A large majority of the time I have to pause Surshark VPN to be able to pay doctor and medical bills online. I thought when you are making payments with a credit card you would want a vpn on. Am I doing something wrong, maybe have a setting wrong? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
1 Like
Most of the time it’s up to the bank or card supplier. The reason is, if they see an odd event, like you always use your card in timuktoo then suddenly it’s used in Chicago they will flag it and send you a notice. With a VPN you could be anywhere.
6 Likes
It’s usually the payment service that won’t speak nicely to an attempt to pay with a VPN active. For a while, I had to turn off SurfShark to access my Bank of America accounts and pay bills online but they seem to have fixed that.
1 Like
I still can’t log on Bank of America with a VPN.
1 Like
Ditch your VPN. Your bank doesn’t want to see logins to your account from Dubai 
4 Likes
Why don’t banks like VPNs?
This just isn’t true. Some institutions like Bank of America even encourage users to connect via a VPN when using the platform. Check with your financial institution to discover their policy on VPNs.
Link to article
1 Like
The article is poorly written. They say it’s a myth that using a VPN may trigger fraud alerts then two paragraphs later they say using a VPN can trigger alerts for your bank. I had to make a call to my Canadian home bank, when living in Mexico, to remove a fraud alert. I had to actually go through a whole process of taking pictures of my wife and I, with a recognizable landmark, and a date showing on my watch etc. Just had to do it once and then using my VPN I was g2g.
I wish I could afford to live in Dubai! LOL
2 Likes
all of this seems extreme to me. I would discuss with your bank and if it continues to be an issue I would consider either not using the vpn or changing banks.
1 Like
AJS1, Come up with an App to block YouTube built in ads and you too could live in Dubai. 
2 Likes
I’ve had the same problem with several different sites. I’ve found that it’s the search engine that I use and not the site. If I search for a site and select it from the search menu, I can select an URL or address that is site specific, and it works. I’m definitely not computer savvy but just keep trying.
1 Like
If you see a lock figure on the website, it is usually ok to pause the VPN since the data will be encrypted. Some scammers are now somehow getting validated security certs so it’s not always safe if you see a lock. I type in the name of the bank manually to make sure I am on the correct website.
2 Likes
I have surfshark to and any financial institution has a hard time letting me sign in, they think it’s fraud which is for our protection but it does suck at times
1 Like
I do believe there is a way to bypass any website you designate as safe somewhere in the settings of SurfShark. Might not be the safest way to transact, but you are already turning off your vpn to make a transaction anyway.
I’ve had Surfshark VPN for 3yrs. I found out that some companies require your ip address and their website has security features that detect the VPN. You might want to look into Surfshark’s Dedicated IP…
Use Brave as a browser then your ad free with you tube
2 Likes
I have been seeing things like this more and more as well, frequently links in emails. They won’t find the site or it is blocked. I pause the VPN and click the link again, and it opens like it should.
No issues with most banks I use having the VPN on.
1 Like
I have been having the same problem with some sites as well. I have found that sometimes the site works if I turn off “Clean Web” setting on Surfshark. At least the VPN is still on.
1 Like
In Surfshark, there is a control called Bypasser. Using this, you should be able to bypass any specific app so it doesn’t go through the VPN. It’s under VPN Settings.
Windmill, Welcome to the forum.