Elisabet1 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Last night, near 9pm, someone tried to use our credit card in a town only 30 minutes away. It is a town we have not been to in 6 months. Our card company stopped it from going through, even though the charge was not a huge amount, just about $85. They caught it on the first bad charge. I have no clue how they were so quick! They contacted us right away. I am impressed! Just wanted to comment. It was Chase Bank by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Yeah, it blows my mind how quick they are. I've had my Amex reissued 3-4 times since 2009, always before I'm aware of the fraudulent activity. It's both comforting and disconcerting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 That's good, I guess, but what if it had been you using it? That would be embarrassing if they stopped a sale. One of the first days of our honeymoon (1987), I handed dh my Visa card as he went to the clubhouse to get the golfcart. I told him I didn't know if they would take it from him, since it had my maiden name on it, so there was nothing to connect it to him. But they let him use it. He stuck it in his wallet, and used it to pay for our hotels, meals, rounds of golf, gas for the car, etc. all week. There was never a question about it. A few days after we got home, I got a call from the issuing bank, letting me know that they had noticed an unusual level of activity on the card. I assured them it was okay, and that was it. Not one word about the fact that the person signing the slips was not me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Wells Fargo has done the same quick catch for us three times in four years. We are 90% confident that each time, the number was stolen at a restaurant. We are paying cash now rather than letting the card out of our sight. I know we are not liable for charges we do not make; I'm just glad that the bank doesn't get ripped off by the crooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Each and every time I go home to the US I use my US credit card. We inform them ahead of time so that the card is active. However, EVERY time I use the card at a certain Target near my mom's house the card is flagged and the charge is not allowed. I believe that certain stores must see extra high levels of fraud and have higher protection levels. The funny thing is I totally forgot all about this when I went home this Christmas and only remembered....when my card was not working at the check out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I actually think it's horrible. Why are you not allowed to travel 30 min. from your home and expect your credit card to work? I have had cards declined while traveling and not at my home phone. It's embrassing and a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I actually think it's horrible. Why are you not allowed to travel 30 min. from your home and expect your credit card to work? I have had cards declined while traveling and not at my home phone. It's embrassing and a hassle. But in this case, it was fraud? I don't know what kind of algorithm the companies use to detect fraud, but it has helped us MANY times. And we regularly travel and haven't had problems with charges when we travel either. We use mostly one credit card for everything and pay in full every month, so maybe that makes the algorithm better and more accurate. Like if they see airplane tickets and a car rental, they know what to expect. We just flew to the west coast, rented a car and drove in like a 12 hour circle over a week and never had fraud issues. Anyway - I am grateful they watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 But in this case, it was fraud? I don't know what kind of algorithm the companies use to detect fraud, but it has helped us MANY times. And we regularly travel and haven't had problems with charges when we travel either. We use mostly one credit card for everything and pay in full every month, so maybe that makes the algorithm better and more accurate. Like if they see airplane tickets and a car rental, they know what to expect. We just flew to the west coast, rented a car and drove in like a 12 hour circle over a week and never had fraud issues. Anyway - I am grateful they watch! I mostly agree, and I'm usually glad they watch, but we had a terrible experience with fraud protection a few months ago. We were visiting NYC and had a credit card declined due to "fraud protection" at a Target. We called the credit card company and got it straightened out, but didn't realize that our EZ pass had tried to refill, but failed. We got caught in an "EZ pass only" lane going onto a bridge, but the EZ pass was declined because it hadn't refilled. We caused a bit of a traffic jam, got fined for our experience, and almost missed a Broadway show that was very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Elizabet, a store clerk may have typed in your card number at that store to make a private purchase to return. Sometimes typed-in card purchases are more often flagged. They have very interesting ways of knowing what we are doing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Credit card companies have great incentive to prevent fraud since they're the ones paying for it. That's a much higher priority for them than the customer's convenience. We've had legitimate charges declined and it's a hassle, yes, but that's part of using a credit card. I could switch to cash (and I do, when I'm in other countries where credit cards can be a major inconvenience since Chase seems to think that any charge in Mexico must be fraud). ETA that this isn't pointed at JeanM whose post I didn't see before submitting this one. That situation would have been really frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I mostly agree, and I'm usually glad they watch, but we had a terrible experience with fraud protection a few months ago. We were visiting NYC and had a credit card declined due to "fraud protection" at a Target. We called the credit card company and got it straightened out, but didn't realize that our EZ pass had tried to refill, but failed. We got caught in an "EZ pass only" lane going onto a bridge, but the EZ pass was declined because it hadn't refilled. We caused a bit of a traffic jam, got fined for our experience, and almost missed a Broadway show that was very expensive. I don't blame you for being irritated about that! Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Usually they are very on the ball. Once in awhile, not so much. My dad visits us probably 10 times a year. He stays at least 2 weeks. So he is here almost half the time. So this past time he came he used his card and they called him to ask if he knew about a charge at a place in our city. They didn't stop the charge, but really? The card has been used tons of times here without him calling up to question it. Geesh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Wow. It seems to be so much more common than here in Aus. We have had it happen twice in about ten years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Our credit card (Chase) always lets the charge they think is fraud go through and then freeze the card until we tell them it wasn't fraud. They do this about once every other month. We have *never* had a fraudulent charge on the card in the entire time we've had it. It is annoying because we have had subsequent charges declined (and so we now carry around a credit card we only use if that one is declined because it's been frozen), but now that I have a smart phone it is a lot less annoying. I just have to click a button that I made the charge and they immediately unfreeze it. There is no rhyme or reason. Once it was frozen after the *second* charge in a city an hour away. Once it was frozen at the gas station we go to quite often because it's only a mile from our house. Once it was frozen because my husband used it to pay for parking at the airport after he flew using a ticket that was paid for by the credit card. And so on. (Never Target. Go figure.) It's way better to have that hassle, though, than what USAA made us go through when someone really did use our credit card number in France (we've never been to France - USAA has a *known* breach and many credit card numbers had been stolen). Even though it was their problem with their own server getting hacked, they made us get a paper notarized saying we hadn't made the charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 It's happened to us several times - probably every 1.5-2 years or so. The bank has always caught the fraud almost immediately and called us right away. I'm grateful that they are watching. One instance where they caught the fraud was a purchase from another city in the wee hours of the morning. The lady who called me the next morning said that it got flagged because it was in a location we'd never been to, and because of the time the charges were attempted. We've also had online purchases for Xbox and other online gaming caught. The only time my card got shut down for a legitimate charge was when I was shopping at a homeschool convention. A friend had asked me to purchase some Math-U-See curriculum - so to keep the charges and receipts separate, I made my own MUS purchase, then immediately made the separate MUS purchase for her. I guess two charges back-to-back from the same vendor, in a city that wasn't my hometown, was enough to flag it as potential fraud. By the time I had moved to the next vendor and my card was denied, my phone was ringing - it was the bank calling to check. It took less than 5 minutes for my card to be released and get back to shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I've had only good experiences with credit cards. I can imagine it would be difficult/embarrassing to have a card declined! At Christmas I bought my kid a computer game from a gaming site. The issuer of the credit card I used called immediately to see if it was OK. I was surprised at how quickly they reacted but I guess it is the type of site that attracts fraudulent card use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saraswati Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I actually think it's horrible. Why are you not allowed to travel 30 min. from your home and expect your credit card to work? I have had cards declined while traveling and not at my home phone. It's embrassing and a hassle. I travel all over the country - one day in CA, the next day in NY. I've never reported my travels to my CC company, and my purchases have never been questioned. I have; however, had my card information stolen at least 5 times this year - mostly at gas stations, and my card companies have caught it every single time. I bought a pair of shoes online one day, and the next day, someone used my card to check into a hotel in CA - I was notified minutes after it happened and my card was canceled and reissued. Even with all of my spontaneous traveling, they knew it wasn't me. My last issue was at a gas station in southern NM, I pulled away from the pump, and someone stole my card info - however it is they do it. I was still at the red light on the corner and AMEX called to tell me my card number was stolen, and someone filled up their car at the station I was just at. They knew which was my purchase and which was the stolen. Nothing horrible about that - only piece of mind for me. I know that I'm well protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Whenever I travel to a new place and use a credit card, we get an email and phone call within minutes. My card has never been denied. Often this has occurred when I've been on a road trip with my two younger kids and I've stopped for gas. I think they are trying to verify that we are using the card. If dh told them "no, we weren't using the card, " then I think the card would be denied the next time I stopped and used it. The card issuer would be stuck for the first charge or might take issue with the merchant, but the card owner would not be involved. A few times we've gone on trips and warned the card company ahead. I traveled to Germany with my mother several years ago and did this. Over time the card company gets used to your patterns. They never call about trips to beach we have visited several times over the years. They don't call about our yearly trips to my godmother's town several states away. However, our trip to my godmother's is two parts. Whatever destination I add on will prompt the issuing company to call, probably more than once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I wish my credit card company were that good at spotting fraud and distinguishing it from legitimate purchases. I travel spontaneously all the time and I have had to shut off the geographic protection because every time I filled my vehicle with gas it would shut it off and I would have to call to get it reinstated. They do not call me, they just shut it off. As a result I check daily to see whether any charges have gone through that I did not authorize. It has never happened yet but it is just part of my morning routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I had my ATM/debit card declined a few days ago, and I have to say I was frustrated. I had gone into the city, and taken a taxi back. When we pulled up at my building, my card was declined. At this point there was not way to "return" the service since it was at the end of the ride. I had the driver drive me to an ATM, where my card was declined again. I called the bank and after many minutes on hold, they asked me a whole bunch of personal questions, that I needed to answer in earshot of the driver. My favorite was that they asked me the passport number I used to open my account in 1991, and then seemed genuinely shocked that I couldn't remember. During all of this, the meter in the cab was still running. Eventually, it turned out that the taxi had flagged as "out of state" because they used a company for the credit cards that shows up at being in NY. They turned on my card, and I went back to the ATM, which broke. I ended up going to CVS, to make 2 separate purchases so that I could get cash back twice to have enough to pay the bill. Needless to say, I was not happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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