The Fraud Alert Specialist Who Calmed My Nerves

I have it set up so that I receive an instant email alert any time I withdrawal more than $100 from an ATM, so you can imagine my horror when I received a few of these messages yesterday while I was at work and not withdrawing money from an ATM.

But before I could freak out, I received a call from my bank’s fraud prevention department about suspicious activity on my account.

“Mike, are you in Mexico making ATM withdrawals?” they asked. The fact that this was being done in another country accounted for the uneven number coming out of an ATM.

“No, but I wish I were!” I said, because I just can’t help myself. “I’m in New York enjoying the humidity.”

“It looks like someone made a copy of your bank card,” the fraud prevention person said. “We’ll have to deactivate this one and send you new one. It’ll come in five to seven business days. We’ll refund you your money.” (Which was about $500, because I also set up a $500 limit for withdrawals.)

“So if I need cash, I’ll actually have to go inside a bank?”

“Yes. But, also, if you are stranded and need cash and all the banks are closed, what you can do is call us, and we’ll temporarily reactivate your card so you can do a one-time withdrawal.”

“Oh that’s nice,” I said.

“Any other questions?”

“No, but thank you for calling me!”

“And thank you for banking with us.”

The next time I think about breaking up with my bank, I’ll think about this experience.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.