Ask Laz: Is your info safe when dealing with an overseas call center?
It’s a sure bet that at some point in your consuming life, you’ve interacted with an overseas call center. Many U.S. companies save a buck by outsourcing customer service to the Philippines, India, Mexico and other telephonic destinations.
Dave says he recently opened a Citibank credit card account. In a call to customer service, he says he “could hear in the background people chatting in foreign languages.”
That’s not what troubled him. What worries Dave is that he was asked for his Social Security number and birth date to verify his account status. By disclosing such sensitive info to people in another country, he fears — not unreasonably — that he could be increasing his odds of fraud or identity theft.
Dave asks: “Can I refuse to give them the info? Or ask for a U.S.-based rep?”
Before I answer, let’s dispense with a commonly held belief. Some think that U.S. companies are required by law to transfer you to a domestic call center if you make such a request.
Not so. While some companies will switch a call to an American service rep if a customer asks, there’s no legal requirement that they do it.
Legislation was introduced in Congress in 2009 aimed at requiring overseas call center workers to identify their location. It got nowhere. A year later, there was talk of a bill to require U.S. companies to disclose when a call was being transferred abroad. It was never introduced.
There’s no harm in asking a service rep where he or she is located, but that won’t always produce a satisfactory response. Many overseas service reps are trained to adopt American-sounding names and mannerisms to fool callers. Don’t be surprised if you’re told there’s a policy against revealing the center’s whereabouts.
Now then: You can refuse to provide information requested by a service rep, but, of course, that could stop the transaction in its tracks. If your account can’t be verified, you may not be able to get the help you seek.
You can certainly ask to be transferred to a domestic call center — and a growing number of American companies are reopening U.S. call centers in response to years of complaints from customers. But it’s not a given that your request will be fulfilled.
My advice, Dave, is to roll with it. Most reputable U.S. companies do business with reputable overseas call-center operators. Yes, there’s a chance of ID theft, but that’s more a factor of an unscrupulous worker than an untrustworthy firm.
And when it comes to unscrupulous workers, America has its share of home-grown scammers. So don’t think you’re safe just because you’re on this side of the border wall.
This is important: Provide your personal info only when you’ve initiated the call. If somebody purporting to work for a well-known company calls you, give them nothing. Tell them you’ll call back through the main switchboard.
Oh, and the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t make house calls. If you get a call saying you owe back taxes, hang up.
Got a question? Email me at AskLaz@latimes.com. And follow me on Twitter @Davidlaz.
Got a question? Email me at AskLaz@latimes.com. And follow me on Twitter @Davidlaz.
ALSO
ACLU says TSA’s own documents don’t support program to spot terrorists
Lawmakers urge regulators to delay plans for Oxnard power plant
Charlie Rose of ‘CBS This Morning’ to undergo heart valve replacement surgery
