Wikileaks is down for fund raising. I sent them $20 using my U.S. credit card.
The next day, Bank of America's Magic 8 Ball deactivated my account and sent this to me:
Irregular Credit Card Activity
Account: Bank of America ending in XXXX
Date: 01/25/2010
We detected irregular activity on your Bank of America Credit Card on 01/25/2010. For your protection, you must verify this activity before you can continue using your card.
Please visit www.bankofamerica.com/myfraudprotection to review your account activity, or call us immediately at 1.800.383.0618 in the US, International call collect via the international operator at 757.677.4701. We will review the activity on your account with you and upon verification, we will remove any restrictions placed on your account.
I was pretty wild, so I decided to call in. I spent about twenty minutes on the phone verifying this, that and the other thing. I had to talk to two different BofA fraud department people. But this is the kicker: The last thing they asked was for me to name a close relative and the state in which they live.
I said, "Let me get this straight: You know who my close relatives are and where they live?"
"Oh yes, it's a public records database."
"And we're going through all of this over $20."
"Well, sir, our system—"
"Never mind, I'll do what you say."
Read More
