A convergence of my family members from states across the country took place last week in Covington as we gathered for the funeral of our matriarch, my grandmother.

The influx of people put a strain on the few family members who actually live in Covington, so last Wednesday night when it seemed my dad’s house was too packed to take on four more guests — including my children, wife and I — new accommodations were needed.

So there we were at 10 p.m., standing in the lobby of a national hotel chain when the words no one wants to hear were uttered.

“Your card’s been declined.”

Although my wife furiously asked the attendant to swipe it again, we were already resigning ourselves to an all-to-familiar reality.

Someone had gotten ahold of our debit card number and raided our checking account. In fact, we were overdrawn by more than $500 thanks to a rash of purchases made in Tennessee.

It marked the second time in a year (both incidents taking place in the weeks before Christmas) that someone had raided our checking our account.

Talk about a “bah humbug” moment.

In both theft cases — which involved different banks — we were able to retrieve all the stolen money. Also, in each case, the thieves had refrained from raiding our savings account.

Considering how bad things could have been, I guess we came out OK.

Still, there is nothing like being denied hotel service at 10 p.m. with a tired 4- and 6-year-old by your side to wake you up to the realities of identity theft.

The folks at USA.gov, “government made easy,” spell out some basic tips to avoid the scams.

• Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write it on your checks. Only give out your SSN when absolutely necessary.

• Protect your PIN. Never write a PIN on a credit/debit card or on a slip of paper kept in your wallet.

• Watch out for “shoulder surfers.” Use your free hand to shield the keypad when using pay phones and ATMs.

• Collect mail promptly. Ask the post office to put your mail on hold when you are away from home for more than a day or two.

• Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.

• Keep your receipts. Ask for carbons and incorrect charge slips as well. Promptly compare receipts with account statements. Watch for unauthorized transactions.

• Tear up or shred unwanted receipts, credit offers, account statements, expired cards, etc. to prevent dumpster divers getting your personal information.

• Store personal information in a safe place at home and at work. Don’t leave it lying around.

• Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information in the mail, over the phone or online.

• Install firewalls and virus-detection software on your home computer.

• Check your credit report once a year. Check it more frequently if you suspect someone has gotten access to your account information.

Some of the suggested items are common sense and regularly part of my family’s practices; others will now become part of our everyday business. These might not be the normal resolutions, but after two thefts in a year’s time, I resolve in 2015 to be more credit conscious.

As for last Wednesday night, my wife and I and the two kids eventually all crashed in a huddled formation in my dad’s den, which is where we should have started to begin with.

That one is on me.

Stephen Hemelt is general manager and editor of L’OBSERVATEUR. He can be reached at 985-652-9545 or stephen.hemelt@lobservateur.com.