[Resolved] AS Account Frozen One Week Before Award Travel
Mar 3, 2018, 7:13 pm
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
#1 - This is not a Twitter issue and idle back-and-forth with someone who absolutely lacks the authority to unlock your account does nothing but cause more problems and more problems will delay things even further.
#2 - It is highly unlikely that the Twitter agent has access to what Corporate Security is doing.
#3 - Call Monday during regular business hours and ask.
#4 - If nothing else, make certain that your ticket will remain valid. Maybe you won't be permitted to make changes, but maybe you will be stuck with your 10th change.
#2 - It is highly unlikely that the Twitter agent has access to what Corporate Security is doing.
#3 - Call Monday during regular business hours and ask.
#4 - If nothing else, make certain that your ticket will remain valid. Maybe you won't be permitted to make changes, but maybe you will be stuck with your 10th change.
Mar 3, 2018, 8:52 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Miles are gotten mostly from flying. But I’ve bought 200k in my lifetime. EK booking was made online CX was made over the phone and changed many times before the account got frozen for “fraud.” Possibly the multiple changes threw up a red flag, I have no idea. I have 300k miles in there so I’m not sure what they’re worried about.
Mar 3, 2018, 9:46 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
People who make 10x changes like this because they cannot make up their mind are going to kill the free changes outside 60 days for the peons and I am a peon so I do not like it. These changes probably cost AS money. I am glad AS is putting the brakes on this practice.
Mar 3, 2018, 10:14 pm
#19
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
If the cost of "free" changes becomes prohibitive then the "free" free changes will go away and they will go away for no status members first. So while MVP Gold might still be golden this could end up costing non-golds free changes which is what I am concerned about.
Mar 3, 2018, 10:21 pm
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
The more I think about this incident the more I’m getting very upset. I have been with Alaska since 2003, and I’ve been a Gold for almost half that time. I know there is currently a witch hunt going on because of the multitude of fraud with people buying miles and canceling the tickets. I don’t know if that’s what they suspect of me, which you’d think after 15 years they’d be able distinguish.
But this is unacceptable. Their fraud department has gone way too crazy when they’re harrasing patrons that have been with the airline for 15 years. I’m going to call first thing on Monday and try to figure out what’s going on.
But this is unacceptable. Their fraud department has gone way too crazy when they’re harrasing patrons that have been with the airline for 15 years. I’m going to call first thing on Monday and try to figure out what’s going on.
Mar 3, 2018, 10:27 pm
#21
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,838
The more I think about this incident the more I’m getting very upset. I have been with Alaska since 2003, and I’ve been a Gold for almost half that time. I know there is currently a witch hunt going on because of the multitude of fraud with people buying miles and canceling the tickets. I don’t know if that’s what they suspect of me, which you’d think after 15 years they’d be able distinguish.
But this is unacceptable. Their fraud department has gone way too crazy when they’re harrasing patrons that have been with the airline for 15 years. I’m going to call first thing on Monday and try to figure out what’s going on.
But this is unacceptable. Their fraud department has gone way too crazy when they’re harrasing patrons that have been with the airline for 15 years. I’m going to call first thing on Monday and try to figure out what’s going on.
Mar 3, 2018, 10:34 pm
#22
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Berkeley, CA
Programs: UA Silver, Southwest A-List, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 818
With all due respect, that may be the point of why you got flagged. Over your 15 years, did you regularly book award tickets and make numerous changes like this? If this behavior is uncommon for 15 years and suddenly occurs, then that would be a valid reason to raise a flag. The odds that it would impact you in such a way that a weekend would make a world of difference is small for the general population. My point is that while your case is frustration in isolation, I would ask you consider the perspective of that unusual behavior like this has been leading to fraudulent losses recently.
Mar 3, 2018, 11:49 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
With all due respect, that may be the point of why you got flagged. Over your 15 years, did you regularly book award tickets and make numerous changes like this? If this behavior is uncommon for 15 years and suddenly occurs, then that would be a valid reason to raise a flag. The odds that it would impact you in such a way that a weekend would make a world of difference is small for the general population. My point is that while your case is frustration in isolation, I would ask you consider the perspective of that unusual behavior like this has been leading to fraudulent losses recently.
I have a lot of business overseas so much of my travel is on partner airlines especially to Asia, specifically China. However I still have flown 200,000K lifetime miles on Alaska. I never heard of them shutting down an account for too much partner travel, the twitter agent said they don’t shut down accounts for too much partner travel. I still don’t know what the notes meant when it said it wasn’t that itinerary or the changes. It was:
“This itinerary is fine. The mileage plan account is what needs to be reviewed.”
What on earth could that be? Are there any Alaska employees on here that could know what that means?
Mar 4, 2018, 12:55 am
#24
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: BLI
Programs: Alaska MVPG
Posts: 206
Most likely they are just trying to protect your account from fraud which is becoming more common. I'm sure things will get sorted out quickly. I wouldn't stress until after you talk to someone in that department directly.
