From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

This question is categorized under Banking/finance

For the third time in as many months I've gotten a call tonight from a credit card company (different ones each time) that was supposedly worried that my credit card had been stolen because of what looked to them like suspicious activity. This has never happened to me before this year. The thing was, though, the shopping pattern itself wasn't all that unusual for me. I live a ways from town, so when I go out I tend to try to accomplish as many errands as possible.

Today, inside a four-hour period I spent $100 at a grocery store, $111 at a drug store, $67 at a sporting goods store, and $600 at a hardware store. After I confirmed that it was in fact I who had made all these purchases, I asked what had triggered the call, since these were not unusual purchases for me. The representative stated that it had been because of the number of purchases inside a short period of time. This is the pattern of someone who has just stolen a card.

This strikes me as bogus. I always spend like that. Did I just get myself on some list?

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 12, 1999

Answers

My family lives in a small town and every time we go to a large town (a minimum of a 3 hour drive) we get one of these calls. Been going on for...*hum*...8 years ago is the oldest one I can recall off the top of my head. So I doubt you are on some list.

And as for this being a pattern to a bunch of purchases in a short period of time, I can atest to that. About 8 months ago someone in California got a hold of my card number, they made a bunch of purchases, all on the same day, and when I talked with my card company, they had all bee in the period of 5 hours.

-- credit card user (not@acardexpert.com), August 12, 1999.

Dancr, this has never happened to us, but has happened to my mother, going back probably 10 years or so.

I can see how this experience would give one pause to wonder and say "Hmmmmm.....". The first time it happened to Mom, she was pretty irritated that 'someone' was *watching* her account so closely. Wonder how long this practice has been going on?

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), August 12, 1999.

It happened to me last year for the first and only time. But what triggered it was the fact that I spent $1300 at a pawn shop for a gun safe. It was the fact that a pawn shop did not fit into my usual buying pattern. All they wanted to do was to verify it was really me that made the purchase. Frankly, I was pleased about it.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), August 12, 1999.

Dancr,

Nine years ago, my credit card was taken from my purse. There was no reason for me to notice that it was missing until three days had passed. 27K worth of merchandize had been purchased in my name by that time! Grand theft.

Frankly, I am very thankful when anyone calls me regarding unusual activity on my cards! They are doing their jobs and they are protecting me.

Grace

-- Carolyn Grace (grace17@pacbell.net), August 12, 1999.

Actually, they are protecting themself, first. The card company ends up eating these fraudulent purchases in the end. They use a system of "fuzzy logic" to track these things, and it isn't about your own pattern of buying, but rather the pattern that fits the past stolen card behavior they have programmed in. I have gotten such calls a few times due to a slew of uses on the same day.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), August 12, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

Thanks, everybody! Those answers are very comforting.

-- (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 12, 1999.