Walmart GE - emailed response: Denied

[yomellamoFICO2013]

I have a 620, one baddie and a few ongoing disputes on my CR. I pulled the trigger on a Walmart application,but received email response "request cannot be approved at this time" then
High risk source of application"
Does anybody know what this means?
I have not gotten the letter on the mail yet. Any changes of being reconsidered?

[ktl72455]

What was the score they gave you on the denial?

[Anonymous]

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@yomellamoFICO2013 wrote:
I have a 620, one baddie and a few ongoing disputes on my CR. I pulled the trigger on a Walmart application,but received email response "request cannot be approved at this time" then
High risk source of application"
Does anybody know what this means?
I have not gotten the letter on the mail yet. Any changes of being reconsidered?

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It generally means you are applying from outside of the United States.  

Either you are physically outside of the U.S. or else you are using a computer network that routes your IP traffic through an overseas network.  Another possibility is that your connectivity is running through a VPN (data center) and GE believes that indicates an overseas origin.  

Realistic chance of successful recon = zero / zilch / nada.

[yomellamoFICO2013]

That's very absurd since I applied from my home in lower NY State. Anyway. I will try to contact them.
@ktl - There was no score on the letter. How can i request one, should they send it in writing as well?

[Anonymous]

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@yomellamoFICO2013 wrote:
That's very absurd since I applied from my home in lower NY State. Anyway. I will try to contact them.
@Anonymous - There was no score on the letter. How can i request one, should they send it in writing as well?

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It's not absurd; it's a fact.  That is exactly what GE uses to decline each and every U.S. serviceman stationed overseas.  If you apply from outside the U.S., the application will always be denied as "high risk source of application."

Sometimes if you connect to the Internet and use a proxy server, that will make it appear you are outside the U.S. when, in fact you are not.  

A lender is only required to provide your score if they used your credit report in making a decision.  Generally GE does not even pull your credit report if the decline states "high risk source of application" and, therefore, does not have to provide your score.

[yomellamoFICO2013]

That's a shame that GE is using this kind of practices. I even signed into the walmart.com website and proceeded to apply. I am assuming you have read other people running into the same issue. Is there a topic about this issue on the forums? I am going to look into this,maybe a complaint through FTC and CPB.
Thank you for your response

[Anonymous]

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@yomellamoFICO2013 wrote:
That's a shame that GE is using this kind of practices. I even signed into the walmart.com website and proceeded to apply. I am assuming you have read other people running into the same issue. Is there a topic about this issue on the forums? I am going to look into this,maybe a complaint through FTC and CPB.
Thank you for your response

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I have seen literally hundreds of cases like this with GE.  There is currently one in the Credit Cards Forum.

It doesn't matter that you've logged into walmart.com.  What matters is the IP address GE sees as the source of the application.  If it is an overseas IP or an IP belonging to a proxy or VPN (data center) - even if in the US - they will refuse to process the application.  If that's what transpired, the CFPB can do nothing.

On the other hand, if you were using your normal US-based residential ISP and they refused to process your application, that would be called redlining and that is illegal. 

Generally when using "high risk source of application" as a reason for denial, GE does not use your credit report in the decision process.  If a credit report is not involved in the process, the lender is not required to provide any FCRA / CARD Act notifications including a credit score (Risk Based Pricing Disclosure).  The CFPB can do nothing about that, too.

I'd still complain to the CFPB, though.  See what GE has to say.  In the end they will tell you to reapply either in the store or by phone.

[rckstrscott]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@yomellamoFICO2013 wrote:
That's a shame that GE is using this kind of practices. I even signed into the walmart.com website and proceeded to apply. I am assuming you have read other people running into the same issue. Is there a topic about this issue on the forums? I am going to look into this,maybe a complaint through FTC and CPB.
Thank you for your response

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I have seen literally hundreds of cases like this with GE.  There is currently one in the Credit Cards Forum.

It doesn't matter that you've logged into walmart.com.  What matters is the IP address GE sees as the source of the application.  If it is an overseas IP or an IP belonging to a proxy or VPN (data center) - even if in the US - they will refuse to process the application.  If that's what transpired, the CFPB can do nothing.

On the other hand, if you were using your normal US-based residential ISP and they refused to process your application, that would be called redlining and that is illegal. 

Generally when using "high risk source of application" as a reason for denial, GE does not use your credit report in the decision process.  If a credit report is not involved in the process, the lender is not required to provide any FCRA / CARD Act notifications including a credit score (Risk Based Pricing Disclosure).  The CFPB can do nothing about that, too.

I'd still complain to the CFPB, though.  See what GE has to say.  In the end they will tell you to reapply either in the store or by phone.

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this times 4

Everything McArthur has said on this thread is 100 percent dead on. Good news is, your app was denied before your credit was pulled, ie no pull.

I would wait until your disputes clear anyway. Once they do, before you app, just do one of those simple google searches to see where your IP is originating from.. sometime, and I know you said your home, but in my old aparement complex, we got 'free' internet but it routed through a VPN (in order to restrict access to outsiders) and I got denied for stuff or access to sites ALL.THE.TIME

-scott

[_jb_]

Had the same problem myself this week, but with Amazon.com card. I emailed them politely telling them how displeased I was to find out that they are systematically denying any and all requests for credit cards to all service members that are serving overseas, etc. Hopefully I will hear back from someone later this week with a solution (probably not).

[dodgeball]

I am in the service and was denied because I am stationed in Germany and used my APO address which would match my server. But it pisses me off even more when JB is serving in Afghanistan and gets that message. 11B for life