I don’t know about you, but these days, I’m paranoid about personal security, in particular online security but today, we aren’t going to talk about that. We are instead going to talk about just how much you trust your bank that holds your credit cards, and consequently, a lot of personal information about yourself.
I recently had my bank (Citibank if you must know) call me out of the blue. Actually it was someone purporting to be from Citibank – you’ll know why I say this when you read on.
The caller identified herself as from Citibank and asked if I was Paris B to which I said yes. Her next question boggled my mind.
She proceeded to ask me to give her my birth date in order to verify myself! Err… hello? You called me and I said I was who I was. What other verification do you need and more suspiciously, why do you need it?
This is actually the 2nd time its happened to me, with a call purporting to be from Citibank, and no other bank. I don’t know if anyone else has had a similar experience.
Now, we’ve all heard of con jobs right? People who obtain your personal information by theft or by scam; and then siphon off your money or rack up fraudulent charges on your credit card. I was not about to be conned by disclosing my personal details on the phone to someone I don’t know who purports to be from a bank I hold a credit card with. So I ask HER for verification that she was indeed from Citibank.
And she got pissed at me! The nerve.
So ultimately I told her that since I wasn’t even sure if she was from the bank she claims to be from and if she was, she should have my details already, there was nothing else to talk about and I rang off.
Now, I do understand that perhaps from the bank’s perspective, they want to verify the person taking the call, to be sure they are speaking to the correct person.
But there has to be a better way, what with all the scams going around. This could very well be a new permutation of a phone scam. Asking someone like me to verify my personal information on the phone to a stranger, just because they claim to be from the bank doesn’t do it for me. So I don’t know how the bank can and will do their verification, but this just doesn’t cut it.
On the flipside, assuming this was a scam, how on earth did they know which bank I banked with and how to contact me? Is there a security breach at the bank’s end? See why I’m so suspicious? 😛
Have you had an experience like this before? Would you disclose your information on the phone to someone just because they said they were from a bank you bank with? Have you? 😛
If you work with a bank, do you think this is the right thing to be doing? Perhaps others are more cooperative, but a paranoid person like me would make you run rings before I divulge my personal information to someone who calls me out of the blue and says they are from a bank I happen to bank with. The bank makes me do the same verification process when I call them, they should expect their customers to give the third degree when they call us!
Your thoughts on a postcard, please. Or make that a comment below 🙂
Paris B
Same experience down here, I currently own a Citibank card and I have another Citibank agent giving me a call to give me ANOTHER CARD! Told them I did not apply for any and they told me its pre-approved. And asked for the similar information as they asked you! I was appalled! I told them you guys should have all the details and NEVER expect me to give ANY information over the phone. And they said BYE after! and the funny thing? I never received any new card!
Goodness! So is it a scam or is it a legit Citibank initiative then, since its happening there too? I basically told them the same thing that if they called me they should know who they are talking to and that’s that!
i have no Citibank account so i am not sure. but i did have people claiming from RHB calling me before asking me to verify my details. heck, if i do not even have an account with them, why would i tell? i just hung up in the end. moreover, so many fraud numbers around, nothing is really secured.
Ok if you don’t bank with them its definitely fraud. I don’t get calls like that. Well not yet anyway. Who knows where they get our info and what they know about us!
I’ve never had people from banks calling me up and asking for my personal details, but i’ve encountered one dishonest one trying to sign me up for a credit card. He want, “Congratulations Miss XXX, you just won a USB fan! Now you just need to sign up for the credit card… blablabla” -___-
And guess what, he cut the line after i told him to send the USB fan to me regardless of whether i sign up for his credit card or not, since I “won” it! 😛
Lol!! Yeah that’s like those “You won $1million in the lottery” scams. Who needs a USB fan anyway. Now tell me I’ve won a car and we’ll talk! 😉
Oh my…same here! I freaked out a couple of times these pple called me and ask me for verifications. I asked them – you mean you don’t know who you are calling? :LOL:
Haha! You too?! And I said more or less the same thing. The thing is, there’ll be people who’d respond and that’s where we aren’t sure if they are legit or a scam
I’ve had my bank call me a few times but for 2 things: 1) verify my spending on my card and 2) to offer me insurance.
