Thursday, April 08, 2010

Alert: I recevied a Diners Club International/ANZ statement and I don't use their services

Yesterday I received a statement from Diners Club International which also had the ANZ logo. Whilst the statement was for the amount $0.00, receiving a statement for a card that I don't use, from a bank that I don't use was a real concern. I'd advise anyone in this situation to call Diners Club International.

Today I followed up. It turned out the problem occurred as a result of software migration. I've not been a member of Diners Club. It has been years since I used ANZ, but I do recall the ANZ sending me out an application. The application I am lead to believe was a pre-approved application.

I now suspect that as part of the software migration process, pre-approved inactive accounts with no balance, had statements generated that shouldn't have been created and sent out. As a developer I understand how such a situation can occur.

According to the customer support person I spoke to, this has happened to others and the account will now flagged for review and followed up by another department.

The reason it is important to follow up in this type of situation is the potential for identity theft. It is important to know that no one is trying to open an account in your name. If you receive a letter or statement like this, make sure you contact the company concerned and record the date, time and name of the person you speak to, and keep a record for later reference. I've learnt the hard way that you need to keep details.

So in summary, this is a procedural error in the IT systems and there is no reason to be concerned. Just make sure if it happens to you, to follow up with the organisation concerned.

- Kelvin Eldridge

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