"It boggles my mind..."
"I can't understand..."
"Everyone should have..."
The first thing you need to learn in life, young grasshopper, is that there are multiple ways to do everything. OP started out saying he got a text, others have mentioned getting phone calls. Some people check the website every day, others download transactions into Quicken every day.
Plus, the downsides of texts for every transaction have been explained already in this thread. Constant interruptions, constant checking with the spouse, etc. You have found a way that works for you, and we certainly want to hear about it, since this is a free marketplace for ideas. But you really have to back off the idea that yours is the only right way. And tone down the rhetoric. You'll get much farther in life if you do.
Sorry but you're wrong. OP relied on the credit card fraud department to detect an improper alert. I know several people who got hit with fraudulent charges but were blissfully unaware until months later when they finally got to reviewing their credit card statements. Most people are too busy to review credit card statements on a regular basis.
There are ZERO downsides for text / email alerts. Just set the sender of the alert to "quiet" and then look at the phone next time and you'll see a text alert, or see the alert in email.
Seems like there are a few luddites who are unwilling to take advantage of technology to empower themselves, to make their life better and easier.
Shame that some people can't adapt and keep up. The criminals are getting smarter. If you stay in your old ways you will be taken advantage of and fall behind. It's part of life. Deal with the change, both the positive and negative.
People who can't adapt or change get left behind, or suffer in ways they are unaware of, compared to those who embrace change and use it for their benefit.
Go and defend not doing something proactive to protect yourself all you want. It doesn't hurt me one bit. The only one negatively affected is you.