for 1), they normally call me right after i make an extraordinary transaction and it’s common practice for them in case cards get stolen.
for 2), it’s just plain annoying and i tell them to buzz off 😉
I always get #2 and I cut them short by saying “If its about insurance I have enough” and that’s that! As for #1 my banks never call me except for once when I purchased a travel booking online! I wonder if my transactions are considered “normal” 😛
Probably 🙂 Cos they’ll pick up on either huge purchases or out-of-the-ordinary behavior.
True. Except I’ve put quite large amounts on my cards and never been verified 😛 Bad bank! 😛
I’m a cynic and naturally suspicious of people calling me on the phone. Most people calling from banks are employees that I know personally through interactions at the branch, and they usually call me to verify if I indeed issued a check before they clear it. I’ve had calls about credit cards but I usually cut them off and tell them I’m not interested. If someone calls, whoever they may be and ask me for my name or any kind of information I cut them off and demand who they are and what business do they have with me. I know it’s rude but you really can’t be too careful these days and in this economy. And any interactions/transactions/business that has to do with banks/ credit cards etc, I do them personally at the bank.
I’m the same way. I do my personal banking directly at the bank when I can. You’re right. We can’t be too careful these days and it pays to be a little more careful with our personal info.
GASP! i’m big on internet and e-banking. it’s good that nothing untoward happened so far.
Internet banking is awesome but I am very careful still. I’d rather use my credit card for online transactions than e-banking because I am paranoid about putting my banking information out there on websites. With a credit card, I feel there’s a little bit more control. Otherwise, I use Paypal most of the time for that extra filter 🙂
Same thing has happened to me a couple of times, coming from both Citibank AND HSBC – irritates me to no end. The caller on the other end just went “uhhh…emmm…well, we need to verify your info..” and kept parroting that sentence over and over again.
Thankfully those calls are few and far between – the most irritating ones are those where they start with this long preamble of “Firstly sir/madam, let me say thank you on behalf of **** for being a loyal customer. And as a long-time loyal customer, I’d like to congratulate you for being one of the chosen ones to receive a special promotion by **** specially designed for their special long-time loyal customers….(preamble continues for at least 5 mins before they actually get to the point, which is to push some cash-advance/ balance transfer/ insurance deal onto you!)”
If I’m in Msia and the call isn’t costing me anything except my time, I’m only mildly irritated. But when I’m overseas and on bloody expensive roaming (&@#$&%* RM5 a min rate!) I get boiling mad. And they continue reading through the entire script even though I tell them I’m overseas! Now if I’m ‘sial’ enough to get these calls, I just cut them off and ask “What is this regarding?”. The minute I hear “special deal”, I just give an abrupt “I’m not interested, thanks” and hang up.
Oops…sorry PB, went off topic! (but telemarketers/ the like just get me steamed!)
LOL! I get really irritated with telemarketeers too! But the ones I detest the most are those who say “Hi I’m from XYZ bank and thank you for being a good customer yadda yadda….” and then it turns out they aren’t from the bank at all, but from ABC insurance company! So now whoever who calls, I just say “Make it quick, what is it regarding?” If its nothing to do with my account/cards, I tell them I’m busy and ring off.
I’m not sure about banks calling, but I once got a phone call from the “Malaysian High Court” which told me that I had 3 days to surrender. It was an automated message, so I didn’t give it much heed.
Ok that’s clearly a fake!!
