Fraud ID check verification from cell phone provider

How could they possibly know this stuff?

[Terabytes]

I recently purchased my first cell phone (a new blackberry) about 2 weeks ago...

I received a call from the provider, they wanted to verify my identity to to make sure I wasn't defrauding them. They proceeded to ask me several questions with multiple answers and I had to give the correct answer to verify that I am me... :)

One of the questions was:
have you had any business dealings with any of these companys?:

Company A
Company B
Company C

They referred to a company I did a website for about 8 years ago.

not that that was amazing in any way, but....

The customer never paid for the site...it never went live, and it was only a personal agreement between us. There was nothing on paper or anywhere else...

How in the world could they know about this transaction?

I was totally blown away by the fact that they (somebody) knew about this seamingly private transaction...

makes me wonder what else "we think" is dead and buried in our past...

Thanks!
Tera

[LifeinAsia]

I get very suspicious if anyone calls and says they need to verify my identity. How sure are you that they really were from your provider? What other types of questions did they ask? Did you try knowingly giving them a wrong answer just to verify that they had the real answers? The whole thing just sounds very suspicious to me.

[Terabytes]

They didn't really ask anything "life threatening"...

one of the questions was:
have you ever owned this particular vehicle:

A: 1999 Mercedes Benz
B: 1994 Chevy Celebrity
C: 2004 Ford Pickup

Yes...I'm guilty I used to own a beater Chevy Celebrity...:)

the choices for the answers were too obscure for them to guess on any of it...

never asked about anything that I might question as too personal...

I mean who cares about a crappy car I used to own, I doubt that information can make me bankrupt...lol

Thanks!
Tera

[weeks]

I hope you are right, Tera. Probably so. Still, I would be careful and ask for a number to call back, then answer the questions. It's not too difficult to mask caller ID.

That is weird about them knowing the name of your almost-client.

[oneguy]

The whole thing just sounds very suspicious to me.

It should. But, there are some companies out there collecting some serious data.

The customer never paid for the site...it never went live, and it was only a personal agreement between us. There was nothing on paper or anywhere else...

I'm guessing that they made an attempt to check you out in some form or another, potentially without your knowledge.

[Receptional]

I had someone phone me shortly after I bought a phone from a supermaket. When I said no - I don't know who you are, they hung up instantly. Here's the thing - the phone number is on the box. Someone can go round and collect the phone numbers before you buy the kit. From there they know:

1. The phone network you are own
2. The town you live (or at least shop) in
3. The approximate date of purchase.

In the UK you can use the electoral roll to tie a phone number to a human being and to an address. Unlikely in your case - they were either genuine or could get your name from the credit card slip. Hey - maybe you person selling you the phone got your name in the sales pitch process.

So - phone number, Name, address all in one place. Where do we go from here?

Well - a credit check on you is very straightforward. here we might pick up the companies you did work for but never got paid. Buy that chevvy on a lease did you? That's on there - along with potentially the number plate of the vehicle. Ever crash that vehicle? Google Earth pretty much verifies it's colour and whether you have any more cars - and the standard of living.

Now - we are going for the real stuff here. Social Security number and Passport number. Well - the easiest way to get the passport number is to tie you to a flight you made. SO many security checks on aeroplanes now, that frankly the passport number is as good as public.

I am sure that any provate investigator has a social security number database.

It's all so scary isn't it...

Just going to the nub of your scary but further:

How in the world could they know about this transaction?

It is quite likely that your friend has gotten himself or his business into a financial position. At that point, it is in his interests to reveal all of his outstanding debts - real or otherwise and, oddly, overstating this can work to his advantage in recalculating repayments. If he went bakrupt, then revealing those debts at that time would effectively help to get them offset in the bankruptcy proceedings so that when he comes out of bankrupcy, the slate is wiped clean. If you are going down for a penny - may as well go down for a pound!

[edited by: Receptional at 3:14 pm (utc) on Jan. 2, 2007]

[jsinger]

the phone number is on the box.

Not on my cell phone box. (in the U.S.) Are you talking about pre-paid cell phones?

When someone suspicious asks for personal info, I take their name and number and return their call thru their company's main switchboard (not the direct number they provide).I get the main number from the web, not from the caller.

Yes, conning people and companies out of personal info has become a major business in recent years. That's how cell phone call records are obtained and sold for big bucks.

[Terabytes]

I wanted to say thanks for all your info on this topic...

Have a great year!

Tera