January 09, 2007
Cat's Credit Card
Please read the following story, writes guest quizmeister Philipp, about Cat´s Credit Card, and afterwards please answer the Puzzling Identity Question:
Bank of Queensland issues credit card to catAustralia's Bank of Queensland has apologised for issuing a credit card to a customer's cat after its owner decided to test the bank's identity screening system.
The bank issued a credit card to Messiah the cat after its owner, Katherine Campbell from Melbourne, applied for a secondary card on her account under its name.
According to local press reports the cat was issued a Visa credit card with a A$4200 limit.
Campbell told reporters that the bank requested identification from Messiah but later sent a credit card without receiving any proof of ID. To make matters worse Campbell - who is the primary credit card holder - says she was not notified that a secondary credit card attached to her account had been issued.
The bank has apologised for the error but stated that people who apply for credit cards must sign to confirm the information provided is true. The bank says it will not be taking any legal action against Campbell in this instance.
And here is the question: Think twice!
Who is to blame?
[ ] The bank
[ ] The people working in the bank
[ ] The bad security technology, the should have used XYZ
[ ] The risk manager in the bank
[ ] The risk analysis of the bank
[ ] The credit card standards
[ ] The identity standards in that particular country
[ ] The general identity model
[ ] The missing species rights, allowing cats to have credit cards
[ ] The woman
[ ] The cat
[ ] Nobody
[ ] The one who didn´t limit their liability beforehand
[ ] I don´t know
[ ] All of the above
[ ] ________________
Best regards,
Philipp Gühring
PS: (;-)-CC (Smiley that shows a smiling cat with a creditcard)
Well, this was a secondary card, so no foul, right?
There are many other examples of new accounts that have been granted to pets and to toddlers. That's where the problem is.
You know, these problems would go away if banks couldn't write off bad debt against their taxes...
Posted by: Chris Hoofnagle at January 9, 2007 12:53 PMHi Chris!
Why would you propose banks not being able to write bad debts against their taxes?
And, to be fair, what is the problem you are aiming to solve?
(Most all businesses write bad debts "against their taxes" because they are not collectable and therefore are losses which is subtracted from income.)
Posted by: Iang at January 10, 2007 04:00 AMWho is to blame?
Perhaps I need to think twice, but my immediate first response is:
[ x ] Nobody
From time to time a credit card is issued to a pet and it makes the news (perhaps because it's an appealing human-interest story), but in this case what's the big deal? The primary cardholder assumes full responsibility for charges on the secondary card, so she could just as well have one issued to her pet rock. Also on her own card she's free to have any name she wants embossed on it (including her cat's), which doesn't seem too different.
Posted by: Ray at January 10, 2007 04:34 AM