3 days to surrender what ? yourself ? just like that ? hahahahahaha
Hmm..I was kinda trained to answer this kind of phone calls. When a bank called and ask for verification, I would just said: “I’m fine with verification. Tell me my details and I’ll answer with only Yes or No.” I believe more banks had our details so it not impossible for them to read out my details instead of me giving mine to them right? :p
Hey. This seems like a good idea
LOL That’s a good one. I’ll try it next time 😉
hmm… on the other side, as I worked for a bank before (at a branch though), we are trained not to give out any of our customers’ details if not we may get sued!
What if someone else who is not the cardholder answered the phone, and I give the details to him or her, the cardholder will have the right to sue the bank for divulging personal details.
That said, calls from the bank will nv ask you to quote your credit card no… so that’s a no no! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I did understand that might be the case with the bank requiring verification, but there has to be a better way. Besides, if its to do with reminding us of late payments, I think its perfectly alright to just let me know irrespective of whether I’m the person in question or not. Its only when there are serious questions regarding the card or bank account that they might want to verify us, and if so, I might have cooperated if they had said so.
I am naturally extremely skeptical and if that person tried it on me, I would literally put them on hold, get their caller ID, or ask them to verify my bank balance, or give them a fake birthdate to test them. Or I would go as far to ask why they called back if they called yesterday and the issue was solved, etc.
Good one! This was from a land line and the number looked sort of legit but you never know if they can route numbers etc. Usually if they try this on me, I just ask for their verification and I think that puts an end to things 🙂 Even as we speak, I got another call also purporting to be from Citibank but they didn’t ask for verification, just tried to offer me cash, which I refused and that was that!
It hasn’t happened to me so far in recent memory, but then again I also don’t have a credit card to speak of…
Well when you do, you’d know how to handle it 😉
Speaking of which, I got a couple of missed calls from this 017 number earlier today (which I never answered cos it was on silent, etc) and when I called back (in case it was something else), the guy mumbled something about being from Standard Chartered (whom I’ve never banked with before in my life). WTF.
Talk about a fishing expedition.
Haha! Yeah they were probably trying to see if you were game bait. Usually if I see a number I do not recognize on a missed call, I never call back. If it was important, whoever it was can just call me again 😛
I recently got a call from Bonuslink who said they’re giving out wallet insurance >.<"
http://mypotpourribag.blogspot.com/2011/01/scam-by-bonuslink.html
Actually, I did come across such an insurance being offered. I recall reading about it in the papers once anyway. Not sure how it works though.
Yes my bf’s dad got the same thing, someone calling from BSN saying he had racked up a big bill so pls make a call to bank negara to verify, and gave him a number. i’m sure if he was dumb enough, which he isnt, to call that number, it’ll be a scam.
I’m sure he will be! The best thing to do in this circumstance (Assuming you bank with the bank) is to call the actual Bank Negara number and check 🙂
I got the same call too!!! Asking me to verify my Credit Card number wtf!!!
It was very suspicious because the number that appeared was a mobile number, 017-xxxxxxx I was like, huh? You claimed you’re from CIMB but you called me using mobile number? I asked them so many questions that they hung up on me haha!
So, its not just Citibank trying this trick eh? The number on my phone was a land line and looked legitimate. But I was worried they’d route the number to display a legitimate number which might not be the case! If its from a mobile and they claim to be from a bank, I do not entertain, as you were right not to!
Yea, one can never be too careful with all these bank-phone scams going around. I have to say, I have not had anyone called me on my cell for inquiry purposes, but I’ve had someone calling from CIMB(or so they say) in my office, asking about my latest account deets. And they are so silly to have ask me that coz there is NO way I’m telling.
Pssst…not sure if it’s any truth in it, but I’ve been told that corporations do sell our data.
I would stake my designer bag on the fact that our phone numbers and data do get sold 😛 It was reported that it goes as low as 10 sen. That’s all our personal security is worth. That might be why they want us verified but heck! Who’s going to give them personal information they should have in the first place? At least I hope no one does! Its sick that so many of us are having this issue which tells you that its a lot more widespread than we think!
