Just A Number...
So this is a good one...
Just when I thought I had everything in order as far as my new name and every last bit of that pain-in-the-ass-procedure goes, I have to call...yet again...that same stupid credit card company affiliated with that same stupid bank I use because they still can't seem to get my address correct.
So Stupid Credit Card Company sent me a new credit card with my new name on it, to the WRONG address. This is AFTER I called them and changed my address AND updated my name. HELLO...Earth to Credit Card Company...I haven't lived at that address for two years now, and you know that because you send my bills to me every month and you somehow manage to get payments from me! So why on Earth would you send me a brand spankin' new card to an OLD address that I haven't lived at for over two years now?!
I often wonder what these slightly above minimum wage Credit Card Company workers actually do with all that information you give them when you call. Are they screened by an extensive background check? Probably not. How do I know they aren't going to take all of my information and use it against me? And what happens to all of that information I just gave them when Credit Card Company upgrades their computers? Does all that information on millions of customers, just automatically delete when they press the "delete" key or log out of the system at the end of the day? I hardly doubt it. Instead I'm pretty sure my information goes to some database housed in India (of all places) because Credit Card Company decides to "outsource" their business in return for some cheap labor.
C'mon people...how many people do I have to talk to at Credit Card Company to make a simple address change?! And then the guy tells me that since the card was never forwarded to them via USPS or was never activated, they can close the account. So, "did I want to do that today?" HELLO?! Stupid question! Because of YOUR stupid mistake I now have to close my account and open a new one, duh! And, unfortunately, this wasn't the first time this has happened with Credit Card Company and its respective Stupid Bank that it is ASSOCIATED with.
This whole situation has shed new light on the whole "identity theft" crisis we have in this country. I'm just perplexed at how simple it really is to pose as someone else and steal an innocent person's identity. Especially since all this information is stored in databases that are easily accessible...(especially if one stupid person at Credit Card Company presses the wrong key and potentially exposes all this information for all to see.)
It's amazing to me how we are such a "number" based society. It's crazy that everything we are told we have to use to identify ourselves with is based around a number. A SOCIAL SECURITY number. I thought a SS number was supposed to only be used for SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES when you retire or approach retirement, and NOT as a way to identify oneself? So I ask again: Where DOES all that personal information I type in to the "touchtone telephone computer automated information system" go when I have to call to get information on my accounts? Or when I call to request a copy of my credit report? Or when I'm at the teller at my bank? Or when I have to re-order checks? Or when I'm updating my personal information required to change my name? Even if I call over the phone or conduct business in person, they all have computers and they're all punching in your information...all those numbers...just where does that information go, and how come we don't know its whereabouts? It's my information and the only person who should have access to it is me. Not some dumbass who can't even get an address change corrected.
Just when I thought I had everything in order as far as my new name and every last bit of that pain-in-the-ass-procedure goes, I have to call...yet again...that same stupid credit card company affiliated with that same stupid bank I use because they still can't seem to get my address correct.
So Stupid Credit Card Company sent me a new credit card with my new name on it, to the WRONG address. This is AFTER I called them and changed my address AND updated my name. HELLO...Earth to Credit Card Company...I haven't lived at that address for two years now, and you know that because you send my bills to me every month and you somehow manage to get payments from me! So why on Earth would you send me a brand spankin' new card to an OLD address that I haven't lived at for over two years now?!
I often wonder what these slightly above minimum wage Credit Card Company workers actually do with all that information you give them when you call. Are they screened by an extensive background check? Probably not. How do I know they aren't going to take all of my information and use it against me? And what happens to all of that information I just gave them when Credit Card Company upgrades their computers? Does all that information on millions of customers, just automatically delete when they press the "delete" key or log out of the system at the end of the day? I hardly doubt it. Instead I'm pretty sure my information goes to some database housed in India (of all places) because Credit Card Company decides to "outsource" their business in return for some cheap labor.
C'mon people...how many people do I have to talk to at Credit Card Company to make a simple address change?! And then the guy tells me that since the card was never forwarded to them via USPS or was never activated, they can close the account. So, "did I want to do that today?" HELLO?! Stupid question! Because of YOUR stupid mistake I now have to close my account and open a new one, duh! And, unfortunately, this wasn't the first time this has happened with Credit Card Company and its respective Stupid Bank that it is ASSOCIATED with.
This whole situation has shed new light on the whole "identity theft" crisis we have in this country. I'm just perplexed at how simple it really is to pose as someone else and steal an innocent person's identity. Especially since all this information is stored in databases that are easily accessible...(especially if one stupid person at Credit Card Company presses the wrong key and potentially exposes all this information for all to see.)
It's amazing to me how we are such a "number" based society. It's crazy that everything we are told we have to use to identify ourselves with is based around a number. A SOCIAL SECURITY number. I thought a SS number was supposed to only be used for SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES when you retire or approach retirement, and NOT as a way to identify oneself? So I ask again: Where DOES all that personal information I type in to the "touchtone telephone computer automated information system" go when I have to call to get information on my accounts? Or when I call to request a copy of my credit report? Or when I'm at the teller at my bank? Or when I have to re-order checks? Or when I'm updating my personal information required to change my name? Even if I call over the phone or conduct business in person, they all have computers and they're all punching in your information...all those numbers...just where does that information go, and how come we don't know its whereabouts? It's my information and the only person who should have access to it is me. Not some dumbass who can't even get an address change corrected.
posted by exswimchick at
9:40 AM
1 Comments:
Hello?!?! Earth to you!!! The 90s called, they want their expressions back, haha
But seriously, you're most likely right, all that personal information gets stored on a network server that is probably located in an office building in India, California, or Japan. But I don't think the threat of identity theft is as bad as you make it out to be. I mean, your information is entered in by a clerk or "peon" -- they get to see your information. But once its stored on a secure network server, noone else really looks at it. Sure, there are a few network administrators who most likely have rights to view every file stored on the server, but these are only a select few people who are most likely making enough money that they would never even NEED to steal money from you.
Still, the threat is out there, but we also have newfangled inventions like online banking (and the ability to view scanned checks and your account at any time), encryption (in the form of WEP, WEP-2, etc.), and secure scripts on websites.
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