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Have your bank's fraud prevention checks ever helped you?

I'm starting to get really ticked at my bank. It seems like every time I make more than a couple of purchases with my card in a day- even from places I commonly buy from, they lock my card. In the past, they've left me totally stranded without access to cash while I was travelling. Lately, they've been able to unlock my card when I call to complain, but it's still annoying. I know fraud detection is important, but I'm starting to think my bank is really dumb for nailing me three times now for my own normal use of my own money. Does anyone have a good story about how their bank has saved them from untold heartache because they were savvy enough to catch card fraud?

Posted - February 2, 2017
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Responses


  • Once. Though more often it's been a false flag.
    If your having the problem in ordinary habits in your home area then it's likely your area you shop in has a ID theft problem.  It might be your account settings  like 2cents says too.
      February 2, 2017 5:40 AM MST
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  • 7939
    That's something I didn't consider... the area I live in. You may be onto something. I just looked it up an my state ranked 8th in the nation: http://www.identityprotection.com/education/recent-events/hitting-close-to-home-the-states-where-identity-theft-is-worst

    I can't find stats on the cities, but my zip code is kind of split between two areas- half of it is in a high-crime area and the other half is not. It would make sense that the zip code could be part of it.
      February 3, 2017 10:38 AM MST
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  • I've been given that as a reason before.
      February 3, 2017 10:47 AM MST
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  • 6124
    Good morning JA.  I have a good story but not without a negative consequence.

    I had an incident a few years back in which I charged, as usual, my oil delivery to my card.  I received a call back from the oil company saying the charge was denied.  I was floored and told them I would call them back.  I called the bank and I was told there were a couple of transactions that were flagged because they were out of character with my usual charges.  They were right.  Someone in another state had made charges to my card number.  I have no idea how they got it.  I can only surmise it had to do with a system breach in one of the companies I did business with.  So, I was very glad they shut it down.  However, I let them know I was MORE than annoyed they didn't CALL me about it.  They created an uncomfortable & very embarrassing situation with my oil supplier.  Considering I had to fill out paperwork to certify that the charges were not mine, in turn, I asked for a letter of explanation & apology, which they supplied.  Thankfully, my oil company was very nice about the whole thing.  Now, they send me alerts if something seems suspicious.
      February 2, 2017 6:40 AM MST
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  • 7939
    My bank doesn't notify me either. It's bad enough when I'm in front of a cashier and they tell me my card isn't good (it usually gives them the code "do not honor," which is different than declined), but they actually nailed me on it once while I was traveling with my two young kids. We had just gotten off a plane and were ready to get a rental car and drive it to a neighboring state. It was at the rental car counter where I found out my cards weren't any good. That time, they didn't lock them, they outright cancelled them. I'm standing in the airport with a 2 and 5-year-old, no access to money, and the bank offers to mail me a new card. Umm... Sure, we'll just live at the airport for two days without food. Thanks.

    Bah. I'm not glad that yours involved real fraud, but I am glad that at least one incident here showed that there's a benefit to the madness from banks. Thanks for sharing.
      February 4, 2017 12:49 AM MST
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  • 6124
    I honestly don't know if I could have held it together if I was in your position.  That must have been unbelievably difficult. 

    Since my fraud issue occurred in another state, prior to traveling anywhere I always call them ahead of time, tell them what state(s) I will be traveling through/visiting, along with the time frame.  I also NEVER use it to pay for gas when I'm on the road.  I make sure I have cash with me for that, which I get prior to leaving.  This way, I don't have to worry about skimming issues while away.  Haven't had any more problems to date.

    If you continue having issues, you may want to talk to a supervisor via phone or, if the card's been issued from your local bank, schedule a meeting with the manager or ass't manager.  They might have suggestions for you, or  they will add special notations onto your account regarding your usage.  I deal with a couple of different banks.  I have set up a verbal password protection on each of them so if there is ANY irregularity question, before they take action, they ask for my password.   It's worked very well.  With large institutions in this day and age, I've found I have to think outside the box to find ways to protect myself.  They weren't going to go out of their way to make suggestions so I took the bull by the horns and did it myself.

    Of course, if they have made too many mistakes, have inconvenienced you too many times, and won't go out of their way to ensure you have uninterrupted service, another option is to find a more reliable bank.
      February 4, 2017 6:06 AM MST
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  • 44604
    I remember being skimmed at a gas station two years ago. I went into the store to buy something and my card was denied. I immediately went to the bank and they had locked it for some suspicious activity. They printed it out and someone had used the info to join a bunch of dating sites. This all happened within a half hour. They cancelled my card, gave me a temporary one and removed the charges from my account. They are quite good at this. They used to call me on major purchases. I will never switch banks. 
      February 2, 2017 7:30 AM MST
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  • 7939
    Woah.
    I bet whoever did it joined the dating sites to con money out of people too. :/
      February 4, 2017 12:50 AM MST
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  • 2219
    They sometimes notice when I make a big purchase like a car.

    I suppose it's vaguely  reassuring. 
      February 5, 2017 7:55 AM MST
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