PSA: My local credit union's fraud alert system actually worked for me

I was grabbing lunch at the diner on Main Street last Tuesday when my phone buzzed. It was a text from my credit union asking if I'd just tried to buy $347 worth of electronics from a store in another state. I hit 'NO' right away, and they froze the card on the spot. The rep I called said the system flagged it because the purchase location was 800 miles from my last transaction, which was for gas that morning. They sent a new card that got here in two days. Has anyone else had a fraud alert go off that actually caught something real-time?

2 comments

2 Comments

leep339d ago

That's a solid system they have. The location check is basic but it catches the obvious stuff fast. Makes you wonder why all banks don't do it that well.

the_dylan8d ago

Remember my buddy who got a fraud alert while buying gas in his own town? His bank flagged it because the card was used at a pump he never goes to, just a few miles from his house. That simple location check saved him a huge headache, and the whole thing was sorted in a two minute phone call. It seems so basic, but his old bank never caught stuff like that. They only looked for big out of state charges. Makes you wonder if some banks just don't want to pay for the slightly better system, or if they think it'll annoy customers with false alarms.