Credit card company sends texts during suspicious transactions

Texas-based credit card company USAA is taking identity theft protection to the next level with text message alerts during suspicious transactions, KSDK-TV reports. USAA, claims to be the first company to offer such a system, which verifies whether an attempted purchase was legitimately made and analyzes curious transactions based on overall risk rather than certain dollar amounts, NBC Miami reports. It then offers the consumer an option to respond with proper identity verification. "This service will actually send a message to the member (to) ask them if this is a valid transaction or potentially fraudulent, and they can actually reply," said Tom Shaw, USAA vice president, quoted by the news source. Credit expert Elizabeth Karwowski notes that the new system excites her because USAA's service represents another opportunity for consumers to protect their identity, KSDK reports. USAA points out that an added perk of the technology is the ability to see if there's a credit card balance issue prior to paying for a meal, avoiding the embarrassment of a waiter or waitress coming back with news that the card isn't valid.