My bank's fraud alert system thought my new couch was a scam

I saved up for a nice couch from a local store in Tacoma, costing $1,200. When I went to pay, my card got declined. I called my bank, and the agent told me, 'Sir, we see a large furniture purchase from a new vendor. Our system flagged it as high risk for a card-not-present transaction.' I had to explain I was literally standing in the store. They said because I'd never bought from that store before and the amount was high, their automated system assumed it was online fraud. Now, if I'm making a big purchase from a new place, I call the bank first to give them a heads-up. It's a pain, but it beats being embarrassed at the checkout. Has anyone else had to start doing this for their own normal spending?

3 comments

3 Comments

umar499d ago

Ugh, yes! I had my card declined buying a new mattress. Now for any big purchase over like $500, I just send a quick text to my bank's fraud line first. It takes two minutes and saves the hassle.

lily579d ago

Smart move, texting them first is a lifesaver.

logan_mitchell9d ago

My credit union in Seattle lets me set a travel notice right in the app, which is basically the same thing for home purchases. I just log in and flag any big local spend before I go to the store. It stopped my card from getting frozen when I bought my new dining set last month.