07 Sep 2025 - AJ
I always remind people to make sure they’re talking to who they think they’re talking to.
A long time ago, I did call center work that was mostly inbound with a little bit of outbound. When I was calling outbound to get information, I always introduced myself: “Hi, this is AJ, I’m with (employer). Can I ask you about XYZ?” Note that this was almost always asking for information that could be abused to commit identity theft or worse - what is known as PII, or Personally Identifiable Information.
You’d be surprised at how many people said, “Sure, AJ, let me get you that info” without verifying that I was who I said I was. Fortunately I was who I said I was.
Those who challenged me, hung up, called the main number, and asked to be transferred to me? I absolutely loved those people.