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Vent: My card got declined buying groceries in Austin last year
Honestly, I was at the checkout with a full cart and my main card just wouldn't go through. I had to call my bank from the parking lot and it turned out their fraud system flagged a gas station fill-up from my road trip as suspicious. Anyone else get random freezes at the worst times?
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miller.avery3mo ago
My credit union in San Antonio froze my account for three days because I bought a coffee in Houston. The fraud algorithm thought a 200 mile trip was impossible without a plane ticket. These systems are built for people who never leave their zip code. I had to physically go into a branch with my passport to prove I was the one driving. It makes you feel like a criminal for just living your life.
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abby_henderson3mo ago
It's like they forget people have cars. My bank once locked my card because I bought lunch in Dallas and then filled up my tank in Fort Worth a few hours later. The whole system is set up for someone who just goes from home to work and back. You're right, it totally makes you feel like you did something wrong just for moving around your own state.
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ericfox1mo ago
And whose idea was it to let these algorithms run our money without any human oversight anyway? I mean, they flag a normal drive across Texas but won't bat an eye when someone's card gets used in three different countries in an hour. Makes you wonder if the people programming these things have ever left their own desks.
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