Bank calling you and asking for security information

fozmcfc

I was called by Natwest the other day.

After saying who they were etc, as juliedotcom says, they asked a couple of questions of me, that wouldn't compromise my security such as part of my post code.

My security questions are completely different, such as could you give me 2 direct debits names from your account or your favourite colour/city/sports team etc..or the 2 and 3 numbers of your password/security pin.

I wouldn't have answered any question which I have set up as security questions, without calling them back.

I received a text shortly after about the meeting I'm attending and a further 2 letters confirming it.

adindas

What happen if the fraudster coincidentally has the information you are going to ask and they just missed the information they are going to ask you. I am aware this is quite extreme but it might happen nowadays.

ADINDAS

Gromitt wrote: »

I got one of those calls. They rang and asked me to prove who I was. I stated to them that they rang me, and so they should prove themselves first, then I would answer their security questions. They agreed. I asked them for the last letter of my post code and the amount of pence in my last cash deposit (so £10.42 would be 42). They then proceeded to thank me for being cautious

pineapple

airflow wrote: »

it is surely only a matter of time before criminals realise they can get access to peoples information by calling and pretending to be from a company they do business with.

You're a bit late on that one - it's been happening for years!
About 8 years ago in fact, a work colleague got a call purporting to be from a catalogue company that she does business with. They were doing a check on financial details. She got suspicious and asked them for a telephone number she could call them back on. They weren't prepared for this and gave a made up number. She phoned the police and they said there was a gang operating in the area which was going through peoples bins for identity information.
I'm ultra cautious.
I burn everything even with just my name and address on it.
And I never open suspicious mails. Even doing just that can put you at risk of malware. Apart from which these days there is technology available to see if the mail has been opened and is therefore 'active'.
If in doubt I contact the supposed sender.

adindas

I have got similar phone calls in a few occasions, and that is exactly what I have done. But they will understand and ask me to call the number on the back of the debit / credit card.

It is normally from their security team when they recognize irregular transaction, change of address, etc. But I am just afraid that this could be from a fraudster. Also quite often if come from their marketing team. My experience sofar, the call is from the banks when I call them back.

airflow wrote: »

Just want to know what everybody thinks about this?

Your bank or any other company calls and starts to ask you a couple of security questions before they get to the point of their call. Do you just answer them or do you refuse on the basis that they have called you, so how can you be sure they are who they say they are?

Lots of companies have started doing this over the last few years, but I thought the point of these telephone security questions was to ensure that the person who had made the call is who they say they are.

So far I have always refused and offered to call them back, but I am often made to feel like I'm the only one who does this.

So what do you all think, is it safe to answer these questions if you do business with the company and they call you?

Thanks

MoneySaverLog

fozmcfc wrote: »

I was called by Natwest the other day.

2 and 3 numbers of your password/security pin.

I would not have given that information either, assuming they were trying to get into my account at that time and they needed those numbers.

It's a fine line, but I'd rather call them back and go through security that way.

Shower-of-roses

juliedotcom wrote: »

I bet 90% of the people saying "If the bank want me, they can write to me!" are the same ones who complain when their accounts have fraud/are blocked/A.N other issue. I speak to those types of people every day, you simply cannot .

Nope, not at all. Bank blocked my cards recently due to 'fraud possibilities'...I was more than okay with this. (Though not okay they wouldn't give me a reason why or where it may have occurred). You cannot expect people, especially vulnerable people, to be able to differentiate between official and bogus. I work for someone with learning disabilities and so a blanket, 'you don't give personal info over the 'phone', is the only way to get round this. It's the old adage if someone wants to get hold of you urgently, they'll find you. I know what working in the public sector is like, you are treated like dirt on a regular basis but surely you can understand why it's important for individuals to protect their personal info. I am not advocating rudeness, even though I think it's blooming rude to bombard me with marketing calls on a regular basis and speaking to me as if I'm their mate from the pub.