Customer service calls from Withheld - Ovo and others

KanalVictor

I just got a call from Ovo complaints who insisted she wanted to continue the call after being told I would prefer a response in writing.

Having spun it out for a few mins with bla bla she then started on wanting to ask me questions so she could verify my identity. I immediately refused since this was an incoming call !

Worse ... the call was from a withheld number. How am I supposed to know this is Ovo and not some criminal.

So they'll be replying in writing. Result. :cool:

I have the same problem with Natwest including their fraud and data protection teams.

Does anyone else refuse to answer "security questions" from incoming withheld numbers?

Should you?

matelodave

I agree with you, had a big row with AVIVA a couple of years about it until they realised what I was on about.

I never give my info to an unsolicited call, likewise I will only phone them on a number that I've already got or got from another source, never to a number that they offer or even the number that they phone me on unless I know it's OK.

Same with E-mails

trickytree1963

The information they ask for is to ensure they're not breaching DPA, usually Address, Post Code, Fuel or Fuels supplied and method of payment.

Nothing in that can help criminals can it ?

Sparx

OP people like you are just being awkward and that's me being polite.

So Ovo Complaints rang you? Clearly it wasn't unsolicited, it was expected as you had filed a complaint am I right? They have to ask security questions to abide by the Data Protection Act whether it's an outgoing or incoming call.

What criminal and fraud offences can be committed with simply your name, address and DOB confirmed? Your full name and date of birth is on a public register for crying out loud.

You wouldn't be happy would you if they had somehow mis-dialled your number, got another gentleman on the phone & proceeded to blab about your account, details and complaint would you? No!

matelodave

IMO they should have a better method of identifying themselves to you rather than just phoning and expecting you to give them personal info to identify yourself to them.

badmemory

trickytree1963 wrote: »

The information they ask for is to ensure they're not breaching DPA, usually Address, Post Code, Fuel or Fuels supplied and method of payment.

Nothing in that can help criminals can it ?

We know why they SAY they want the information, but who is to say that they hadn't already rung a couple of hundred people who turned out not to have OVO accounts and just hung up on them. The fraudsters depend on people wanting to be "helpful". If they have rung you on your phone number they should be proving who they are not the other way round.

ETA especially when they are ringing from a withheld number, that would be just plain foolish to answer.

Sparx

And how do you expect OVO to prove who they are? Giving out your name, address, DOB, last bill and account details?

Oh dear! You'd be fuming to high heaven, if again the person they rang wasn't the person they thought it was. Again you'd be upset - you just can't win with some people!

Just use your bloody common sense. Don't give out your bank, card, financial or PIN details and you can't go far wrong. What is the harm confirming your basic information i.e. name, address and date of birth to pass Data Protection? All public record information.

KanalVictor

Sparx wrote: »

OP people like you are just being awkward and that's me being polite.

So Ovo Complaints rang you? Clearly it wasn't unsolicited, it was expected as you had filed a complaint am I right? They have to ask security questions to abide by the Data Protection Act whether it's an outgoing or incoming call.

What criminal and fraud offences can be committed with simply your name, address and DOB confirmed? Your full name and date of birth is on a public register for crying out loud.

You wouldn't be happy would you if they had somehow mis-dialled your number, got another gentleman on the phone & proceeded to blab about your account, details and complaint would you? No!

Well earlier this year a criminal who had stolen a card/pin for a new-empty natwest account before it reached me used less than that info to get internet banking and 900 quid overdraft from natwest in my name. That was fun to sort out. I now recommend awkward.

With public database assume you mean register of births, can you search that with just a name? Anyway my full name is sufficiently common that there are many with different DOB. Is there a public register which gives DOB from name+address?

Anyway the telephone performance was enough to get Ovo to make a deadlock letter rather than do what the bla bla script said which she had already announced was "I'm sure we can sort this out" .... I didn't want another bla bla crappy script call.

Ovo have now admitted thousands of customers are affected and my next problem is that I'd like to force them to sort it for everyone but ombudsman seem to be limited to telling them to sort it for me. I'm 99.99% sure that wasn't something the lady on the phone could sort out.

trickytree1963

badmemory wrote: »

We know why they SAY they want the information, but who is to say that they hadn't already rung a couple of hundred people who turned out not to have OVO accounts and just hung up on them. The fraudsters depend on people wanting to be "helpful". If they have rung you on your phone number they should be proving who they are not the other way round.

ETA especially when they are ringing from a withheld number, that would be just plain foolish to answer.

This is paranoia to the nth degree

Cardew

trickytree1963 wrote: »

This is paranoia to the nth degree

Is it?

This week I had a call with a recorded message from a credit card company(mbna) saying they needed to contact me about a transaction causing concern. I was to press #1 if I was 'Cardew' and #2 if not.

I hung up and went to get my card to ring the telephone number on the card, and got the same call twice more in less than 2 minutes.

I rang and spoke to someone at mbna, who went through security and the issue was resolved.

However I never will be interrogated during an incoming phone call, let alone a recorded message. Most of the scam calls I get(purporting to be BT etc) are from people with a Far East accent, so I am immediately wary. The 'posh' English accent on this recorded announcement could be a new twist.

P.S. I had 3 emails from mbna asking me to update by contact details!

trickytree1963

Cardew wrote: »

Is it?

This week I had a call with a recorded message from a credit card company(mbna) saying they needed to contact me about a transaction causing concern. I was to press #1 if I was 'Cardew' and #2 if not.

I hung up and went to get my card to ring the telephone number on the card, and got the same call twice more in less than 2 minutes.

I rang and spoke to someone at mbna, who went through security and the issue was resolved.

However I never will be interrogated during an incoming phone call, let alone a recorded message. Most of the scam calls I get(purporting to be BT etc) are from people with a Far East accent, so I am immediately wary. The 'posh' English accent on this recorded announcement could be a new twist.

P.S. I had 3 emails from mbna asking me to update by contact details!

The information Customer Service Officers ask is:

Name on Account

First Line of supply address

Post Code of Supply address

Fuel or Fuels supplied or due to be supplied

Method of payment.

All the examples you have used are financial ones. We would never ask for bank account details or anything financially sensative