Did you know that your unpublished number, caller-ID unavailable, private phone number does not guarantee the privacy and protection you thought you were paying for?
Corrine’s parents had their telephone number for fifty years. Somehow someone got the number and sold Corrine’s mother something for $238. The bank red-flagged the transaction because there had never been an e-transaction on the account. Corrine took the printout to the police department who looked into the incident. The officer came back to Corrine and said, “You need to call them.” So, she called them. They played back the “recorded for quality control purposes” recording. It was, indeed, her mother’s obviously elderly and unwell voice giving her name, address, etc., for approval of the transaction.
Corrine’s mother has Alzheimer’s. She didn’t remember the telephone conversation and denied that she had given out any information over the telephone. Corrine explained to the provider the situation and insisted that the transaction be cancelled and the money returned. The bank got the money back, but over the next little while, two other hits were made against the account from different points around the United States. Apparently, the information had been shared and they were bound and determined to get their greedy, greasy palms into that checking account.
“I had to close my parents’ bank accounts, change their telephone number to unlisted, unpublished, unavailable on Caller ID. My parents can’t even remember their new telephone number. But it had to be done to protect them from the predators who were stalking them,” she said. “It’s not like my parents have a lot of money, but what they have shouldn’t be taken from them. They worked all their lives for what they have. To try to steal it from them, well, that’s just wrong.”
That was a couple of years ago. Recently, when Corrine was online, she saw advertising for a company that guarantees they can provide information about any telephone number. She didn’t pay the fee to get the actual information. The teaser was enough to let her know that they did have access to the information.
“I called the phone company.” Corrine was not happy with what she learned. The supervisor said that the phone company doesn’t sell their customer information but a lot of service-oriented providers do. Doctors. Hospitals. Everyone. The phone company can’t guarantee that telephone numbers aren’t going to get into the wrong hands. Anything is available for a price.
“The individual I spoke to recommended that I call the Social Security Administration to have a fraud alert attached to my parents’ Social Security numbers. But when I went to the SSA website it says right there in black and white, ‘SSA cannot place a fraud alert on your Social Security number. There are several steps that you can take to protect yourself if you believe that your SSN has been compromised.’ So, not only are you victimized by identity theft, but the responsibility for your protection is on you. There is no such thing as privacy or security.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act of 2004 strengthened SSA protection by requiring more stringent birth record verification, stronger requirements for proof of identity and immigration status, and limits set on replacement cards. More information is available at www.ssa.gov.
“It’s funny,” says Corrine, “I have to jump through hoops to verify who I am before the phone company can talk to me about my account, but someone else can access my information to steal from me. Or order services that the phone company charges me for that I didn’t order and the individual ordering doesn’t have authorization to access our account but can attach to our account. Explain that to me because I just don’t understand. But that’s a whole other story.
(This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of the victims.)