is it safe to give bank account number and sort code over telephone?

joemardo1

Hi there,

every now and then I get a telephone call from a computer company offering special deals on their mags eg 3 issues for £1.

I take them up on their offers but I have to give my bank account details for my current account (sort code of bank and account number) so that they can take the money by direct debit.

I wonder is this a safe enough thing to do taking into consideration that a lot of these scam letters that most of receive at times ask for identical information?

thanks in advance for your advice.

Joe

LeeSouthEast

Never give your details to anyone you don't trust. Especially from a cold call. A direct debit is permission for them to take (or try to take) any amount they like from your account... While the direct debit guarantee may be of some use, I wouldn't rely on it.

If you phone them for something, then fine. Otherwise, tell them to !!!! off.

dlk

If ALL they are asking for is your s/c and acc number this is perfectly normal and so doesnt sound like anything to be concerned about. There isn't anything that can be done with that information so you have nothing to worry about. If simply a sort code and account number could be used to commit fraud the every person you write a cheque to would be able to fleece you!

dacouch

If its this chap that rings you then probably not a great idea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7kJ8CovsNY It is very funny but there are two swear words in it.

fonejacker rocks

P.S Excercise caution with your bank details.

DCFC79

joemardo1 wrote: »

Hi there,

every now and then I get a telephone call from a computer company offering special deals on their mags eg 3 issues for £1.

I take them up on their offers but I have to give my bank account details for my current account (sort code of bank and account number) so that they can take the money by direct debit.

I wonder is this a safe enough thing to do taking into consideration that a lot of these scam letters that most of receive at times ask for identical information?

thanks in advance for your advice.

Joe

theres nothing wrong with giving your sort code and account number over the phone as long as you know who your giving them to eg which company and for what, if i had you sort code and account number i couldnt do anything with it except pay money into the account

dacouch

DCFC79 wrote: »

theres nothing wrong with giving your sort code and account number over the phone as long as you know who your giving them to eg which company and for what, if i had you sort code and account number i couldnt do anything with it except pay money into the account

That is not correct have a look at this link

http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/the-data-trust-blog/2008/01/keeping-your-bank-details-secu.html

I also read an article from an ex crim who now advises the banks, once he had your bank details and address it was fairly simple for him to find the rest of your information such as mothers maiden name.(He often went on face book for a lot of the details like your pets name and what you do for a living etc) He then simply rang the bank and advised them he had a contract working away and could they redirect bank statements or credit card statements to this address and oh by the way I've lost my card could you send me another.

Moral of the story is exercise caution with your bank and personal details and shred any personal documents you through away.

Thomas_Crown

joemardo1 wrote: »

Hi there,

every now and then I get a telephone call from a computer company offering special deals on their mags eg 3 issues for £1.

I take them up on their offers but I have to give my bank account details for my current account (sort code of bank and account number) so that they can take the money by direct debit.

I wonder is this a safe enough thing to do taking into consideration that a lot of these scam letters that most of receive at times ask for identical information?

You are obviously referring to subscription offers from magazines such as Computer Pro & Computer Shopper. Computer Pro is published by Dennis Publishing who's list of titles includes Auto Express. They are a reputable firm who comply with the conditions of the Direct Debit Guarantee.

The_Pedant

I *never* accept cold calls.

Unless you can identify the number calling you then are you certain you know who it is you're giving your details to.

Best courses of action are:-
- ask them to put it in writing, in the post.
- get a number from a reputable source (online? the publisher?) and call them, or verify the number they gave you against what you find.

Quite often, searching for business phone numbers comes up with a credible match. Sometimes I've been able to do that whilst they are online.

It's always great when credit card companies call about balance transfer offers. They won't talk to you until they pass the security checks, so I refuse to talk to them until they can verify who they are (they never had anything useful anyway).

So, only give out your details if you know who you are talking too.

kjb.