I've recently noticed that I reflexively answer my phone with "MyName speaking", it occurred to me that this is bad security practice.
Any suggestion on how I should politely and professionally answer a call without giving away my identity?
Any suggestion on how I should politely and professionally answer a call without giving away my identity?
If it’s important, they’ll leave a voice mail and I can call them back.
The telephone is broken.
It also makes the battery last twice as long.
With that said, I almost got duped by a good samaritan debit card scam about 20 years ago in Toronto.
Along the topics others are replying with, I also don't answer calls usually, and have a call blocker so I'm only notified if someone from my contacts list is calling or if they are recognized by my network carrier as a verified business. Since businesses can also be spoofed, I still don't give any information and find out why they are calling, then politely hang up and call back myself, after first verifying the number in about to call is actually associated with the business.
Credit card fraud is not urgent unless maybe you know your card has been deactivated. They can leave a quick message if your relative is in the hospital or whatever.
"Ahoy" — Alexander Graham Bell
Seems to get me on a "don't call this number" list after a few goes.
I also don't mind confirming my name. But I try to never say "yes" or "no" when they ask if something is right, I respond with "That is correct" or "That is not correct". That may be me being too paranoid of people editing the conversation to make it look like I agreed to something I didn't.
There was some point where I was getting a call that claimed to be a collection agency trying to collect on a DirectTV bill. I've never had DirectTV. They kept trying to get me to confirm an address, I kept informing them that I've never had DirectTV. They would usually hang up when I would press them on who their employer was. They often made the mistake of calling during my commute when I lived roughly an hour away from my place. So, you know, I had the time to kill.
It's not overly paranoid. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/Publications/CanYouHearM...
> The details of this scam vary, but it always begins with a call, usually from a telephone number that appears to be local. When the person answers the call, the scam artist tries to get the person to say “yes”—most often by asking, “Can you hear me?,” “Is this the lady of the house?,” or a similar question. By responding “yes,” people notify robo-callers that their number is an active telephone number that can be sold to other telemarketers for a higher price. This then leads to more unwanted calls.
> In some cases, the caller may record the person saying “yes.” Scam artists may be able to use a recorded “yes” to claim that the person authorized charges to his or her credit card or account.
Used to be used a whole bunch for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramming_(fraud) back in the days when you could subscribe to things via your phone bill.
I've probably read something similar at some point, made the change, and forgot the source that made me wary of it. Cutting the ends of the roast as it were.
I use "hello". It's pretty rude compared to how I was raised, but it's also the only way to not give scam calls the ammo they need to mess with me. So I can live with rude.