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!