I get called all the time from people purporting to be from “Public Bank” and say are you ‘so and so’? When I say yes, they ask me to verify my HOME address and when I ask why, they say its to send me the latest and greatest insurance plan!!!! Hello, if you are from the bank that I have dealings with…..do you not have access to that information? Dead giveaway that it is indeed a scam! ANother thing i notice is now they use mobile phones to call you (always in my case a 016 number) so you are tricked into thinking its a friend or something! Not cool!
Ok I haven’t had that happen to me yet. Though if they did try, I’d give them a piece of my mind! Usually once the word “insurance” is mentioned, I tell them I’ve had enough and put an end to the conversation. Does the bank/insurance company seriously think that people are going to sign up with insurance on the phone?! The problem however, is that I got my calls on land lines and the number looks similar to the hotline number. Still, as far as I’m concerned, if the bank needs to contact me desperately enough they can write me a letter and ask me to call them, or verify themselves 😛
Wow~ Very interesting post here!
Recently Citibank also called me. It’s just because they have couriered my new card to my old residential address. I have got 3 calls asking the similar questions for verification purposes. First is usually date of birth, how many cards you are holding currently and when/where was the last time you used your card. After the said verification, they will read out my address. So I guess it is not a scam though. After all, the Citibank 1 and only telephone line always appear on my handphone screen. Otherwise I might not even pick up the call though 😀
Yup! I got the same sort of verification call and it was the Citibank number (land line) but I wasn’t certain and I’m super paranoid LOL So I refused to divulge information and there you go! 😛
i work in a bank and as far as i know we do ask dob, card number etc if we get calls from clients for verification purposes, however i know if i have to call i never ask them to give me the info, there are other ways to be verified. i know amex uses a pw known only to the cardholder or something.
if i am calling and need to verify something i’ll give them the info and ask them if it is correct
Thanks for sharing this with us. Usually when I call the bank, I am asked a lot of personal information which I perfectly understand and will coorperate with. But when the bank calls me, I expect them to know who they are talking to and to get to the point instead of asking me for verification. I seriously think there’s something wrong with that.
The only time I’ve had people calling me from banks (I don’t have a credit card yet 😛 ) is from Maybank trying to promote their personal accident scheme to me. It was funny as I was working in an insurance agency and the ones my company offer is actually cheaper and more beneficial.
I’ve had people calling me asking about information of my boss tho, since I’m his assistant. It’s a bit scary cuz if I give out things that I shouldn’t, then I’d in trouble for sure! Most of the time, I’d say that watever info they need, they would have already had, otherwise they wouldn’t need it. If they need his phone number, I’d just ask them to read out to me wat they have, and I’ll confirm if its correct or not.
All these scams are happening a lil too often for us to simply trust who they claim they are.
Yup we can’t be too careful and in your case, most certainly isn’t a good idea to give out your boss’ info 🙂
The problem is that I personally believe that banks actually do disseminate customers information to third parties and that the people who call to offer insurance plans and new credits cards are from sub-cons and not the bank themselves. Sometimes when I get these calls, I ask further questions and I get th reply “Oh, I’m not sure because I’m not actually from XYZ bank”. Perhaps there is some confidentiality agreement between the bank and the sub-cons but who is to (in practice) prevent the staff from the sub-con selling the data to other parties? Of course, I must reiterate that this is what I personally think, I don’t know for sure. I do feel that when it comes to customer confidentiality, I have little confidence in the banks.
To address the point, no I wouldn’t disclose personal information on the phone. In a recent credit card application, I followed up with the agent via email. Even when he called me with updates, I requested that he put whatever he told me in an email. That way, anything goes wrong, at least I have something in written form upon which to rely on.
I agree with you perfectly! I honestly believe that our info is not safe in anyone’s hands, be it banks or other corporations 🙂 The worst is when you get a call from an insurance company and they try to throw you off track and tell you they are calling from XYZ bank. Ah. I detest that.