First and foremost every American consumer should know that Telecheck Outsources their services to India! Holding someone accountable for criminal behavior is nearly impossible due to that.
I tried to pay for a purchase at a store via / business check. The merchant uses Telecheck to authorize all check purchases. My check was declined by Telecheck. No reason given at the terminal, so I had to go home and go online for details.
When you go online to Telecheck when your check was declined for any reason, the system asks for all the numbers on that check to be entered at their website starting from the left of the check and reading to the right. I did that and the only reason given by Telecheck for the decline was it was declined to protect the consumer (me) from possible identity theft. Or / that there were certain flags that came up with Telechecks policies and my account did not meet the criteria.
I then telephoned customer service. I got a guy who was Indian and yet spoke very good English. He asked me for my check numbers reading from left to right, just as the automated system required prior. This so as to see if he could find any more details as to why my check was declined. He said the account didn't even show up in their system. He then asked my date of birth. I gave that. Still nothing showed. He then asked my Drivers License Number, wherein he said he found all my bank accounts under my name and yet nothing appeared as to why the check was declined because there was no record of my account at all.
He then asked for my social security number! Uh, no way! I told him politely I'd just check into things on my end. And I hung up.
Two days later, I try to go online at the very bank that formerly declined check was drawn on and find the bank has frozen online access.
I call and they say it's because there was suspicious activity, possibly a phishing scam, that was detected a couple of days earlier and they froze the account for security purposes.
I had to go through a whole lot of trouble to reactivate my account to online access.
Thing is, I'm writing this review because that suspicious activity on my account and the timing as to when it all started coincided with the same day as that declined check issue and my telephone call directly to Telecheck.
I've been declined before because my account bounced a check once on their system. I went through their automated system and talked to someone, again an Indian, and all got straightened out. No problems.
But that last transaction is what set the red flags and security measures curtain to fall on that same account!
Be aware. Telecheck is the service many apartment complexes use when potential unit applicants apply for a rental and that complex proceeds to commit to a background check of the applicant.
And Telecheck will regurgitate bad credit history that showed up on your account as much as 16 years ago!
Whatever you do DO NOT call Telecheck about a declined check or any check issues you have between them and a merchant you've visited and give them any more information than your check numbers. That is the legal tender instrument they declined. And that is the only personal information they're entitled to!
I made that mistake. That anonymous foreign voice on the phone can very easily write down your personal information while they're keying things in on the computer at Telecheck. And with just enough information, like DOB, Drivers License Number, and that checking information, they can take your ID. Thank God's I didn't give him my SSN!
Meanwhile, to protect yourself from Telecheck, who could be involved in all sorts of nefarious enterprises, venture to the three major credit reporting agencies in America; Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. And freeze your credit report!
All but one allow you to do this for free. The one that charges charges less than a one and only charge of $10.00 or maybe a little more by now.
You can lift the freeze if you're going to apply for a loan or credit in future. But in the meantime, this safeguards you from junk mail, ID theft, and breach of your credit!
It's like that LifeLock company that charges a monthly rate to do the very thing you can do for free or a modest one time payment.
Protect yourself. With the government allowing outsourcing to foreign countries, we're all at risk in our personal financial security. The more you know...
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