I got a mysterious call yesterday from a woman claiming ASPIRE VISA was sending me a credit card with a credit limit of about $4,000.
She knew my first and last name and middle initial - so, though I'd not applied for the card, at first I thought she might be legitimate.
Before she could mail it, however, she said she needed to confirm that she was speaking to the correct card recipient and asked me to verify by giving my social security number. I said no. So then she asked me to verify by giving my mother's maiden name. I said no. Then she asked me to quantify my annual income.
At this point, I asked her how it is I was being sent a card I never applied for and she said she got my information from "other credit card companies." So I told her if that was true, then she had all the information on me that she needed and shouldn't be asking for personal information like annual income, etc.
Then she said the card would be mailed to me but that I'd need to give her a password to activate the card, a password only I could use to activate it as assurance in case the card got mis-delivered or stolen en route. She asked again for my mother's maiden name. I couldn't help but be suspicious by now! I refused, so she asked me to just make up a password. I refused. She was very persistent on this point, however, and then asked if she could list my last name as the password. I said no.
I asked her for her telephone number and said good-bye. I heard babies crying in the background - I can't believe she was a legitimate company representative.
When I called the 1-800 number she gave me, I did get a recording saying it was ASPIRE VISA. But the message said to type in the account number I was calling about OR MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
I got online to try to determine how accurate my suspicions are. I haven't read another consumer complaints like mine, about them trying to procure personal information for identity theft. The other reports I've read have all been about how they unethically weazle your debt to their advantage - but, either way, I'd recommend running away from the temptation to receive a credit card from these folks. -end
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