceremonies, tea parties, and tea houses are popular traditions. Apparently, there are also many flavor varieties including white, yellow, green, oolong, black, and dark (post-fermented). There’s also Bubble tea that originated in Taiwan where milk and tapioca balls are added to the mixture. The big question is did Mr. T drink tea?

I checked my Chase account this morning, after making a hot cup of tea, and found no indication of a fraud warning. This raises the potential for a fraudulent fraud alert. However, somebody is phishing for something, after accurately identifying the last four digits of my credit card. In the meantime, I’ll carefully monitor any activity and make some phone calls. I don’t want to cancel anything until I’m absolutely satisfied as to what is going on. The banks are closed today on this Presidential holiday but the criminals are still apparently still working. Could someone please read my tea leaves and tell me what to do?