Fraud Alert

I received quite the scare a few weeks ago when I checked into my hotel in Bogotá, Colombia. The woman at the front desk asked me for my debit card for incidentals and processing. After I inserted my card and entered my PIN, I received an unexpected message on the terminal: "Card Declined." Oh boy! Never fun to be in another country, only to have your bank access revoked.

Then, I felt a vibration in my pocket; a text message from my bank. Given that I don't typically spend money on hotels in Bogotá, Colombia, my bank's fraud-alert system kicked in. The text asked me to confirm if this was a real transaction or potential fraud. I confirmed that I am, in fact, trying to process a hotel room in Colombia, re-ran my card, and it was approved. The bank algorithms have improved drastically over the years, picking up on our behavior patterns and habits. It's good to know that when the bank senses something is amiss, it tries to protect us.

One of my friends recently had a similar but different experience. This friend believes in generosity and is a regular giver. However, he was moved to make a larger gift than he normally would. Much larger! Can you see where this is going? He logged in to the organization's giving portal and confidently entered his data. Then, the moment had arrived: "Submit."

"Card declined." What?!?! Then, as in my Bogotá hotel experience, he felt a vibration. His bank's fraud alert system had kicked in, sensing something was amiss. This transaction ran afoul of his normal behavior patterns and habits. After confirming to his bank that this was, in fact, a real transaction, he re-entered the data onto the organization's giving portal and successfully made his gift.

I loved this situation! His generosity was moved to the point that his own bank thought fraud was being committed. What a tell! An amazing tell!!! Those are the kind of tells that get me excited. He pushed himself enough that his own bank shut him down.

I love this friend so much, and I'm grateful I got to witness such a funny situation unfold in real time. I look up to this man so much, and I, too, want to live life so generously and audaciously that my own bank thinks I'm committing fraud against myself. Through the lens of sacrificial generosity, that's a strong sign we're moving in the right direction.

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