MilesGator

If it was a psuedo FR (i.e. just a phone call to verify that it was the cardholder who actually bought it), then saying it's for drugs is no problem.

But if it were to escalate to a real FR from Amex, wouldn't they look closely at the line-item receipts and see that the charge wasn't for Anti-Retrovirals?

If you lie at first then it may just go away and everyone is happy. But if you lie at first and it somehow gets escalated to full-on FR, then I feel like you may be in even more hot-sh*t. Just wondering what the experts around here think about that

And I know about HIPAA (work in a teaching hospital). But I can't imagine Amex NOT being able to see what you purchased if they really wanted too.

Mrgolfer21

I was buying some over the weekend with cap one and got the fraud thing, had to call...second time in a week. I told them that i buy gift cards and get reimbursed for them from my company and each store limits me to $1K per purchase, i said i'm going to be making a lot more of these purchases so i really don't want to be cut off. They thanked me for using their card, said they added notes to my account not to cut me off for multiple purchases like this. I was also thanked at a separate CVS for buying $1k work b/c I just made their store sales look really good. I don't see why Amx doesn't thank us for our business instead of giving us a FR.

Often1

It costs Amex more to file the SAR than they make off you in a year. Easier to fire customers who cost you money.

noturbizniss

What's an SAR?

mia

Suspicious Activity Report:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspicious_activity_report

distantarray

you could always claim your credit cards got stolen for online purchases so your using gift cards to make purchases online to avoid throwing your card number into the net. works wonders

Often1

Or you could tell the truth. Saying stuff like this just gets the card cancelled without a review!

A SAR is a Suspicious Activity Report. It's what credit card issuers (and other financial institutions) are required to file with Treasury when they come upon suspicipous activity such as OP describes.

Doesn't mean what OP did is illegal, just that he's going to get a lot more scrutiny (tax returns, returning from overseas) going forward.

noturbizniss

Update and conclusion:
They did not question the specific purchases, however they were going to need to see biz income on the tax return. When i explained it's a minor ebay business woth no income reported on tax return she said if that's the case then the end of the FR would be to shut down the cards, si i had them close them now at consumers request. Personal cards were left alone, and did not need FR. She said the primary driver of the FR was opening of 2 biz cards 2 weeks ago (Delta, and PRG) and SPG in August coupled with large spending on the new cards. Lesson learned. When i get the PRG and SPG in my name i go much slower in the bonus period to avoid FR.
Buy VR but do it slow. I was going to fast out of fear that VRs would be killed.

Father-of-3

I've had 4 calls from Amex fraud department about my $1007 charges at CVS. I always confirm the charge and they never ask anything else. My one piece of advice is to not share anything more than the answer to their question. I think they are trained to only ask certain things.

johnnie198x

Just FYI that you can buy VR at odd amounts. I've been buying 49x.xx

Youpaiyou

My purchase of 2 VRs at the full amount resulted in a fraud alert. I now only buy 1 VR every few days.

noturbizniss

I don't think it was the multiple txns of the same amount, but hte multiple txns of high amounts. When i get my biz cards ill probably buy 2 every couple weeks and pay it off between and use it for regular spending.

Father-of-3

Good point. I pay mine off once a week. I think that likely calms them down a little when I get the fraud alerts. If I had a 20,000 balance and then a fraud alert I could see it escalating.