Over the past couple of days I have been receiving calls from an automated 0800 number service. I do not know the number.
The call alleges that there may have been some fraud on one of my credit cards (get me - I have multiple credit cards) and that if I press 1 they'll continue the call. Right. I don't think so.
But as these calls kept coming, I try to get a contact number for my bank. Yep - that's simple eh? You would have thought that the online account would have had a 'contact us' page eh? That would be the simple place, but no. I google it and get a number. I call the number and a nice person eventually comes on the line. I give them my names and c/card no - and explain that I've been getting calls from an automated service and my question to her is 'has there been potential fraud' on my c/card. She won't say unless I go through security - but as I never cleared the line before calling them, I'm not sure if I still have the 0800 number open and am still then talking on the same line. So I say 'no' no security - and ask them to simply put a message in my online mailbox if my card has been misused. Apparently they can't do that - and they'd need security anyway. So I ask if they can escalate this as this seems insane - they have a secure mechanism for contacting me (ie the online banking mailbox) and they are allegedly trying to contact me - but using some automated message from an unknown 0800 number.
I then go online this morning to check my online accounts and one of my credit cards no longer appears on-line. It seems then the call was potentially form my bank, as it can only be them who have removed the account (how have they permission to do that - or call me on an automated line - but not have permission to put a message in my online mailbox?) - but insanely, they have now stopped me being able to see any transactions on my card - so how can I know if fraud has taken place? I despair at the mentality of these big companies.
@steveTu you did exactly the right thing in not progressing with the phone call if you were unsure it was genuine, but all cards that I use have a Customer Service number on the reverse.
The automated call from my bank offers information rather than asking for any. It tells me the last 5 attempted transactions and simply ask me to press a button if any are not genuine. At that point a real person comes on the line. I may be wrong, but assume that most scammers would look at easier routes. Even with a human on the line, if they started asking information about the card or PIN I would hang up and call the bank using a different phone.
We have had a few attempts where the message on the call says they are calling from 'your bank' rather than stating which bank which is a dead giveaway that it's scammers.
When you can get in touch with the bank, tell them they have allowed someone to fraudulently remove your card from your online account without your permission! If that happened to me I'd put on my best disgruntled customer act.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Nasty call from solar panel sub contractor yesterday, saying we hadn't paid (according to them last Mondays installation was 10 days ago. She was rude, abusive. Said the panels belonged to THEM, WE had damaged them also stolen the electricity generated. Told her we didn't understand the app,says how many Kw generated one page something completely different on the next page. She replied "It's quite simple". If we didn't pay by tomorrow,big Surcharges going on. I almost told her to come and remove them!
The number my bank uses as the automated number is not the number on the back of the card.
Why would I even proceed with an automated call? I get calls purportedly from BT, Microsoft .. all the time and all using that self same ploy. It is an insane mechanism to use for a fraud dept - as it says to the user 'this is a perfectly valid mechanism'. No it isn't. Use a secure mechanism. I have online banking with a mailbox.
As it turns out, when I called the number that my bank publishes online, it didn't recognise my phone number and I had to enter my number (with area code) via the key pad - and it still didn't recognise it, even though it was the number they used for the automated message.
Then to cap it all, the transaction was for AVG software (anti-virus - hope the humour isn't lost) that comes out infrequently, but must have been on that card before.
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