So Central National Bank thinks my account's in trouble simply because I donated to a London-based charity.

I donated £10.00 to a charity for Haiti set up by a 7-year-old philanthropist named Charlie Simpson. The next morning, I got a voicemail from my bank saying:

"Good Morning, (Egao). This is Jake Sumners from Central National Bank. We, uh, would like to get in touch with you regarding your account. We've had some charges come through from a vendor just called "Just Giving," out of London, England. It was out of the ordinary, so uh, we've deactivated your card, and uh, we'll wait for your call. So uh, give us a call - 785-539-5256. Thanks, (Egao)."

This was the donation link that I signed the guestbook for. As of "press-time," You can still see my entry:

http://www.justgiving.com/CharlieSimpson-HAITI

The entry says: "You're the cutest charity coordinator I've ever seen! I wish I'd have done bigger things than you did when I was 7! Much love and support from Kansas,
Donation by (Egao No Genki) 25/02/10"

This is the news segment behind this 2nd-grader's philanthropy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hnIcIi8Ebo

By the way, the charge appeared on my online bank statement as "Pre auth JUST GIVING LOC: LONDON (15.46)"

Update

I just got off the phone with Jake, and he explained that when one charge originates in Kansas one day, and overseas the next, their computer system emails them an alert because it seems suspicious, then they deactivate the customer's card in case there's identity theft.

(But of course when it's legit, the customer calls back after getting the voice mail, clears it up, and gets the card reactivated.)

I hope Central National keeps opening more banks! I like their vigilance against identity thieves and (otherwise) suspicious charges! It shows they care about their clients quite a bit! GO CENTRAL! This is Central National Bank's fanpage. A couple of my longtime friends - Scott R. and Lindsey S., are employees there.