Identity theft has become quite a buzzword but more importantly, there has been a significant increase of these cases nowadays. It has not happened to me (yet… and hopefully never!) but I imagine that it could really be a devastating experience.
As I said, I have never been victimised by identity theft or of any fraud regarding my financial accounts. This week, however, I think several of these do no gooders have been attempting. But thank God, I had the presence of mind not to give out vital information.
I got several phone calls — even more missed calls — from what was posing to be from a certain credit card company. When you pick up the call, they do mention their name and that they are calling the said company. Then, they perform a security check on you, asking you for either the year you were born or anything that are typically used to verify your identity. But it did not feel right. Why? Well, mainly because they were the ones calling me. If it was me calling then and they needed to verify my identity, then I would not hesitate to confirm. But this was the other way around!
So I told the other person on the line that I did not feel comfortable doing it. I asked what was the call about and they only said that it was something to do with my account. I said that if they really needed to contact me and if I called them on the number that I would normally use, then it would show on their system that there had been many attempts to obtain some information from me, right?
Wrong! When I called the usual and published Customer Service numbers, they said that there was nothing wrong with my account and that their system shows no record of the several tries to contact me. So, I explained to the (correct) agent what had happened and told him to put a record on my account indicating that I will never give out any security information IF I was called. I also explained that the number the (assumed) hoax-ters gave me was not in any of their listed numbers hence, my reluctance to return the call.
So, my friends, be very careful. These days, you can never know who is really on the other line. Be cautious of giving out really personal information. Just because they claim that your account needs some sort of rectification, then hang up and call the published number of the financial company. In this way, you can really make sure that your attention was indeed necessary.
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i just had a call yesterday confirming my credit card number…and the other lady was so quick to ask me to dictate them to her, to verify if we have the same records….
sabi ko sa kanya, “ano ka hilo?” – and then slammed the phone down…gently.
hi charl. this is a really cool blog you’ve got. i am also trying to create my own. i’m just starting to like the idea of blogging. anyway, thank you for including me as one of the contributors in sayoterepublic. two concerns lang. first, how can i edit it? there is a word there, “fours,” in the latter sentences, which should be read as “four hours”. second, should you need my picture for the page, please feel free to retrieve it in my friendster account. thanks.
and thanks for this reminder about credit cards. madami na talagang kumakalat na manggagantso ngayon.