Mar 4, 2018, 1:15 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
I guess they’re trying to protect my account from fraud. But the only problem is I’ve been calling from the phone number on file, and the ticket is booked under my name (the one on the account). So the only thing they’re protecting me from is being able to get the itinerary I need and want.
I’ll be calling Monday, and if this isn’t sorted I won’t be too happy. By the way, my husband and I don’t have any Alaska credit cards.
I’ll be calling Monday, and if this isn’t sorted I won’t be too happy. By the way, my husband and I don’t have any Alaska credit cards.
Mar 4, 2018, 8:07 am
#26
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: UA, AS
Posts: 2,393
I doubt not having the Alaska CC has anything to do with this situation. Based on the activity you have reported I suspect AS will re-activate your account after they review it. The activity patterns probably flagged it for review but since you have not violated any of the programs rules you should be fine once the right department reviews it.
The fraud protection is mainly for their benefit not yours. On multiple occasions I have had a bank (looking at you Chase) freeze credit card accounts for suspected fraud. Every time this has happened to me the suspected fraud was a legitimate charge I made on the account and after confirming I made the charge the bank removed the freeze. While the bank always claimed they were freezing my account to protect me from fraud it is 100% clear to me that they were doing it to protect themselves from fraud since none of these charges were fraudulent. I wish they would be honest about it. Chase has been the worst at "protecting" me from fraud (freezing an account for some minor charge they were worried I would deny and they would be on the hook for). B of A has been the best and when Chase freezes me out I have always been able to count on my B of A Alaska Visa so it is a good card to have, not just for the AS travel benefits but because B of A does not put me through the aggravation Chase does.
The fraud protection is mainly for their benefit not yours. On multiple occasions I have had a bank (looking at you Chase) freeze credit card accounts for suspected fraud. Every time this has happened to me the suspected fraud was a legitimate charge I made on the account and after confirming I made the charge the bank removed the freeze. While the bank always claimed they were freezing my account to protect me from fraud it is 100% clear to me that they were doing it to protect themselves from fraud since none of these charges were fraudulent. I wish they would be honest about it. Chase has been the worst at "protecting" me from fraud (freezing an account for some minor charge they were worried I would deny and they would be on the hook for). B of A has been the best and when Chase freezes me out I have always been able to count on my B of A Alaska Visa so it is a good card to have, not just for the AS travel benefits but because B of A does not put me through the aggravation Chase does.
Mar 4, 2018, 2:25 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Well I hope so. But as time goes by it makes me mad.
Mar 4, 2018, 2:31 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,838
Respectfully, if you don't want to become more angry, quit revisiting this thread all weekend. I'm sure you'll be able to get it all figured out tomorrow. No one here can give you the answers you seek. Good luck.
Last edited by flytoeat; Mar 4, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Mar 4, 2018, 8:14 pm
#29
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
I have no idea what’s going on. This is getting crazier and crazier. The Twitter agents told me that calling in tomorrow won’t do anything. My account is being audited, and this could take up to a month and it’s whatever their security department, who I’m supposedly not allowed to talk to, decides on whether the account stays open or is closed. I haven’t done anything except make a lot of award bookings with the large amount of miles I have legitimately amassed through flying partners in business class.
They did say that my award bookings are all valid for next week. I’m lost for words. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone here have someone at Alaska I could contact. Is there someone who can help me? I may just calll Brad Tilden’s Office or go to it tomorrow in SeaTac. I don’t know what else to do.
They did say that my award bookings are all valid for next week. I’m lost for words. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone here have someone at Alaska I could contact. Is there someone who can help me? I may just calll Brad Tilden’s Office or go to it tomorrow in SeaTac. I don’t know what else to do.
Mar 4, 2018, 8:41 pm
#30
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
I have no idea what’s going on. This is getting crazier and crazier. The Twitter agents told me that calling in tomorrow won’t do anything. My account is being audited, and this could take up to a month and it’s whatever their security department, who I’m supposedly not allowed to talk to, decides on whether the account stays open or is closed. I haven’t done anything except make a lot of award bookings with the large amount of miles I have legitimately amassed through flying partners in business class.
They did say that my award bookings are all valid for next week. I’m lost for words. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone here have someone at Alaska I could contact. Is there someone who can help me? I may just calll Brad Tilden’s Office or go to it tomorrow in SeaTac. I don’t know what else to do.
They did say that my award bookings are all valid for next week. I’m lost for words. I don’t know what to do. Does anyone here have someone at Alaska I could contact. Is there someone who can help me? I may just calll Brad Tilden’s Office or go to it tomorrow in SeaTac. I don’t know what else to do.
Have those "a lot of award bookings" been for others? If so, is there a chance that one of those people could have used a mileage broker at some point?