OT
Sunday night I signed up for an international long distance service, for which one pays in advance. It had been recommended, but that was from someone in a different city, and since they had a trial offer, I tried that first.
They offerred me a free dollar's worth of calls, but wanted my credit card info, to convince them I really had a credit card (debit card). They said they would take a very small amount out of my account, and late sunday night I got an email that a penny had been removed. (I always get an email if money is spent without my using the actual plastic card.)
I made a couple calls and and although I only got an answering machine at one and voice mail at the other, I was happy with everything so late last night I added $5 to my account. I didn't have to give them the credit card because they already had it.
At 8 this morning I get a call from someone whom I could barely understand, who said he was from International Calling, or some 2nd word. This isnt' the company I dealt with, but that one was indeed about international calling, so I'm thinking just as they buy their phone minutes from someone else, maybe they have someone else do their billing. He wanted to know how much money I had spent, the last 4 digits of my SSN, and the expiration date on my credit card. I considered asking him the amount, but instead I told him, $5 (How can that hurt me?) and I couldnt' figure out how the other two factoids could hurt me either, but I wouldnt' tell him. I told him the expiration date was the same one I filled in when I signed up for the phone service. (They hadn't asked my SSN or even the last 4 numbers, and I wouldn't have told them either.) I told him I don't know you, and I've spent a lot more money on the card than this without anyone calling me.
I figured the worst that could happen is I wouldn't have the $5 in my account and I'd have to rely on the $1. And if that ran out, I'd have to use Skype, like I have been for 6 months. (Usually phone quality is excellent, sometimes it's not. I want to go back to using a real phone, like a person. )
I asked if I could call him back, and he gave me an 800 number. Didn't give me his name. I googled the number and it is the company I signed up with 2 nights ago. Is this significant?
Two hours later, I get an email from the bank that my $5 went through.
So was he for real, or a thief? His accent was just the same as the two who claimed to be from Microsoft. I told one of them that he would make it so no one trusted people from his country. Of course, he was a thief so he didnt' care about his country either. (But maybe when he's old and complaining about the way the US treats his country, whatever it is, he'll remember that he played a part in that. )
Did they let the charge go through even though he was real and I refused to cooperate with him, because it was only $5. If so, why did they bother calling me in the first place? Why not just put the charge through and see if I complain. And I gave them my phone number (that way I don't have to enter a pin when I call from my house.). Can't they verify my phone number with the bank who issued my debit card? Will the bank do that? Will the bank at least confirm it's my number if a long distance phone companay tells them a name and phone number and debit card number and expiration date and the other three numbers, won' they at least confirm the phone number. So how could it not be me?
And it's not like it's a car, or jewelry. I can't return the phone calls and get money back, like people do with things they buy on stolen credit cards ? I can't fence the phone calls to people who want to call the same numbers I called. I don't remember if he knew my name.
How did he know about my charge with the long distance company so quickly, if he wasn't real?