About 2 months ago, on a Friday, I was driving home from work. It was beautiful out. A perfect Friday afternoon.
I pulled into the gas station I use each week to fill up. Fill up, check my oil, go into the store to pay.
The cashier tells me my credit card isn’t working. That’s strange. I know I paid the bill last month. Anyway, I don’t like to make a big deal about it; I hand over another card. It works and I’m on my way home to enjoy pizza and a movie on Friday night.
Within 2 minutes of leaving the gas station, my cell phone rings. I answer it and it’s the credit card company calling me about some unusual activity. I told him that my card was declined minutes. He tells me that they suspected fraud on my card. I said I was just trying to buy some gas.
He apologizes (excellent customer service), but asks whether I was trying to spend $810 at Walmart in North Carolina (I don’t live anywhere near North Carolina). I said “No, I’m not anywhere near North Carolina.”
He tells me they flagged the North Carolina purchase as fraud and that’s why my card isn’t working. He also said that my card should be cancelled and a new one issued. I readily agreed.
I was impressed.
I’m a trusting sort of guy and when credit card companies tell me they offer fraud protection, I don’t really think about it … but when they actually pull through, I was really impressed and grateful.
I tend not to think or worry much (at all actually) about being a victim of credit card fraud. I buy plenty of stuff online without any thought to credit card fraud happening to me.
Anyway, in my limited credit card fraud experience, credit card fraud protection worked. I’m not saying you’ll have the same successful outcome I did; however, as far as I’m concerned it works.
In fact, my wife, even more recently had a fraud scenario happen to her as well. The credit card caught the fraud, shut down the card, notified her, and is issuing a new card. That’s 2 for 2 which is fantastic.