I'll be darned - they really do check purchases

19 years ago

I bought something on E-Bay for a gift and used paypal but had it the gift sent to the person's home. Well lo and behold Citibank sent me a real e-mail (they told me to call them using the phone number on back of my card) I did and they said there was suspicious activity in the amount of $10 and I knew what they were talking about. They also said there was a $20 gas purchase made later (hubby did that one). I've seen those commercials but never believed they would really notice purchases like that. Three cheers!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Nancy in Mich
19 years ago
Yeah, we bought gas about 5 miles west of where we usually do and had to answer to the credit card company about it. It felt a bit like being spied on! Even four years ago when I bought a laptop, DH got a phonecall at work asking him if I was really buying a laptop at Circuit City, or was the card stolen. I guess I like this, but it sure got wierd when they called us about a tankful of gas!
clg7067
19 years ago
Sometimes it's a pain, though. I went on vacation in California and Citibank declined my charges there until I called them and told them "I'M ON VACATION!". Now I call them before I leave. They want the exact dates I'll be gone and where I'll be.

Oh, another time I went shopping in a city 100 miles from home and spent $600. They declined that, too. Had to call them on my cell and answer all the requisite questions. This is too much! I check my account online several times a week, so I would definitely know if somebody else was using my card.
Related Discussions
Well, I'll be darned! It really is fragrant!
Q
Comments (4)
Nigella, I've heard different things on the web about this callisia, so it's neat to hear a scent report first hand. What sort of light do you grow it in, and how do the leaves look? Jim
...See More
So tired of picking. Just tell me what to buy and I'll do it.
Q
Comments (14)
I don't believe in buying new stuff like that just to sell a house, i.e.: design stuff but which you can't take with you. If you're going to spend $200 on a light, 1) you're not going to get anything great, so the improvement won't mean much in terms of selling; 2) wouldn't you be better off offering potential buyers a $200 credit toward buying those lights themselves? THAT would be much bigger toward selling. Point is, I wouldn't do either. You go and buy a new light, they buy the house, and replace the light for something they like and is in their taste. You offer them $200 toward lights they prefer, and you've just gone and spent $200 on a purchase they'd have made anyway themselves. Replacing lighting is not an expensive thing to do, not like knocking down walls or replacing kitchen cabinets, granite, putting in a new heating system, etc. It's the BIG costs that turn buyers off, not the little design things. And make sure the house is spotless. I think that's the other big factor. Better to invest that $200 in a really good cleaning company to come in and really detail the place, i.e.: baseboards, windows, dusting tops of doors, behind toilets, etc., etc. This post was edited by Tibbrix on Tue, Dec 23, 14 at 13:31
...See More
I'll huff and I'll puff & I'll blow the Houzz down
Q
Comments (58)
plllog -- yep, reset the bookmark, and it seems to be working. In the olden days, you know, last week, I only signed in when I wanted to post (laughable, I know, like I'm actually privatizing my forum trail and someone cares) and I could just use That Home Site Forums - Gardenweb menu to look at Kitchens, Cooking, etc. If I want my topics now, I have to sign in; otherwise, I'm sent to the Garden Forum. It makes sense signing-in, I get it, but I just need to grumble a bit. And I'll whisper: this change and not knowing what the end of net neutrality is actually going to mean, makes me want to grumble, grumble, grumble a bit more:) On a positive note: I thought I was too old to learn new tricks; yet, a new talent that I've acquired is filtering out the peripheral, intrusive, embedded nonsense on the sides, top and bottom of my screen/phone. Advertisers think I see their stuff, but I don't:0) CathyinSWPA
...See More
What to do with this darn kitchen?
Q
Comments (13)
Are there three laminate tops: the island, the small contertop beside the refrigerator and the countertop with the cooktop? Consider waiting until after your walls are repainted before deciding to paint your cabinets --or at least before deciding what color you want to paint them. If you choose an actual color for your walls rather than some creamy off white, you might find you actually like the neutral wood cabinets a lot better. Remember that anything painted inevitably needs to be repainted and can begin to look awful as it begins to get that way. You might also consider adding a medium to dark wood wainscoting to the outside of the penninsula for a less ... blah / all-the-same look -- and it would show kick marks less readily, making it more practical to actually use your breakfast bar. Since you don't particularly like the granite, don't add to your dislike. If you are in a rush for a change, simply choose a solid color from the different colors within the granite and change all of your laminate countertops so they're that solid color but in a more affordable material. You might check out the solid color Corian countertops that are available to see if one suits you. Since you mention you're on a budget, remember that you don't need to replace all the countertops at once. You could delay changing those countertops that are against the wall and, therefore, less visible from the living/dining are, until a later date -- initially replace only the more visible countertop of the island. Kitchen islands -- countertops and/or base -- are often not the same as the rest of the counter tops and cabinets; in fact, an island base and/or countertop is often a totally different color from the other cabients and it is not unusual to have an island countertop a different material from other countertops in the room: some are wood, some are tile, some are concrete. Some materials, such as Corian, can have a patter that even appears to be granite or marble or wood (at least at first glance from the distance of the next room). Redoing the island countertop and repainting its base first (after first repainting your walls, of course) is an opportunity for you to add color to the room. Go ahead and paint your island base your favorite bold accent color and choose a totally different countertop -- material and color. Live with that a bit before deciding what to do with the other laminate.
...See More
kathy_
Original Author
19 years ago
Wow I never knew... Guess we should call them if we go on vacation? That will be the next thing.
Janis_G
19 years ago
I'm new here and just happened across this post.
All I can say is Thank God Visa was on duty when we were on
a trip last year.
We were on a cross country drive to Oregon and the PNW to a family reunion.
We had only been home a day when we got a call.
Visa said that someone in California had tried to buy
several things using our card number. Also that there was
evidence that the crook was trying to steal my husband's
identity. He had aready asked for a change of address.
Needless to say it got our attention.
Our card had not been stolen, but the number sure had.

