Would you?

[BKE Business Services Ltd]

I realiser email marketing is one of the newest tools we have but.....yesterday I received an email from a company I had never heard of offering me incentives to use the sites they advertise if I used my credit card!!!!Hmm instant alarm bells isnt it? I have had about 5 of these in the last few days so thought I'm going to anser this one. I asked how they had recieved my details and why they where emailing me. The reply was that my details had been submitted by a MR CHEEKY MONKEY. Well if you saw that someone on your database had details submitted by a ridiculous sydonym would you email them? Or would you brush it off as someone aiming to discredit your company? Little tongue in cheek really isnt it?

[Cornish Steve]

Never ever ever ever.... provide credit card information under such circumstances - whether requested by email or by phone.

I recently fell foul of a scam, and I could kick myself. I was travelling in California on business and stayed overnight at a well-known hotel brand. At 2am, the phone rang in my hotel room. The gentleman on the phone was well-spoken, and I had the impression that the call was made from the hotel. He explained he was calling from the front desk, that he was having a problem processing my credit card information, and that he needed me to give him the number: "All I see on my screen are stars; I need to reenter the number."

Still 95 percent asleep, I asked why he couldn't do this in the morning. He gave what seemed to be a plausible explanation, so I provided the credit card number and expiration date. He then asked for the 3-digit code on the back of my card, and that's when I really became suspicious. I asked for his name ('Chris'), agreed to call him back shortly, and hung up the phone.

Next, I placed a call to the front desk and asked for Chris. The reply was ominous: "Chris who?" Immediately, I called my credit card company and cancelled the number. It was quite inconvenient, and I didn't receive the new card for three days, but my actions probably saved me a lot of trouble.

Incidentally, the real managers at the front desk told me the next morning that several guests received a similar call during the night. This was a well-implemented scam, and I learned my lesson.

In general, unless you initiate the conversation and can trust the other person, never give out personal information. If you are shopping at a website, be sure it is a reputable company and that the connection is secure.

Having said all this, it's better to pay for goods and services by credit card than by cheque. You have the right to challenge credit card charges within a certain number of days: This is useful protection.