smith@NCoast.ORG (Phil Smith) (04/24/91)
The April '91 Gold Card Update mentions this service "improvement" in the Ask the President column. Their new automated information service will provide current balance, last payment received and mailing address to send a payment. Use a tone-dial phone to enter your Gold Card account number, followed by your SSN to confirm your identity. Those of you who already think your SSN is a 'Universal identification number' that everyone is entitled to use shouldn't have any problem with this, BUT I do! Anyone that does have a problem with that, may I suggest you call or write AMEX and tell them so. Here is the number for the automated service for those of you who wish to use it: 1-800-292-AMEX
smith@NCoast.ORG (Phil Smith) (04/24/91)
Just spoke to a supervisor at AMEX. I expressed my concern as to using SSN or zipcodes for security validation. He stated that if one failed the auto validation procedure they would be connected to a customer service representative would ask appropriate questions to verify your identity. He agreed that any info normally found in one's wallet used for validation could present a compromise to security. He said at his level nothing could be done to change the validation numbers to a random sequence or a number I could provide that would not be normally linked to me. He said what he could do was submit a report to their New York office to the head of the division stating my complaint. Will they actually listen to little me? Would they listen to all of you? Call or write to them if you are concerned.