Credit Card Problem Buying Tickets.

[Ronald the Bald]

Just bought my FOF tickets today. When I got home this afternoon I had a call from my credit card company with a fraud warning. After the charge for the tickets went through there was another $1 charge from Scarby. Anyone know what that is about? Is it some kind of fraud?

[Taffy Saltwater]

Maybe a scam w/another company posing as Scarby.  What they'll do is run a small amount to see if it's a good card.  Talk w/your card company & Scarby agents.

[captmarga]

It's happening to me when I run a card at gas stations, but it's not there in a couple of days.  New policies for cards- check and see if it's still there on Monday or Tuesday after the banks have time to settle up.  If not, it was a "hold" amount. 

Capt Marga

[Nicolas-Antoine]

 I don't know if I had the dollar charge at the time of purchase, but there wasn't one when I checked my statement about a week later. I suspect it was a verification charge and should be removed automatically.

[BLAKDUKE]

I have to confess that I have a mundane job(pity me).  I work for the company that processes your credit cards and maintains the accounts(so please keep using them and keep me employed or I just might have to find you, show up on your doorstep and you will have to adopt me or at the very least I'll have to move in with you).  The charge is as suggested a charge to 1. verify the account and 2.  once the main charge has processed,  the dollar charge is removed.  This practice is also applied when you pay for something with PayPal.   Just had it happen last week.   It is not always a dollar.  The transaction I was trying to do on PayPal did 2 charges one for 10 cents and the other for 11 cents

[Ronald the Bald]

The problem is that Bank of America is then putting a hold on these accounts as these seem to be suspect transactions. Happened to me and to another member here who bought her FOF pass this week.

I did get an answer back from Scarby that they did do the temporary $1 charge. BOA seems to have a problem with it. Haven't heard of that with any other bank.

[Nicolas-Antoine]

I have Capital One and they didn't flag that. Usually they flag two purchases from the same company on the same day - but maybe the dollar didn't meet an alert threshold or something. Either way I like when the CC company errs on the side of caution.

[Var Greyshadow]

Thanks for the heads-up!  I'll be sure not to use my BOA card.  I've had $1 hold charges on my cards before without issue, but it is good that they're checking up.  (I remember all the phone calls when I booked my trip to NZ.  They jumped right on that.)

[Berit]

Looks like everyone has got this figured out (thank you Mr. Moderator).  Yes there is a $1 charge to make sure that multiple charges can't be made.  If any of you are like me, you get frustrated when the computer is slow and sometines reenter the same information again.  If that happens you will get the TEMPORARY $1 charge.  It is indeed there for your protection and will be deleted.  All of the CC companies are tightening up to provent fraud.  I just got questioned yesterday because I filled up twice within 8 hours.  I had to call the CC company to prove that I was me.  I did and they removed the block.  I was visiting all of the Texas tourist information locations in North Texas.  I agree that I prefer the protection even with the inconvenience.  Credit Card fraud is biiiigggggg business.

Berit the North Texas Traveler