No credit card required
Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
Amex called me today with some questions about my business.
I don't remember the questions verbatim, but there were four, and they were variations of "Do you offer your customers money orders or do you cash checks in excess of $1k per customer per day?"
My $13k BBP sits at ~300% utilization, and I have a large payment due in a few days. Unprompted, I told him I knew I had a big payment coming up and wanted to keep my money a little longer for the extra interest, but would have no problem paying as agreed.
I asked him if the large balance had anything to do with the timing of the call, and he said it didn't...that the call was routine.
No AA, but I'm maybe a little dubious that the timing was coincidental!
LOL routine. That was probably a "hey, you got a way to pay this off other than MS methods?" call right there.
@simplynoir wrote:LOL routine. That was probably a "hey, you got a way to pay this off other than MS methods?" call right there.
That might explain it. It was definitely a recorded line, but I don't know enough about MS to tell if his questions were focused on that or potential money laundering.
Probably the former, as I've only used Paypal rarely and for legitimate transactions. Never used Plastiq.
I'm paying $27k in a few days and may keep the other ~$12k at 0% for a few more months. No idea if they'll be uneasy about my "only" paying card down to ~92% utilization, or if they'll figure someone who can pay $27k at once and on time is good for the other ~$12k.
Unless they call again you should probably be fine. If anything they want to make sure you can pay what is over the limit when the time comes and considering they allowed it without too much of a fuss I don't think will be an issue.
The timing would seem a little funny. I mean, they said nothing when they approved the charges. I've not been late.
Maybe it was meant as a sort of "friendly...for now" reminder call. "We know you're probably good for it, just be sure you've got enough in checking."
Maybe they don't treat the Schwab credit (which I got days ago) as a sort of "backdoor FR" after all.
I would be a little concerned that it was a scam to get your card info, but cold calls from any of my cards or financial business get my antannae up. These scammers these days are getting ever more sneaky. I guess it could be that Christy at cardholder services is just obsessed with me. I sometimes want to ask what happened to Rachel who used to call me daily. Did cardholder services fire Rachel? Rachel is my ex daily caller girlfriend, now it is Christy...called me 3 times yesterday. Microsoft is very concerned about my computer, and the IRS says they are sending the cops after me. I would be concerned that I may be visited by someone wanting to cash a check over 1000 dollars. That just does not sound like anything AMEX has done before. I always say I will call them back at the phone number on the card, and ask their extension and name. Every card issuers cold call was prompted by attempted fraudulent charge.
He didn't ask for any card info. I had to have him clarify some of what he was asking, but ultimately they were all just yes-or-no questions. No account numbers, verification codes, expiration data, etc.
I can't really think of any businesses that would cash a stranger's check for $1000 other than an actual check-cashing business. A business that relies on strangers would need to advertise, and if a scammer needed to cold-call a business to find out if it would cash a stranger's check for over $1000, that would seem to confirm it wouldn't. Or maybe it's more common elsewhere.
@wasCB14 wrote:He didn't ask for any card info. I had to have him clarify some of what he was asking, but ultimately they were all just yes-or-no questions. No account numbers, verification codes, expiration data, etc.
I can't really think of any businesses that would cash a stranger's check for $1000 other than an actual check-cashing business. A business that relies on strangers would need to advertise, and if a scammer needed to cold-call a business to find out if it would cash a stranger's check for over $1000, that would seem to confirm it wouldn't. Or maybe it's more common elsewhere.
Believe it or not...there are scammers now that their only objective is to get the recorded word "yes" from the victim, at least that is what I have read. I doubt this is the case here, but apparently they use an edited version where they are asking if you are agreeing to subscribe to whatever, with the recorded yes. It is just ridiculous that we live in an age when people have to worry about saying the word yes, but unfortunately that is the case.
I have to pause everytime I answer an "unknown" number, and when they ask if this is so and so. Then I say "speaking". I try never to use the response "yes", unless it turns out that they are indeed someone I know or do business with. Actually the other day I checked my VM, and it was in Chinese. Needless to say I have no idea what was said. lol
It's annoying at how many times my phone rings from telemarketers these days. Especially from fake local numbers.