Visa gave me all the info I needed, where to call, whom to
call. They canceled our card and gave us another card and
account number. Their help was invaluable to me in the
following weeks.
I ended up cancelling all of my accounts, on advice of the
feds. Yes, I had to report everything to the federal
government's fraud division. My account now has a fraud
alert on it for 2 years.

It was a royal pain to do everything but if the thief had
succeeded in stealing an identity it would have been
much, much worse.

They can call me anytime.

Yes, Kathy, by all means let them know when you are going on
vacation.
PeaBee4
19 years ago
Oh yes. Once I keyed in the wrong zip code and it refused the charge, later I got a letter from the company asking if I had tried to use the card at on that date at that place. another time, my husband charged some gas about the same time I was charging something at another store, then within five minutes we were buying a few groceries. The phone was ringing when we got home to check if we had really made the three purchaces so close together.
dog_mom
19 years ago
It really is scary how easy it is for someone to fraudulently use your credit card number or worse, steal your identity.

I once had my credit card company call and ask if I was in Australia and Japan...obviously not since I was talking to them. Apparently the number was stolen (my cards were in my possession), fake cards were made and they were able to use it at an atm machine for a few hundred dollars, then attempted to try and use it at several other locations in the US and two other countries for large ticket purchases.

Fortunately, the credit card company caught on especially since we've never used it at an atm, I wouldn't even know how. I thought you had to have a pin set up for that. All subsequent charges were rejected until they could verify that it was being used fraudulently.

I'm surprised at how easy it was for this to happen, I consider myself to be a very careful person. I always shred receipts and statements, wait for the waitor to take my bill away before leaving a restaurant instead of leaving it on the table with the tip, etc. You just never know!

I'll be darned - they really do check purchases

Comments (6)

Nancy in Mich

clg7067

Related Discussions

kathy_
Original Author

Janis_G

PeaBee4

dog_mom

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

I'll be darned - they really do check purchases

Comments (6)

Nancy in Mich

clg7067

Related Discussions

kathy_Original Author

Janis_G

PeaBee4

dog_mom

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

kathy_
Original Author