Of course I know that... Anything can be stolen, forged or obtained nowadays. The credit card could be stolen or counterfeit money could be used... that is a probability in every transaction. We are arguing two different things. I say, when all things being equal, CC provide more traceable evidence.

But you and I agree that a 5k VR purchase is not normal at a CVS store even if it seems normal to FT heavy rollers. ( I hear the replies coming...)

The Feds are not interested in PoorJoe buying VR to obtain airline miles. They are more interested in PusherJoe trying to launder low grade drug sales to a more viable instrument. The big ones wear suit and ties and are usually left alone.

While we should have the right to carry on through life with honesty but be able to be anonymous, we find we live in an age where, if you tell them that, they instantly think you are up to something. SAD INDEED!

It is up to us to continously challenge that notion.


Thanks fox!! Yah it was a great team this year and now we can play normal ball out there lol.

if I am around on Monday--and sometimes I get down into the city of BOS itself, then maybe we should meet up. PM me if you think it's doable. I cant say I can yet but worth a shot. Depends on our schedules.



I actually ran the NYC Marathon in 2002 and was on the commonly known "runner's High" when I came up with the name and joined FT. I also go on a lot, for those who havent noticed... ask Mike. He has for some reason continued to invite me to the BOS DOs and had to deal with it :D

Thanks lacuadra! That was kind. But I am merely just one more seasoned vet of doing this stuff who makes the same mistakes and suffers the same pitfalls as the rest of us. I am not a 22 year old pitcher but I can go 7 long :D

What if all you have on you is one of those state IDs or a US Passport or passport ID card? I once let CVS try to scan the Passport ID card and they could not, so the clerk shrugged and gave me the VRs anyway.

I think it all comes down to assumed liability.

If CVS or any company KNOWINGLY sells to a criminal or a scammer with fake cards, then they can get into trouble. But now it's been twisted whereas: If the store sells to someone with presumed ill intent or suspicious activity, then they can get into trouble, or the lower staff can.

Who let them take out the important parts of that? The thing is, they all are worried about getting in trouble and then losing their jobs. So if they sell to someone and it is not right--even if they did EVERYTHING correctly (checked ID, checked CCs, etc) but the person turns out to be a scammer, then sadly there are actually jerks within the organization that will still seek termination of that employee!

So that's the problem.

It once happened to me... I was a bar tender in the mid 90s in a ski town and I checked a guys ID and served him a beer. I even used to make IDs in college so hey it looked fine to me--after all I should know. So in the eyes of anyone there, I did my job by checking and using my judgement to think the ID was sound and the guy was legit. But someone there knew him and knew he was under age. Being a small town, this got back to the owner who later got on my case and said how he could get in trouble with the liquor commission, yadda yadda. I was told to take a few days off and thus lost money from no work and I was threatened with losing my job. Not fair. That said, the owner was a dick so I left anyway and didn't look back, and so it comes down to who is cool and who is not. I had more pride than to want to stick around working with a bad boss. More people--CVS employees included--should do that and then maybe such stores would treat their good people better. Then again who do I kid?...

Upto a point, venders to CCs process, yes, but since CCCs do not seem to care where or how or who makes payments...other than them getting paid with MOs or branch pay with MOs or cash...please notice that I didn't say "banks" just in case somebody wants to say something about it. Also, I've heard of "itemized" list CCCs can get on a cardholder's account, but I just don't know about that.

I went into my local CVS last week to purchase $7.5K in VR. I did two $2500 transactions and five $500 transactions. I know all of the cashiers in both stores from many months of buying VR and couponing extravaganzas. I began telling her why I was purchasing so many and she thought it was the neatest thing ever! She apparently received a phone call that night from corporate (in Florida?!) saying she should not have allowed me to purchase so many cards due to possible fraud. She also had to pull the video from the surveillance and send it to them. Maybe I'll be on America's Most Wanted or something, lol. She and I were joking about how crazy it was tonight with the manager (I was buying $5k more).

I hope it's just the system having an issue today. I went to two different CVS' today and had the same thing happen

People, stop trying to blatantly skirt the $5k limits. It's a generous limit and openly trying to violate it increases the likelihood that CVS will decide it's not worth the hassle of dealing with us altogether.

The DL scan at one CVS I visit often doesn't work. The manager recommended I do $999.99 so I could buy 2 but skirt the scan.

And of course, just to re-state, there are more than just those two scenarios playing out. The store is also worried about ThiefJoe who swiped a CC and is trying to clean out as much value from it in as short a time as possible.

I believe they do, most clerks don't care, never once have I been asked why am doing it this way (now watch I'll get asked.)

Man, the same thing is happening to me. Could only buy one because it wouldn't let me buy more than $1000 after a driver license scan brought an error message. Hope this isn't a start of something new, but rather a very temporary glitch.

I always get asked why I do this stuff. I just say: "Well you know, drugs, trafficing, laundering... that sort of thing. And oh, here's my ID--I am giving you the real one day haha."

And this makes them all chuckle and all works out fine. At least it has every time I have done that.

Lets make sure you fully understand what you are saying. If CVS really wanted to limited 1K or 5K/day limits then each transaction would require a DL scan. CVS is looking for the people who are making large SINGLE transaction. Having me doing single transaction of $503.95 is not breaking any rules. So I'll continue to "blatantly skirt" the 5K limit as long as CVS allows me to do it.

People would not be happy if they tried to buy a $25 GC in CVS and they were required to hand over their license. They have to choose a cutoff, and $1k is it, but clearly the whole point is to limit purchases to $5k/day. Why else would the system add up your purchases across stores? That's the ENTIRE point -- what else would it be? And that's why many stores have been instructed not to break up transactions as you're doing.

Good for you if your store lets you skirt the rules..but make no mistake, CVS corporate does not want you to do that.

I started buying VRs again today for the first of the month, and one of the nearby stores is carrying the new style with many more logos. Does anybody think this version is too fragile? I have a hard time scratching off the security strip on the 2nd generation cards, so I have always used a pair of scissors without problem until today. On the newest style of cards, I almost scratched off the PIN too. :eek: Fortunately I was able to recover before irreversible damage was done.

Also of concern was that it seemed as though the sides of the scratch off security strip had started to chip away. At first I thought I thought someone had tampered with the cards, but all 10 numbers were there on both.

I just use a credit card so scratch off the strip, usually my BB card. Never had an issue.