Beware! Cold-calling bank scam!

[turtleschell]

Wow they went all out to try to make t seem legit! Getting her supervisor?? Actually sounds a bit real. Thanks for the heads up!

[mummydreamer]

ahh that's terrible!! good on you for sussing it all out and taking action bummer to having your card cancelled though Lol.

[LizLemon]

Thanks for the heads up.

I would have been suspicious when they said the government was going to pay me something. I've given up on THAT ever happening!!

[butterfly_warrior]

The "hot" card - it will no longer work. I think it's basically the same as if it were reported lost or stolen.

The big thing for me - the building society is everywhere when you are in Newcastle, everything is local to Newcastle. We're lucky enough to have had a branch twenty minutes away when we moved to Sydney so stayed with them. In what's probably close to 20 years dealing with them, everything has happened in Newcastle. One thick Indian accent was suspicious enough, but two... That's where they had me. It just had this whole sense of not right about it. I'm glad I called, but feel a bit silly for letting them get away with it and giving out my card details.

But the card is cancelled and the account emptied and internet banking password is changed. But I really can see how some people could easily be sucked in. A bigger, more impersonal financial institution - Indian call centres are a bit more feasible. It was all "can we ask you to confirm XXX for security reasons", and the whole giving of a password and stressing the importance of not talking to anyone unless they have your password.

And really, the government (and the banks, really!) do everything by letter and in writing. My institution said that the only reason they'd call is if we were defaulting on loan payments or had mail returned, or had applied for a loan or something. And the calls usually come from the local branch in that case.

But yeah, be wary. And perhaps make a point of warning elderly relatives.

BW