It's Always the Verification

[Erinesque]

I had a call today, guy gives me the business debit card number, and I pull up the account. I ask business name, his name, both fine. Then I asked for business address. Wrong. So I went down to where he opened the account. Wrong. Last chance now - what's the business phone number. Wrong again.

Three strikes and that's all we give for verification fails. After that, it's either IVR or physical branch location. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. This is apparently such a difficult process, and so many people fail simple verification, that I have memorized my own way of communicating that they cannot access the account now, and have to call back or go in with ID.

There have been times when I have had to repeat myself over and over again twenty odd times. This call was one of those times. Until he started insulting me, and I told him to stop, warned him that I would disconnect the call if he did it one more time. He did, and I did. B

After the call, my supervisor called me over and said "great job handling that call. Don't let anyone disrespect you."

[Shyla]

So in that kind of case is he likely an idiot who can't remember details or is he lying about who he is?

[eltf177]

So in that kind of case is he likely an idiot who can't remember details or is he lying about who he is?

Somehow I'm seeing the latter...

[Erinesque]

In such cases, I always have to assume it's either social engineering or phishing.

[icmedia]

In such cases, I always have to assume it's either social engineering or phishing.

I used to assume this, before I saw how many of my customers (who I have dealt with for years, know for a fact to be the actual account holder, etc.) can't remember what 4-digit passcode they set up, or the name of their first pet, or their favorite restaurant, or even that they came in last week for the same issue and needed to bring XXXX document to show me-then show up without it.

Yes, some people are scammers. The majority, however, are just plain stupid.

[Erinesque]

That is true, but since I work in an inbound call center, I don't have the advantage of remembering which ones are regulars or not, so basically the burden of proof is on them, to help prevent fraud, and for me to pass my monitors.

[Stormraven]

Where I work, we often have to deal with people who will swear up and down that they Security Questions they're getting are not the ones they set up. They'll swear, they tell you!

Mind you (and I'll often tell them this) after only about a month, I had occasion to look at the security questions I set up, and was thinking the same thing. Only trouble was, I knew better.

[Erinesque]

We must have the same customers! The ones I get go a step beyond, too, and accuse the employees of hacking their accounts and setting up new security questions! The why, of course, is never thought out. As if we had the time to do so!

[MadMike]

I used to assume this, before I saw how many of my customers (who I have dealt with for years, know for a fact to be the actual account holder, etc.) can't remember what 4-digit passcode they set up, or the name of their first pet, or their favorite restaurant, or even that they came in last week for the same issue and needed to bring XXXX document to show me-then show up without it.

I forgot my password for online access to my savings bonds awhile back, and then I locked myself out by messing up the security questions. I wasn't sure what I put as my favorite movie, so I guessed at it. I knew what my first car was, but apparently at least one of my answers was wrong.

Luckily, they were able to verify my answers over the phone. I had the "favorite movie" right. I told them, "I think it was...", which was correct. It turned out that while I had the right answer to my first car right, I had worded it differently. Apparently when I set it up, I entered "19xx (Make) (Model)", but when I tried to get in, I was leaving the century part off of the year. A machine can't verify that, but a human can.

[Kaylyn]

I hate the options for security questions that ask "what's your favorite (X)?" Especially if favorites are the only options for questions rather than something empirical like father's middle name. Because my favorite restaurant or movie might change depending on the day of the week! If I had set up an account in the late 90's asking what my favorite movie was I would have said Titanic. Ten years ago it was Harry Potter. Nowadays I don't even have a real favorite. So the only way to deal with those questions when they're the only option is really to use them like a second password and put something completely unrelated as the answer...then attempt to remember what this second password was.

[telecom_goddess]

Oh lord, verification. I didn't mention this before but I'm not working in telecom anymore, I'm in a call center for a bank, in the credit card department. You can imagine how stringent verification is. And I get so many people that bitch and piss and whine and moan about having to answer SOOOOOOOO many questions. They don't have time for this nonsense. If they would just answer and quit fighting me they'd be done already! Or if they would....I don't know....update their info once in a while and get the questions RIGHT we'd be done much faster.

Although the ones that irritate me even more are the ones who say they are the customer, and pass verification, just to admit later it's their spouse. And they aren't on the account. And it's always with a gender neutral name like Lee or something. How am I supposed to know? Spouses are the worst, they think they have every right to the account that their spouse does, when they aren't even on it. NO you don't!

[Slave to the Phone]

I blame a lot of the computer problems on the hundreds of passwords we all have. Each program or site has different requirements so you can't use the same password for each one. I have 5 different passwords at work, and they change every month or 6 weeks or 6 months depending on the program. Everyone I have talked to has them written down, usually on a sticky note on the bottom of their keyboard or in their kneehole drawer. How's that for password security?

I have a spread sheet on my home computer with all of my passwords for my financial accounts. That is password protected. That password is written on the back on my cell.

And then there are the security questions. My favorite pet? That depends on which one was sitting on my lap when I was setting it up. High school? Did I use town high or town high school? if that doesn't pass did I use Town High or Town High School?

All of the questions are easy when setting the account up, but remembering them 6 months later...not so much.

My approach when talking to someone in person about verification is to first admit that I'm an idiot and to never blame the person I'm talking to for me being an idiot. This seems to be the best way for me to get help.

[notalwaysright]

I blame a lot of the computer problems on the hundreds of passwords we all have. Each program or site has different requirements so you can't use the same password for each one. I have 5 different passwords at work, and they change every month or 6 weeks or 6 months depending on the program. Everyone I have talked to has them written down, usually on a sticky note on the bottom of their keyboard or in their kneehole drawer. How's that for password security?

This seems appropriate. I also don't like the security questions with are like "what is your favorite" type deal. I realize they are trying to get away from concrete things like fifth grade teacher or first employer, but they aren't helpful if I don't remember.

[manybellsdown]

Each program or site has different requirements so you can't use the same password for each one.

Websites should put their password requirements next to the box, so you can remember what combination of fuckery you had to come up with to make a password. Oh, I need a capital letter, a number (but not two or more of the same number in a row) and a special character? Great, now I have some idea of which password variant I used.

[Argabarga]

I use eBay so infrequently, the first thing I have to do upon seeing something I want is to send an email to recover my password.....

And I'm not ashamed.