How safe is personal data held by banks?

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Skipper

Recently, I had reason to question the level of security of personal data held at high street banks.

Wondering whether a cheque had cleared late Wednesday afternoon, I called the National Westminster Bank telephone banking centre and was eventually put through to a young fellow who was eager to help me, (he was equally eager to point out that I should I sign up for online banking.)

In order to confirm my identity, he asked a few questions, but most importantly, he requested I confirm my date of birth. This I duly did, he responded to my request regarding the pending cheque and that was the end of the call.

The following day, I decided to go into the bank to withdraw some money for the weekend. When I presented my withdrawal request and ID (I was not at my regular branch of NatWest) at the counter, the clerk looked very serious and informed me that the date of birth on my passport did not match the date of birth on record for my account. I was subsequently invited to a back office to talk to a manager, feeling a little confused as I had used my passport as ID on many previous occasions.

The manager proceeded to ‘correct’ the information on file after seeing my driver’s license and passport. I got as close as possible to ensure he was genuinely entering data and he was. When done, he tried to sell me an array of NatWest products which, needless to say, I was not interested in.

I left the bank not merely agog at the level of subterfuge these people will descend to in order to push their wares, but wondering just how easy it is to alter confidential personal data within the banking environment, what data is available for bank staff to alter, and how easy it might be to inspect an audit trail on my account. Was this an elaborate ruse by the bank in order to get me in a position where they can offer up their wares? Or was there a genuine lapse in security?

I have had the account in question for more than ten years and there has never been any issue over the accuracy of my personal data when checked over this period. This leads me to conclude the change was made recently. A week prior to the incident, I had transferred a quite large sum of money in to that account. This leads me to think it was orchestrated in order to sell me something.

Why Mephedrone should not be banned

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Skipper

The regrettable deaths of two teenagers in Scunthorpe at the weekend has re-ignited the debate over drugs sold as ‘legal highs’ in the UK.

Government ministers have requested a review of the drug from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and many expect the freely available drug used in this instance, Mephedrone, to be given some classification.

History bears graphic testament to the thesis that prohibition does not work. Not a single substance deemed illicit has been successfully controlled by prohibition. Banning a substance invigorates its supply through illicit channels, making it attractive and ultimately profitable to organised criminals. Unregulated supply in the hands of criminals leads to product impurity which invariably leads to death on the streets. In addition, an enormous sink for public funds is created fighting a newly created black market.

The free experimentation we encourage and laud in young people in so many other fields of endeavour needs to be channeled away from destructive outlets. This can only be achieved through education. Mandatory drug education and awareness programs need to be introduced to schools in the pre-teen years, and augmented over the impressionable years.

In recent years, we have made significant progress in educating young people about the dangers of smoking and tobacco. In less than a generation, tobacco has been successfully stigmatized to the point that we see a decline in the habit’s uptake in young people. Can we not repeat these successes for other substances?

If teenagers, in receipt of the facts, are entrusted to make decisions about their lives, invariably they will not disappoint their mentors. Educators must lead through example and nurture young people in the ways of what is right (as opposed to what is legal), leaving behind the parochial mentality based largely on fear and misunderstanding.

Snow highlights local resource failures

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Skipper

The recent spell of harsh weather seems to have highlighted at least one area where our local council has room for improvement in its decision making. I couldn’t help but notice that as council employees worked hard to shovel, sand and grit the roads and pavements surrounding the local council offices and neighbouring buildings, pensioners and child-laden mothers attempting to get basic supplies were slipping and falling along the nearby ice-covered pavements of the town’s high street. Some might suggest this was an emphatic example of misappropriation of limited local resources.

Indeed, our local accident and emergency department had a 9 (nine) hour waiting list for admissions as a result of the huge influx of people requiring treatment for broken limbs after falling on the snow and ice.

What is the cost to the taxpayer of treatment and after-care for these broken-limbed multitudes. Surely it’s far more prudent to pay a council crew or even third-party contractor to shovel, sand and grit the high street and avoid as many of these expensive and life-changing injuries as is possible?