I don't know if I can name the company BUT it is one that most of use I expect.

This morning I was on the phone to ??? and was being held in a queue. After a while I heard a man talking and then a woman. One was a ??? operator and the other a customer. I kept saying hello but they couldn't hear me, not wanting to lose my place I was hoping that once this caller rang off I would still be connected to the queue.
Anyway the customer was obviously paying his bill over the phone and I was absolutely horrified to realise what I was hearing. I got to hear and write down his card number, name, expiry date, start date, issue number and security number from the back of the card!!!
Now I'm honest and these details will be destroyed but what if I wasn't. I could have had a fantastic day spending on this man's card!!!

Have informed ??? and been told a supervisor would ring in 2 hrs but after 7 1/2 hrs have given up. I have rung them twice this afternoon and been told a supervisor will ring.
If this is how they treat something which I consider to be a breach of security then god help us all.

Should I contact someone else about this?

Pesonally I would contact the credit card company concerned immediately ....you might not have been the only one listening in, and someone could be draining the guys account. The card company can then put security measures in place, contact the guy  and get him a new card. The man can take action against the company to force it to review its security. 

Thats good advice Pinklilies, if anyone else had been listening they might not be so honest. And if it were me, I would be most grateful :)

makes you think doesn't it? I will think twice now before I read my card details over the phone!

it was a maestro card so does anyone know who that would be to contact

natwest

Now this could explain how our credit card details got stolen!!!!

Good grief! Can it get any worse???!!

Thank goodness you are honest. Will you keep us updated please, as far as you can?

Lindsay
x

Natwest say they can't do anything unless I send them a letter.

I use this company and I bank with Natwest ........................so glad to hear they are so interested in sorting this out!!!:rolleyes:

After being told last night by the company that they don't understand why I am so concerned, I have told them I will go public on this if I have to, to get them to take this seriously.

Not willing to name the company BUT lets just say 99% of us use them even if your actual service is provided by someone else!!!

I think you should take it to the press if they won't take you seriously...

Hi

i wonder if anyone has been in contact with the owner of the card and told them what has happened. he could be loosing out big time here and have no idea why.

Wendy

The company have not even asked for his name

I said to them this morning that I would have thought a breach of customer sercurity should be a priorty issue but apparently a supervisor will ring sometime today. Considering I reported this at approximately 10.30 am yesterday I presume they don't care. Have also said if it was me then I would like to have been told about the mistake .................still they did not ask for this guys name.

Don't suppose anyone knows a MR G M Hills

He was paying his final bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think if I got that kind of response from the company, I would tell them as they weren't bothered I would try telling the Press!

Watchdog springs to mind :)

Daisy

Or how about emailing the Information Commissioner's Office https://www.ico.gov.uk/Global/contact_us.aspx (formerly the Data Protection Registrar I think)?  I honestly think the company is unlikely to do anything unless someone comes down on them like a ton of bricks.

Hate to burst the bubble here of bank bashing but a telephone fault springs to mind - not necessarily an internal fault either and so while unfortunate, more something that the company concerned should be dealing with direct with their service provider. 

Sorry not bank bashing and if the company have a problem with their telephone lines I think we all have a big problem because they do not accept their was a problem.
I can't think who this company would have as their service provider!!!

No need to apologise :)

Technical blips are a pain but they are just that - blips.  You've advised of the problem and personally if I were using their services I'd prefer to think they were determining the cause and ensuring it unlikely to be repeated rather than prioritising their resources to contact someone otherwise unconnected with the issue :)

regards, Teri

Think I'm with you.

I'm not bank bashing Teri as I'm rather inclined to think that banks get unfair bad press sometimes and people should take more personal responsibility for looking after their own finances.  What annoys me here is that the company involved seems to be taking very little interest in investigating this serious problem.

We have no idea what steps the company are taking - merely that they have, as yet, not contacted the OP.

regards, Teri :)

You could be right Teri.  However, I have known of many companies who would not take any action unless other more authoritative bodies were involved. I do think that as the OP seems to have now made several calls, no matter what action the company may be taking someone could have called back to thank her for bringing the matter to their attention and assuring her that steps were being taken.  JMO. :)

Agreed, it would be the polite thing to do :)

but they have not taken any details re the gentleman concerned so they cannot contact him if they contacted him it would make a big difference. If he gets a statement next month and it has massive spending on it will he look to this company or elsewhere.

This company is a big company and should have not brushed me off with it can't have happened. You have to accept you have a problem before you can do anything about it!

I have actually lost the piece of paper.......................paperwork is not my thing! but I do know the gentlemans name.

As he was paying his final bill I doubt that they had many Mr G M Hills paying their final bill that day. Maybe he was going elsewhere for a service!!!

>I have actually lost the piece of paper.......................

And with all of his details on it   Kind of ironic, don't you think??? 

Human error, equally frustrating (and potentially dangerous) as technical ones, but just one of those things unfortunately ;)

We're also all kind of assuming this was a one off, but it is possible that other people's security could also have been compromised and I think the company should really be anticipating the worst case scenario.  As Teri says, we don't know that they aren't but certainly their public relations needs a bit of improvement. ;)

I can quite understand why they would want it in writing from you before instigating any action.  Why don't you put it in writing?

royal bank of scotland do maestro too. If you have the sort code phone a local branch up asking if its one of their codes. Then this will narrow down which bank it is. Then complain. Also i would write this company a strongly worded letter and send it by registered post about what has happened. Also i would ask them if their system has since been fixed as this is a serious security breach and should be covered by the data protection act as his information is being given out without his consent. The fact the company has not done anything is disgusting.

Well the company haven't rung but I have written to Natwest although the post box is 2 miles away and I don't have a license anymore due to ill health!!! I have a friend picking us up on Friday for the vets so will post it then.

I just hope I was the only one listening.

Am I allowed to name this company or not?????????????????????

BesT not ;)

That's funny

I would contact the BBC ;)

I think that is the fault of your phone lines.  It was at one place I worked where we could often and repeatedly hear details of phone conversations occurring at the factory across the street.  Our phone company said our line out was "burning" into their line out.  I'm not sure what that means but while we could hear their conversations, they could not hear us.  I mean they could not hear us trying to interrupt their calls and they apparently did not hear our calls.  We heard other calls too but were only ever able to identify the factory.

Edited to add: One way you can counteract this happening is to give your own number in two sessions.  Not likely the same people will overhear you if give your information in two separate phone calls.  I've also done this to send my info. over the internet; highly unlikely a spammer or some such will intercept two of my emails, particularly if I space them out time wise.