Computer says no...

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I just had a funny conversation with my bank. I travel to Canada on business several times a year, and each time I try to get money out in Toronto airport and each time, without fail, my card is stopped by my bank because of suspected fraud. It's a royal pain in the ass.

I'm off there again in a couple of weeks' time so this time I thought I'd be clever and tell my bank that I'm going, so there's a note on my account which tells the fraud centre that everything is OK. Apparently, however, it won't have any effect because it's the computer that cancels the card, and you can't tag an account in the system to say that it's legit, despite passing ID checks etc. Not even the fraud employees can do anything about it until after the fact. So each time I have the inconvenience and expense of receiving a call from the fraud centre on my mobile overseas, and sometimes having to call them back, and there's nothing I can do about it!

Obviously there are other ways around this but I thought I'd try and be creative and proactive for once! So much for trying to outwit a lumbering bureaucracy...
 
Hi Kirstie, Why not formally tell the bank of you plans and get some kind of assurance the cards will work.
When they don't, you can manufacture some expenses and inconvenience which to hold the bank responsible.

This off course is only one step up from train spotting on the anorak scale, but probably better than watching the telly for the next month or so. have a nice trip regardless.

Also seems that was my 500 post and I'm now senior, hope maturity is not expected too.

regards
 
starseven said:
Hi Kirstie, Why not formally tell the bank of you plans and get some kind of assurance the cards will work.
When they don't, you can manufacture some expenses and inconvenience which to hold the bank responsible.

This off course is only one step up from train spotting on the anorak scale, but probably better than watching the telly for the next month or so. have a nice trip regardless.

Also seems that was my 500 post and I'm now senior, hope maturity is not expected too.

regards

Oh you mean actually write to them. Can you still do this nowadays? Apparently it's all automated, so as soon as an account holder turns up in a foreign country, the account is automatically suspended and the lucky customer has to wait for the phone call. But no harm in trying I guess.

Definitely no maturity required after 500 posts...
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Hmm. I contacted my bank (HSBC) before I went to Mexico, and they said "thankyou very much for telling us, that's noted." And I used my cards with no problem.
 
How interesting Arch. My partner's acount is with HSBC and he has had no end of problems when travelling overseas (he does this a lot with work). Even though they called him and verified his identity, they still cancelled his card, leaving him without access to money when he was working in Italy for 2 weeks last year. When he went into his branch to try to resolve the matter afterwards, even the branch staff were stumped to find the right person/department which was responsible, and were passed from pillar to post within their own organziation. The branch staff couldn't believe it and said they'd learned more about the HSBC fraud system from trying to deal with my partner's case than they ever had in their training! Who was it you contacted? Might be useful information for the future.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Kirstie said:
How interesting Arch. My partner's acount is with HSBC and he has had no end of problems when travelling overseas (he does this a lot with work). Even though they called him and verified his identity, they still cancelled his card, leaving him without access to money when he was working in Italy for 2 weeks last year. When he went into his branch to try to resolve the matter afterwards, even the branch staff were stumped to find the right person/department which was responsible, and were passed from pillar to post within their own organziation. The branch staff couldn't believe it and said they'd learned more about the HSBC fraud system from trying to deal with my partner's case than they ever had in their training! Who was it you contacted? Might be useful information for the future.

Huh, well, I can believe it... I just went into my branch and spoke to the lady on the reception desk thing and she put me onto the telephone banking phones they have, and I pressed the appropriate buttons until I got through to a human. I think his name might have been James, and he had a Scottish accent, if that helps...:biggrin:

I did it because previously I'd come back from France and then had trouble with my credit card back here. I can't remember how much I used cards in Mexico, I took a decent amount of cash, but I must have used them sometime. I certainly did while on the stopover in Schipol... (I'd also informed HSBC that I'd be flying via Amsterdam...)
 

Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
HSBC phoned me to tell me my card had been used abroad, and was I aware. Yes, I'm on holiday, quoth I. :biggrin:
Then I remembered I had a huge overdraft, so I was courteous and thanked them for taking the trouble....
 
Well I just did a sneaky double check to see what else they could do. I rang the security number they gave me, which turned out to be the wrong number, but they put me through to my branch. The branch person opened my account, saw the note on the account, and promptly informed me that this *would* mean the fraud team would act straight away when I try to get money out. All I can do is see what happens...
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
You cant win can you. Despite travelling there in the past, you still get aggravation.
Me, i went to Uruguay for the first time, by far and away the most distant location i've ever been. Forced to use my Visa bacause of lost luggage (thanks a bundle Iberia)....not a blink from the bank.

I kinda hoped for my own security the transaction would have been blocked or at least looked into...nothing.

So i know if my card gets stolen...the chances are you can probably use it anywhere without the bank even waking from its snooze..:biggrin:
 
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