Fraud Alert!

As loyal readers know, I recently completed a trip visiting several countries around the world.

Prior to departing I carefully called American Express and Visa to let them know my itinerary. I didn't want the unusual spending pattern on my credit cards to trigger any suspicions over fraudulent use of my credit cards.

And I used my credit cards in establishments, large and small, throughout the trip without any problem whatsoever.

So I was surprised last Thursday to receive five separate phone calls from American Express along with four different emails regarding potentially fraudulent use of my card.

So what item tripped up American Express' predictive algorithms and sent their computers into overdrive to fight fraud? What charge was so out of the ordinary it must have meant my card had fallen into criminal hands?

$99 to renew my gym membership for a year!

Well I never. I'm sorry, but it's not THAT preposterous. Of course, it's one thing to renew a gym membership and it's another to actually go. But I'm working on it.