Hypocritical security suggestions from Bank

Dizzydame_2

We all know that if we get an unsolicited email claiming to be from our bank, asking for security details, then its probably some develish scam 'cos our banks say they would never do that. So how come I got an automated call from LLoyds TSB asking for some security details from me to confirm that I was the correct person to speak to? I of course put the phone down, then picked it up to ring my bank to report this evil scam - except I couldn't because the automated do da kept the line open for a good five minutes, then a customer service person asked for my security details, which I refused . When I was finally able to call out on my own phone, and speak to my bank, they said ' Oh that'll be the credit card unit wanting to speak to you' I did of course ask how is it that we were expected to blithely give out our details on the 'phone to some unknown person who has called us, but we're not supposed to do the same thing if an unsolicited email comes in asking the same questions. Sorry for the ramble, is it ludicrous or am I imagining it?

peter_the_piper

I had the same thing from Lloyds tsb, they wouldn't say who they were but kept asking for the details. It turns out they were probably querying about the purchase of one of the Dell laptop bargains, got to give them brownie points for this. They could quite easily have said they were querying a purchase and to contact them via a local branch but this would be too easy.

Sooler

Get the same from HSBC, why are these organisation such a bunch of thick dim wits. 'Oh yes banking with us is so secure', yet they come up with this stupid unworkable, inneffective and useless phone security, guess they really want to demonstrate how moronic they really are. They don't understand the problem if you phone to complain about it.

With HSBC the phone number you get if you do 1471 is incorrect, 00800 xxx or something rather than 0800 xxx, so it takes a while to find out whose been calling.

Also when they phone you and you pick the phone up they never speak first, if you don't say anything they hang up.

Effectively they make silent phone calls - must be some law against this. Bah.

RAMBLER

Dizzydame wrote:

We all know that if we get an unsolicited email claiming to be from our bank, asking for security details, then its probably some develish scam 'cos our banks say they would never do that. So how come I got an automated call from LLoyds TSB asking for some security details from me to confirm that I was the correct person to speak to? I of course put the phone down, then picked it up to ring my bank to report this evil scam - except I couldn't because the automated do da kept the line open for a good five minutes, then a customer service person asked for my security details, which I refused . When I was finally able to call out on my own phone, and speak to my bank, they said ' Oh that'll be the credit card unit wanting to speak to you' I did of course ask how is it that we were expected to blithely give out our details on the 'phone to some unknown person who has called us, but we're not supposed to do the same thing if an unsolicited email comes in asking the same questions. Sorry for the ramble, is it ludicrous or am I imagining it?

jees and we have our money with these lot. god help us..

Astaroth

I wonder how you suggest that they do contact you when it is "urgent" to speak to you?

Clearly they cant just phone you and give personal details out about potentially fraudulant transactions etc on your account because it could be you child/ parent/ housekeeper that has happened to pickup the phone.

I dont know what details Lloyds TSB request but with my banks they only as for partial information (eg character 4 and 2 from your password) and so all probability is that you can give these as the chances of only giving 4 of a total of 12 characters of 2 passwords and that person then being asked for the same 4 characters is fairly slim.... of cause if you get another call 2 seconds later asking for another 2 characters and then a call the next day for another 2 then you are probably justified in being concerned.

At the end of the day these things are simple enough to deal with call them back on your standard number for them and ask to be put through to the relevant department and then give the same details out over the phone.

As to silent calls, unfortunately this is inevitable with how call centres work. A power dialler actually makes the calls to all the customers on its list, cutting off numbers that are engaged or dont answer etc.... if the average call length is say 3mins 10 seconds then as soon as an agent gets to 3 minutes into a call the machine then starts dialling the next customer.... of cause if that customer answers in less than 10 seconds or the agents call is more than 10 seconds longer then the customer gets silence whilst the machine waits for the next available agent for the call to be diverted to. Given call centres are normally hundreds of people the length of silence according to probability should be very low. The silent calls that people complain about tend to be very small companies that say only have 20 agents and often much longer call length where it becomes far too probable that people can have silence for 30 seconds or more.

Dizzydame_2

I can see what you're saying Astaroth, and if it had been like thet I wouldn't have worried, but they asked for my date of birth, which of course most banks use as one of their security questions, I don't know what other questions would have been asked 'cos I didn't get that far. I did ring my bank and they suggested that I ring an 0870 no to find out what they wanted, which then left me on hold for 20mins. Now if they'd rung me, said there was maybe a problem, and suggested that I ring an 0800 no. I wouldn't have been so cross. Since it happening I've been into my local branch, who were shamefaced when I pointed out the irony of it. I strongly suggested that they pass the comments on, because if no-one says anything,then nothing will change will it?

baldelectrician

Funnily enough when I get a call from my bank it comes up 'Royal Bank' in the customer display on my mobile.

The local branch get in contact if they really need to, or I call and they call back later to respond to a message.

Don't like call centres, and refuse to deal with companies that have call centers overseas- if I have any choice- otherwise I refuse to talk to anyone outside EU, and request to talk to UK person.

nenya

I hate indian call centres because (and this is not reflection on the actual people there) they are trained to repond like robots, there is never a sense of empathy - which is very important.

Sooler

the silent calls aren't from call centres making mass calls, they're from an indvidual specifically phoning your number, you can hear that they are there but they don't speak unless you speak first, if you don't say anything they hang up.

hollydays

Sooler wrote:

the silent calls aren't from call centres making mass calls, they're from an indvidual specifically phoning your number, you can hear that they are there but they don't speak unless you speak first, if you don't say anything they hang up.

Also possible but what Astaroth said is the usual reason.
Its automatic dialling.

Sooler

Astaroth wrote:

I dont know what details Lloyds TSB request but with my banks they only as for partial information .

but how do you know the person on the phone is from the bank?