My bank's fraud alert system went nuts over a $12 taco truck charge

Last Tuesday, I bought lunch from a new truck downtown and my card got frozen instantly. The fraud team called three times in an hour asking if I'd made a 'suspicious purchase'... for three carne asada tacos. It took me 20 minutes on hold to convince them I wasn't being robbed by a guy named Carlos with a food truck. Has your bank ever flagged something this small and normal?

3 comments

3 Comments

fox.matthew24d agoMost Upvoted

Got flagged for buying a coffee at the airport once. They let a $500 charge for a new TV slide right through the day before. Makes you wonder if their system just hates small businesses and snacks. What's the weirdest thing your bank has ever stopped?

the_caleb24d ago

Small businesses and snacks" is exactly what I read they look for.

caleb_ross1213d ago

My bank once put a hold on a twenty dollar pizza order because I was visiting my sister in another state. They said it was "unusual activity" to buy food on a Saturday night. Meanwhile, my actual card got skimmed at a gas station last year and they didn't catch a single one of those charges. It's like their fraud alerts are programmed by someone who's never left the house.