American Express Membership Rewards - Temporary Hold from Account Security Group

Got a call today from the Account Security Group saying that they have put a temporary hold on my SPG Amex issued about 6 months ago because they are doing a "verification that the true Mr. Savage25 opened this account and is in possession of the card". They asked me to fax the following documents to 800-219-9879 (yes, I called back to speak to another agent to verify that it was indeed Amex who called and that it was a genuine Amex number):

Copy of my Social Security card
Copy of my Drivers License
Copy of Utility Bill in my name
Notarized signature verification from my bank.

I asked why this was being carried out six months after I opened my account and was just told that it happens to everyone sometime in the first year of having opened a new account. Is that true and is this normal? I just faxed them the documents - what should I expect as a follow up to this?

If it matters, I've used a high portion of my credit limit but paid it off in full every month and Amex themselves raised my credit limit from $5k to $8k last month without my asking. I had no credit history in the US before I got my card (although my scores are now 740+) and opened it through the Amex Global Transfer program.

I asked why this was being carried out six months after I opened my account and was just told that it happens to everyone sometime in the first year of having opened a new account. Is that true and is this normal?
No.

We have Amex Plat, Amex Blue, and Amex Jet Blue and have never been asked to do this. I would be uncomfortable about faxing Soc Sec card and DL even if it appears legit.

...happens to everyone sometime in the first year of having opened a new account. Is that true and is this normal?

It is not true for accounts opened through the standard application process in the USA, nor was it true when I used Global Transfers to open an account in the UK based on my USA history.

I might offer to produce the documents at a corporate owned American Express Travel Service Office if there is one nearby or send copies via Federal Express to a published American Express street address, but the fax seems dubious.

Strange...wonder why they're picking on me then.

I called the SPG Amex customer service number again and got an automated message from the Account Security Group saying that my faxed documents are under review and they will get back to me within 3 working days. This is not good, especially with an overseas trip coming up this weekend. :(

Got a call today from the Account Security Group saying that they have put a temporary hold on my SPG Amex issued about 6 months ago because they are doing a "verification that the true Mr. Savage25 opened this account and is in possession of the card". They asked me to fax the following documents to 800-219-9879 (yes, I called back to speak to another agent to verify that it was indeed Amex who called and that it was a genuine Amex number):

Copy of my Social Security card
Copy of my Drivers License
Copy of Utility Bill in my name
Notarized signature verification from my bank.

I asked why this was being carried out six months after I opened my account and was just told that it happens to everyone sometime in the first year of having opened a new account. Is that true and is this normal? I just faxed them the documents - what should I expect as a follow up to this?

If it matters, I've used a high portion of my credit limit but paid it off in full every month and Amex themselves raised my credit limit from $5k to $8k last month without my asking. I had no credit history in the US before I got my card (although my scores are now 740+) and opened it through the Amex Global Transfer program.

WARNING: This seems very unusual. It seems like a phishing scam. I would call Amex directly to confirm.

I think I have some bad news- it appears you're being targeted for the dreaded AmEx "FR", or "Financial Review":

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/settlement/about24558.html

More on FRs here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444860).

Strange...wonder why they're picking on me

You may have been randomly selected as part of a test to determine the rate of undetected misrepresentation given their current procedures. If your documents match what you told them during the application process I wouldn't be concerned about the outcome, only with how long it might take.

it appears you're being targeted for the dreaded AmEx "FR", or "Financial Review":


:confused: American Express did not ask for any income or asset verification.

WARNING: This seems very unusual. It seems like a phishing scam. I would call Amex directly to confirm.

Didn't I say I did that in my first post? :rolleyes:

I think I have some bad news- it appears you're being targeted for the dreaded AmEx "FR", or "Financial Review":

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/settlement/about24558.html

More on FRs here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444860).

I read about the FR before I posted this thread, but it doesn't seem to be that since I wasn't asked for any income verification like mia said.

You may have been randomly selected as part of a test to determine the rate of undetected misrepresentation given their current procedures. If your documents match what you told them during the application process I wouldn't be concerned about the outcome, only with how long it might take.

Yeah, that seems to be it...I'm only concerned with the time my card is on hold. I just wish they'd be upfront about it being random though, instead of telling me "everyone" has to go through it.

Do you need Amex? I think if I had spent a lot of money and clear the balance with them and been treated like this I'd tell them to shove their credit.

Do you need Amex? I think if I had spent a lot of money and clear the balance with them and been treated like this I'd tell them to shove their credit.

