Post by Gordon WebbPost by Rosemary MiskinPost by Mr J CarpenterI have now received my fourth email regarding a Barclays account
Since my bank doesn't know my email address, I'm quite happy deleting any
emails from them - and even happier to delete mails, such as these, from
banks I have no dealings with.
It would seem that some people are daft enough to fall for these as Barclays
have sent emails out warning account holders who have online access NOT to
reply to any such email claiming to come from them.
Barclay's - to repeat - do NOT send emails to their
Online Customers! :))
You will have been warned either via Barclays Secured Web
Site when you logged on as an Online Customer, or if anything
via normal land mail - much carried these days by TNT.
If you received an email apparently just to warn you not to
open it - and did at tht time open it - then you may have
already been suckered, hopefully with no ongoing consequence...
As you appreciate, to open it is to invite trouble in the
form of a worm, virus or whatnot, especially if one is using
a Microsoft PC...
Post by Gordon WebbI got one such email supposedly from my bank some years ago and I promptly
phoned my bank to warn them someone was impersonating them, they told me to
ignore the email, a bit daft as I had ignored it and was warning the bank.
Sounds like someone owes you an apology for a less than
tactful reply, Gordon.
Although the person answering your comment might have been
a bit abrupt or, rather, lacking a little in 'calming wit',
it was still the correct advice they gave you.
Look at it from Barclay's point of view and you would have
been just one among many hundreds - even thousands - of
customers who were 'warning' Barclays - and all at the same
time. (You would not have been in any way unique). It's an
unwelcome administrative load for them as well; they are
forced to become unwilling partners in the almost insatiable
'twitchy-finger/mouse-click' curiosity of their all too
human customers!
For instance, look at the small amount of time we've already
spent here, in this ng, just discussing this topic. Imagine
that multiplied a few thousand fold. That is what Barclays
have to field every time one of these emails hits the street.
It's like, well ..ooooerr!!! ;))
So their advice - not NOT open emails purporting to be from
Barclays - and NOT to pay such further attention, time or
expense by 'warning' Barclays is, without doubt, the best.
Barclay's Online customers should already /know/ what to do.
Next time - and there will always be a next time - it's
better if everyone just dumps the junk without even thinking
of opening it and then goes on their way, happy in the
knowledge that a scam hasn't even scratched their sensible,
protected surface. They will most certainly not miss anything
important.
The same applies to unknown emails from other sources -
such as Ebay, asking you to re-establish that account for
which they have 'lost' the details. Do not even open it,
for in doing so, the scam merchant has already won...
Back to Barclays, if they wish to get in touch with anyone,
they will do it directly, in one of the time-honoured and more
secure methods than email.
Oh boy.. Do I remember the days of, "Oh.. Mr. Bill ZFC -
Mr Chamber's (The Bank Manager!) would like to have a quick
word with you, if you don't mind stepping this way...."! ;))
However, the comments from both John and yourself, Gordon,
are wisdom for the uninitiated - especially for customers of
other institutions. I'm not sure what arrangements Banks
other than Barclays might have - although it's a fairly safe
guess that they will operate a mostly identical policy...
..and, from this end at least, thank you.. :))
Bill ZFC
--
Adoption InterLink UK with -=- http://www.billsimpson.com/
Domain Host Orpheus Internet -=- http://www.orpheusinternet.co.uk/