VPN question

[Suradit69]

I use a VPN only for the purpose of logging in to a financial institution in the US because it sometimes freaks out when I try to log in directly from Thailand.

 

When I start up the VPN I'm given a choice of locations. Does choosing. for example New York, give the financial institution the impression that I'm connecting from New York or is choosing any VPN location, say Singapore, irrelevant as far as the information sent to the financial institution's website is concerned.

 

TIA

Edited July 14, 2017 by Suradit69

[RichCor]

Some companies will set their services to trigger security/fraud detection protocols when the connection is made from certain foreign locations, based on IP Address, GPS, or other webRTC-related geo-location detection. 

 

If your Financial Institution "sometimes freaks out when I try to log in directly from Thailand", then they are using IP Address or other Geo-location techniques to sense your connection location.

 

So I hope you are enjoying your brief stay in NYC.

[Suradit69]

2 hours ago, RichCor said:

then they are using IP Address or other Geo-location techniques to sense your connection location.

Thanks, but since they are using some technique to locate where the connection is being made, does specifying New York when I use the VPN mean that the website I'm connecting to sees my connection as originating from New York?

 

One time I tried using the VPN location in Chicago to subscribe to the Illinois State Lottery but I got a message that my location could not be determined so they wouldn't accept the subscription (you supposedly can only "play" the lottery from within the state, although I was using an in-state mailing address for the subscription).

[RichCor]

12 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

since they are using some technique to locate where the connection is being made, does specifying New York when I use the VPN mean that the website I'm connecting to sees my connection as originating from New York?

Yes. If that is where the VPN or ISP controlling that IP address has declared that IP address.

Some web services go the extra effort and try to determine the historical location (via previous GPS device usage) or using WebRTC techniques. If so, then even using the NY VPN connection your browser may tattle on you by revealing your real ISP IP address.

 

 

12 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

One time I tried using the VPN location in Chicago to subscribe to the Illinois State Lottery but I got a message that my location could not be determined so they wouldn't accept the subscription (you supposedly can only "play" the lottery from within the state, although I was using an in-state mailing address for the subscription).

ISPs are 'assigned' large contiguous blocks of IP address, and in the paperwork they register or declare where they are used, either the operating area or their own company address.

 

I'm assuming the Lottery only accepts, as valid, purchase requests made only from an IP address that is registered to an ISP operating in-State, and excluding known VPN operators that can be identified ...which isn't too difficult when thousands of requests are being initiated from the same set of IP addresses over and over again. 

[KhunBENQ]

18 hours ago, RichCor said:

and excluding known VPN operators that can be identified ...which isn't too difficult when thousands of requests are being initiated from the same set of IP addresses over and over again. 

The server operators get smarter in identifying and excluding VPN users.

Just had the case in the other thread about an Australian TV service which could not be used with an Australian address from PureVPN (a quite well known VPN provider).

Tried another VPN provider and it worked.

 

Quickly jumping between IP addresses can also trigger "suspicion" at server site.

Just logged in from NYC.

Two minutes later trying from Singapore.

"Strange".

[Pib]

On 7/15/2017 at 11:55 AM, KhunBENQ said:

The server operators get smarter in identifying and excluding VPN users.

Just had the case in the other thread about an Australian TV service which could not be used with an Australian address from PureVPN (a quite well known VPN provider).

Tried another VPN provider and it worked.

 

Quickly jumping between IP addresses can also trigger "suspicion" at server site.

Just logged in from NYC.

Two minutes later trying from Singapore.

"Strange".

Server operators can also include email services like Google/gmail.com servers, Microsoft/live.com/outlook.com/etc, PayPal servers, etc.  

 

And not only are these servers looking at the IP address you are logging on from to see if it different from IP addresses you normally logon from but these servers can also "sense" the type of "client software" being used to make the connection.  

 

Like I use PureVPN and instead of using their App to make a VPN connections I just have several "manual" VPN connections setup in Windows with PureVPN server locations....don't even use the PureVPN app....just have several PureVPN server VPN connections manually setup in Windows (using the Windows built-in VPN client) for Singapore, San Francisco, Seattle, and LA (basically Signapore and multiple U.S. west coast connection points).  

 

I can make VPN connections to these different locations using "manual PureVPN server connections" to email servers, PayPal, etc., where the Windows built-in  VPN app is sensed as the client software making the basic connection and not getting a logon security warning/challenge from Google/Microsoft email servers, PayPal, etc., when I'm using Outook 2016 as my email client...simply because that is what the servers are use to seeing me use....it's my pattern. 

 

But use the PureVPN app  (or any other VPN app) to select the same VPN connection to Signapore/U.S. west coast and I may get a logon security warning/challenge from Google/MS/PayPal...I then need to confirm with these sites that "Yes, that is indeed me making the connection."    Normally after using the PureVPN app several times to make the connections and responding to any logon security challenges, the servers I'm connection don't challenge me in the future....or it may be months before a challenge may occur.

 

I guess what I'm saying is not only the IP address location that servers evaluate but the type of software/app being used from that IP address.   Yeap, servers you logon can get suspicious about more than just the IP address but the type of software/app being used to make the connection.

 

[Pib]

Oh yea, one more example  of "type of software/app being used" whether using a VPN connection/different IP addreess or not.  When logging onto some of my U.S.banks ibanking, whether via VPN or not, when it senses I'm not using the "browser" I normally use (i.e, using IE instead of Chrome, etc) it will present me a security challenges and ask me if I want to mark this as "my private computer/device" versus a public device.   I say yes to this is my private device.  Then the ibanking will not present the security challenge again, if I continue to use that same browser....but switch browsers and I get the challenge again.   Some of my U.S. banks use this approach; some don't.

[Katia]

7 hours ago, Pib said:

I guess what I'm saying is not only the IP address location that servers evaluate but the type of software/app being used from that IP address.   Yeap, servers you logon can get suspicious about more than just the IP address but the type of software/app being used to make the connection.

 

Yes.  I've Google and other sites make me "prove I'm not a robot."  I've had other sites deny me access outright because they sense I'm using a VPN (Craigslist seems to be one of these).

[Meljames]

Google  is on to expressvpn's LA servers. Easier browsing with servers in smaller cities. 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Meljames

[MickelC]

Servers have become smarter. Specially the government server are designed to break the vpn cloaking. Some times i get busted and some times i got lucky. so the answer to you query is use a top paid vpn. I am using ivacy and it is working fine for now.