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Fake account numbers for all

 Direct fraud masters to someone who can catch them
  (+2)
(+2) 		  [vote for,
against]

If you get a phone call from someone who claims to be from your bank or credit card company or from PayPal, asking for your credit card number or your checking account number, you should NEVER EVER give it to them. This is a scam; the person is trying to steal your account number so he can then steal money from your bank account / credit card.

It's never happened to me, but when it does, I would love to have a FAKE ACCOUNT NUMBER (assigned to me by my bank) that I could give the crook. Then when the crook tries to withdraw money using the number, the bank immediately realizes something is wrong.

The bank is in a better position to investigate frauds than I am with my little telephone and caller ID and google searches.

Directing all the scammers to the banks and credit card companies will help catch some of them.

So where was I? Ah, yes. Each bank account and each credit card account should come with both a real number and a fake number.

—phundug, Jun 23 2004

(??) Better bank account numbers http://www.halfbake...20account_20numbers
[phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

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       Isn't this kinda like a panic PIN in concept? I like the idea. [+]
—evilmathgenius, Jun 23 2004
   

       Me too, but I gotta say you gotta be pretty dumb to give that information to a solicitor. That takes care of that, and no one will ever have to worry about being so dumb...(what?)
—yabba do yabba dabba, Jun 23 2004
   

       The point isn't to prevent your information from falling into the wrong hands. Thats easy, don't tell them it. Its to catch the scammers as they try to commit fraud.
—evilmathgenius, Jun 23 2004
   

       This could be implemented as an extension to [beland]'s idea. (link)
—phoenix, Jun 23 2004
   

       Yes, [blissmiss], as a matter of fact, the technical term for this sort of operation is a "Gnits."
—contracts, Jun 23 2004
   

       Heh.
—yabba do yabba dabba, Jun 23 2004
   

       I already have one of these!
My card number is 8652 4712 3627 8926.
—MikeOliver, Jun 23 2004
   


 

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