JOIN US
WILSHIRE HEIGHTS INFORMATION
WILSHIRE HEIGHTS WEATHER
Today
Mostly Sunny, High 63°
Tonight
Mostly Clear, Low 40°
Tomorrow
Mostly Sunny, High 71°
INSIDE
I just got an automated call from American Express, or so I thought. In order to maintain the security of my card, they asked me to call a toll-free number to speak to an agent in their security group. They noted that I could call the number on the back of my card instead, if I wished. A nice touch.
I've gotten legitimate calls from credit card companies in the past, so this didn't particularly surprise me. I actually called the toll-free number. But when the first thing they asked was for me to input my 15-digit credit card number, I hung up and called the number on the back of my card instead.
Not surprisingly, American Express was "experiencing a high call volume." I stayed on the line to speak to someone. After 10 minutes and some checking, the agent assured me that all was well with my account. I gave her the phony toll-free number, and asked her to report it. "Yes, you're the fourth caller this hour with that number," she said.
Be advised.
2 responses to this post
Like to comment on this post? Log in below or create a new account for free.
katiemac [Lakewood-Now] said at 8:00 a.m. on October 23, 2008, 8:00 a.m.
I make it a policy to never, ever listen to automated calls. When I hear the pause... click... connect to the recorder on the other end of the line, I hang up. If the information is important, at some point, a real, live person will make the call. My dentist's office hates me because of it, but you know, that's OK.
imacatlover said at 10:01 a.m. on October 25, 2008, 10:01 a.m.
I'm with you Katiemac. Back when phone companies were slamming, all you had to do was listen and you got slammed. It's nice to be "in touch" but there are some bad folks out there who take advantage of that.
So don't answer those automated calls if you can avoid it. Many of them are area code 000, so check your caller id first.