Apparently My Bank Only Wants Me to Buy Locally

[irishearl]

I bought a pipe today from Smokingpipe.eu for the first time. When I went to submit the order, got the message my debit card had been declined. So, called my bank. First they said it had been locked due to a "fraud" alert. Then they called headquarters who informed them it was flagged simply because I was attempting to buy from an Irish site. I'd actually bought a pipe last year from Pipe Divan without issue. They unlocked the card to enable my purchase and proceeded to tell me that, should I attempt to order anything internationally in the future, I should first notify them.

 

[verporchting]

I’d notify them of a transfer of your business to a different bank.

 

[Tommy Boy]

Not that uncommon really. Heck we had one get flagged once when we traveled out of state. A pain in the ass but easy to fix. I think they get a little jumpy nowadays with all the fraud and just trying to keep themselves and "us" save from it at times.

 

[ray47]

I had the same thing happen recently when I purchased a pipe from Altinok.

 

[mso489]

I hope this is just the wacky unpredictability of various security systems meant to ring the alarm when an account does something unusual. It seems annoying and intrusive, but when someone hacks or steals your card, they show up buying uncharacteristic things in uncustomary places. So for your bank's purposes, this was such a case. I think this could happen at any bank, so changing might not help. Perhaps (?) it's better to have this hassle than have someone take a vacation and buy a lot of drugs on your card before anyone notices. Someone bought some kind of weird mechanical gear in the Southwest on my card causing me to cancel it and get a different one.

 

[didimauw]

This happened to me once, I went over the state border, about 15 minutes from my home to a carnival, and tried to buy fries. Bank shut me down and said I had to notify them next time I left the state. Haha

 

[captpat]

I normally provide advance notice to my CC company if I'm going to order internationally, like Al Pascia or Altinok -- avoids a lot of hassle

 

[greeneyes]

I lived abroad for a time and my salary was deposited into the national bank, a large, established bank with sub-branches around the world. When I opened the bank account I got the debit card, with the "international option" I'd selected, so that I could make overseas purchases. The processor on the card was 'Visa." After a few years the economy started to flounder and the bank re-issued new cards with a new "national" processor (so instead of 'Visa' it's something you've never heard of that only works in the country). Essentially the bank was imposing its national processor on all the debit/credit cards, effectively ensuring that no national money would be spent internationally. I'm not sure if others notice; I never activated my card, continued to use the old 'Visa' and left the country for good approximately a year afterward.

I hate being told how to spend my money. In the 'tobacco Universe' Mastercard is a huge offender in that regard.

 

[Casual]

I’ll just note that these companies are not serious about fraud because they’re protecting us. They’re serious about fraud (and not worried about inconveniencing customers) because they are on the hook for fraud losses themselves.

 

[kcghost]

It happens, but rarely. If you have a history of buying from another state or country then usually if flies.

 

[mso489]

The self-interest in fraud prevention doesn't bother me. It's a strong motivation and works for me as well, though that may not be the motivating factor. This is a useful post because it might remind me/us to notify our card company when we leave town or buy overseas.

 

[jeff540]

Happens to me a few times a year on the local credit union debit card. It's an inconvenience but I'm glad for it. I once had my credit card number stolen online and $800 cash taken out from somebody in Lebanon (the country, not the town in Pennsylvania).

 

[timelord]

I've lived, worked and travelled in many countries and I've never had this happen. Sure I've had SMS messages to ask me to verify the occasional transaction.

I used to design anti-fraud systems for banks (we never did get an US banks interested in it although it is widely used in Europe and Asia so unlikely 'my' software was being used) and to be honest this sounds more like c**p policies within the bank than something triggered by a sophisticated anti-fraud system.

I say we never had US banks as customers but I attended dozens of meetings with US banks and conferences in the US and I always came away amazed at how amateurish and parochial some of the banks were when it came to risk management and electronic transactions in particular. Some of them couldn't get their heads around the idea of someone physically using a card for a purchase in a store out of their home town let along state; and as for internet commerce... ...I used to get looks like I'd come from a different planet when I explained how international transactions actually worked!

 

[Ahi Ka]

I had to notify my bank that I am a pipe smoker and they put this on my account notes. It doesn’t stop the occasional security hold if I am using a different retailer but it makes the process faster and more entertaining.

 

[canucklehead]

I've had my Mastercard do that when I was one province to the left on vacation.

Automated security saved us already once though, as scammers at a convenience store stole my wife's card data and tried to charge a bunch of stuff on it in Quebec (we live in Alberta). The bank automatically shut down the card, repayed what they had spent from her account, and located the exact place and time her card was scanned within the afternoon.

 

[sablebrush52]

I’ll just note that these companies are not serious about fraud because they’re protecting us. They’re serious about fraud (and not worried about inconveniencing customers) because they are on the hook for fraud losses themselves.

Absolutely true. And I don't mind that a bit. If you were on the hook for others actions, tell me you would be any different.

Frankly, I don't mind that my bank instantly flags me about any out of state or international purchase with a new entity. Stealing ones private information has never been either easier nor more widespread. I'll accept the occasional inconvenience of verifying a purchase order, for the convenience of having the card.

If this scrutiny really bothers you, stop using a credit card.

 

[Casual]

If this scrutiny really bothers you, stop using a credit card.

I worked in information security in the financial industry for fifteen years, I’m aware how product decisions are made. I’m also aware how projects to make the cardholder experience better around fraud detection and reporting rarely made the cut. Feel free to take the level of service provided as the only or best solution, but I’ve worked in it long enough to know better.

 

[timelord]

I worked in information security in the financial industry for fifteen years, I’m aware how product decisions are made. I’m also aware how projects to make the cardholder experience better around fraud detection and reporting rarely made the cut. Feel free to take the level of service provided as the only or best solution, but I’ve worked in it long enough to know better.

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.

 

[Kozeman]

Every time I fill my truck with diesel, I get a text message asking if it was me because the amount is so high. This last month I had $15k in fraudulent charges from all over the US. Including Door Dash and Uber eats in San Francisco and New York. Not a single call from them. I think the security algorithms need to be tweaked.

 

[mikethompson]

A pain in the ass but easy to fix

This. No big deal, but a little bit of a surprise when it happens.