TIP - CAN YOU VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY PLEASE?

Can you verify your identity please?


How many times have you heard that on the phone? 

Nowadays, it seems to happen with every phone call that we make or receive.  Usually it comes from a credit card company, a bank, or a utility company. But sometimes the person on the other end of the line is a stranger.

Even though they called YOU on the phone, before they get to the reason for their phone call, they'll say something like:

"Before we can proceed, I have to verify your identity so I know I have the right person."  

Sometimes they aren't that polite and they ask "Who am I speaking with?" 

Or, they give you some screwed-up phonetic version of your name which in turn made you feel compelled to correct the pronunciation or spelling.







Thinking back to the last phone call you received, did you willingly give your name, date of birth, social security number, your address?  Did you also give the 3 digit code on the back of your credit card? 



WELL STOP DOING THAT!


 

These phone centers all operate nearly the same way.  A representative called you on the phone and after the niceties, then says "Before we can proceed, I need to verify your identity. Can you verify your date of birth?" (usually that is the first thing requested).



If you give it, they know they have someone they can keep working with because the next question is usually "Can you verify the last four digits of your social security number?"



Next time, if they want to know if they have contacted the right person, LET THEM TELL YOU who you are.



What these call centers are doing is called REVERSE VERIFICATION - and it is a tactic being widely accepted nowadays and it is WRONG. People are just too free with their information for their own good.



The word "VERIFY" means SUPPLY and in this case it means to Supply Information. It doesn't mean that YOU have to supply it to THEM. It means THEY should supply it to YOU.



By giving them the details they ask for, you have NO idea if they actually did have your information in front of them on a computer screen or in paper form to compare with what you are telling them.



But they do now.



Say to the caller, "Sure, just give me the information and I'll let you know if you got it right." 

Usually you will hear the phone line disconnect because they can't verify any information to you. That's because they have no clue of it until you give it to them. Most times they aren't even allowed to do that if they are working for a large company.

The newest verification method now is to send a code to your phone so you can tell the representative what that code is.  If they have your cellphone number already, that is an acceptable verification method. But if you have to furnish them with a cellphone number, you could be anybody.

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Now, how about when you are in a store checkout line and the cashier asks for your phone number before ringing up today's sale?  Usually this will happen in a store whose system is set up to locate customers by phone number so your account information, loyalty or rewards card can be applied.    


Do you say your phone number out loud?


Well, stop doing that too!

TIP: Get in the habit of using SHOW -- not TELL. 

Get a post it note, write your cellphone number on it, and scotch tape it to the back of your cellphone. SHOW it instead of saying it out loud so no one overhears it. 

The same goes for your residence address and your date of birth. Have your driver's license or some form of ID at the ready so you can SHOW it rather than TELL it.



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Now how about when you are online and you get to a website that asks you to verify your identity? I can't tell you how many people we have helped recover from a hack where they have told us that they saw that popup just before they were hacked.



ASK YOURSELF SOMETHING - how in the world would the person on the other end "know" if your details are correct or not? 

They have NO way of knowing who YOU are. You have NO way of knowing who THEY are. 

So why would you give them any information - let alone CORRECT information?



TIP: Whenever someone asks you to verify pertinent information, you let them SHOW AND TELL you. Not the other way around. If there is no opportunity or screen to do that - MOVE ON. Exit out of the screen, or shut down your device and sign on to the site again.



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Now let's turn the tables and say YOU called a bank, utility company or credit card company and they ASK YOU to verify TO THEM who you are.



TIP: This is the ONLY time you should give your personal details out. 

It is because YOU called THEM. However, there is a limit to how much information you should be giving them. 

Give them your name, address, phone and date of birth - nothing else. If they ask for a credit card for verification - that is not a legal form of identity verification. DO NOT GIVE IT. 

If they ask what credit card did you put on file, give the bank or credit card company NAME, NOT the credit card NUMBER. If they persist that they need it, you may give them the last 4 digits ONLY - but I usually tell them,



"Give me the last 4 digits and I'll let you know if I still have that card in use."


Don't be afraid to turn the tables.


Personally, after I find out who is on the phone, if the first thing out of their mouth is 'Can you verify your identity by giving me your date of birth?' I tell them flat out -


"That is not me verifying my date of birth to you.

 It is me FURNISHING my date of birth to you.

 Now if you have that information in front of you, and if you don't have to play 20 questions to guess, how about if I tell you if you got it right?"



9 times out of 10, they hang up.


STOP IDENTITY THEFT. 

GUARD YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS - Everywhere -  in a store, in the bank, on Facebook, on a website, on the phone with any company (well known or not).

Your comments are welcomed.

CR