Mutual distrust

[bunn]

I just had a phonecall from a person who said she represented a bank with which I hold a credit card. She opened the conversation by asking for my personal details.

Me: 'No, I'm not giving out my details to someone who rang out of the blue and says they are a bank'

Her: 'Can I give you a number to call me back?'

Me: 'No, that doesn't work: how do I know where a number you gave me will go? Can I ring the number on my card statement?'

Her: 'No, because that's a different department'.

Me: 'Well, you'll have to send me a letter then'.

*** Phonecall ends in confusion ***

Not that that solves the problem, because presumably the letter will have a phone number on it, which will not be the main one for the bank, and could be faked, but if a letter arrives, I suppose I will have to extend the hand of trust and phone it...

Comments

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

Quite right too. I'd also add to contact your bank, tell them about the call and add that you sincerely hope that it was not them who called asking for this personal information and the security consequences for their customers' personal information if they are doing this.

My bank stopped doing this sort of thing to me a long time ago. They would call, ask me for personal information to confirm that I really was me and THEN tell me why they were calling- usually to sell me something. Which really hacked me off. I don't like having my time wasted and privacy invaded by my bank. I wouldn't have minded if they were calling me about something important, but it was always a sales call of some sort.

I kicked up a big stink, then they left me alone.

I've also joined the telephone preference service, which cuts down on sales calls to almost nil.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

We're on the TPS, and it is indeed pretty good. I think this was possibly not a sales call, but there seems to be no good way to find out!

[chainmailmaiden]

Good for you, I've refused to speak to my bank in the past when they've rung up like that. I don't think they've ever tried to contact me by letter when I've refused to talk to them though, thus confirming it was just a spam sales call.

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

Of course as you're on TPS the thing to do is go the TPS site and stitch the bank up as cold-calling you (which they did).

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I don't think they did (or, I cannot be sure that they did). I do have a service from them, and there is no evidence they wanted to sell me stuff: it's possible they were trying to contact me to say there had been some problem with a particular transaction. If they think, for example, that someone has my card number and is misusing it I don't mind them telling me that.

I was more concerned that they were asking for my details, when there was no way for me to know who they were or whether they had any right to ask for them, than bothered about receiving a potential sales call.

[sigisgrim.livejournal.com]

I've just friended you, so I've just seen this post.

I've had similar experiences in the past. I simply contacted the financial organisation on the phone number that I had for them and asked if they were contacting customers, or indeed me inparticular, at the moment. It turned out that they were and that it was a pure sales call, did I want this extra service or something.

I think you were quite right not to give any details. The 'No, because that's a different department' pretty much gives away that it's dodgy.