I'd like to use it. I don't have a long enough credit history in this country to get a credit card useful enough for mileage earning yet, apart from the Amex.

Does AMEX expect people who use the Global Transfer program to always have all of this available to send especially since most people using this are not US citizens?

Isnt the whole point of the Global Transfer program to offer AMEX customers who have an established history with AMEX in their respective country the facility of getting a US account without a credit history in the US?

I know of some colleagues who have come to the US with the intent of working here for a year for their European company, and so forth, and have done the Global Transfer, however they did not wish to (or really need to) become citizens of the US thus they never have got US social security numbers, so what would they do in this scenario?

hi,

savage how are you.

did you use your spg in different countries?
did you use your card in two countries or three countries with 24hours?

i am a over 10year amex costomer now, and when i did a mileage run in europe (cph,muc,ams,fra,zrh) i used my card to by several items within duty free .

the amex system autolocked all my amex cards, and i got calls from two different agents.

i talked a bit longer to one of the guys and he explained that several actions do pull manual examination of accounts.

in my case using my card in 3 countries within 24hours...

so maybe something triggered a warning in the amex system..

dp

Once you've been flagged for this review, there's nothing that anybody can do about it. The Executive Services folks have no influence whatsoever over the Account Security folks.

Happened to a friend of mine, called my contact in the Amex Executive Offices, they were very friendly but genuinely knew there was nothing they could do.

And I've been told 'no substitutions' on the documents they request, either. Either you send the information within the timeframe requested, or the account will be closed (and show on your credit report as closed by issuer. :mad: )

This is an identity verification issue and not a financial review.

did you use your spg in different countries?
did you use your card in two countries or three countries with 24hours?


Yes, but not since early September.


This is an identity verification issue and not a financial review.

Looks like it...and it seems to be US-based. I'm using my SIN-based PPS Amex card this weekend and it works fine.

Looks like it...and it seems to be US-based. I'm using my SIN-based PPS Amex card this weekend and it works fine.

Amex country organizations are independent in such way that problems in one do not touch the others. By default they don't even check if you have other cards in other countries, you have to point it to them in most cases (when applying a new card for example and want to benefit from the history in other country).

And I've been told 'no substitutions' on the documents they request, either. Either you send the information within the timeframe requested, or the account will be closed (and show on your credit report as closed by issuer. :mad: )

How friendly of them.
What if you live in an apartment where all the utilities are included in the rent? (Maybe a tv/phone bill would count as a utility, I suppose).
What if you don't have a driver's license? (Would they take a state Non-Driver ID?)

In Germany you have to do a face to face authentication with an photo identification card or passport before you get the AMEX account (or any other CC or bank account).

I'm just about to complete another "miles boost" on one of my DL Amex cards (a 10,000 Skymiles and 10,000 MQM bonus for meeting a $25,000 annual spending threshold). I've been delaying the spending to put me over the limit after my December closing date, so the MQMs apply to 2008 Delta status.

I have not received any such freeze on my multiple Amex accounts as the one here or the financial review, but if I did receive one before I could complete the spending threshold, I wonder what Amex would do about the bonus. Based on their reputation for inflexibility with these reviews, I expect I'd just be shafted.

Does AMEX expect people who use the Global Transfer program to always have all of this available to send especially since most people using this are not US citizens?

Isnt the whole point of the Global Transfer program to offer AMEX customers who have an established history with AMEX in their respective country the facility of getting a US account without a credit history in the US?

I know of some colleagues who have come to the US with the intent of working here for a year for their European company, and so forth, and have done the Global Transfer, however they did not wish to (or really need to) become citizens of the US thus they never have got US social security numbers, so what would they do in this scenario?

You don;t need to be a US citizen to get a social security card. But you do require, at some point a SS number to get credit (if not at the beginning, within x months.). If one is working in the US for longer than several weeks, they need to get a visa and a SSN to get paid LEGALLY. So, yes, AMEX is within their rights to ask for said information because the individual should already have those items.

Well, that was an anticlimactic end to the story. Got a call from Amex today saying my identity was verified and the temporary hold on my account had been removed.

My wife got a call at the house one day when I charged things in Dubai, Odessa (the Ukraine one, not the one by Midland), and Switzerland in the space of about 12 hours and some more charges (online and automatic) all rolled through and to top it all off I bought about 60,000$ worht of airplane tickets (actually bought them the day before).

Well, nothing like 100k in random charges all over the globe to light up the security guys. Fortunately they were able to call my hotel and convinve theselve all was copacetic. Much easier than your mess.