Watch Out!

[timill]

there's a phisher about...

Just had a call at work from someone claiming to represent the Nationwide. He wouldn't tell me which account he was calling about, and then he accepted a wrong answer to one of his security questions. Either he was a genuine incompetent, or he ws a fraud - either way I don't want to be dealing with him.

So this is a reminder. When someone wants you to answer their security questions, remember to get one wrong. If they accept that, hang up.

Comments

[del-c.livejournal.com]

I would have thought an even simpler rule of thumb was: when someone calls you wanting you to answer their security questions, hang up.

[timill]

Usually it's that there's a problem in an account. That, I want to know about.

[occams_pyramid]

Ask them who they are and if they have a reference, then phone in yourself to a number you have previously. And if it turns out it's a genuine call point out to them that they have a major security problem, that they are teaching their customers to hand out their security codes to random strangers.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

If they ring me, I don't answer any of their security questions correctly.

It is for whoever is ringing to satisfy the other end that they are who they say they are.

[timill]

Well, it's really for both to satisfy themselves that they know who the other end is. Just the usual handshake problem...

[camies.livejournal.com]

Or even if you just want to get rid of them. Incorrect dates of birth which you swear are correct are a good one, I've found.