pin up

One of my very first temp jobs, as a naive professional actress, was as a receptionist at a Media Company in Soho.  It was here that I learnt the invaluable art of ALT TAB – the combination necessary to switch from one site to another on your computer in a second, essential for those surprise visits from the person in charge.

For all ye who have never temped, as a receptionist, let me explain a few things about this job.  It does not matter how you dress, how you speak, where you come from, nor even if you arrive on time, you are chaperoned to a reception desk like an elderly aunt, a phone is placed in your hand, while some poor soul explains that when a phone rings you have to pick it up, that to dial out you need to pick up the phone and that you must smile when people enter the building.  Anyway I digress, more on that later...

This reception was incredibly busy, all the time, with visitors for the 23 floors, requests for studios/recordings/lunch dates…the switchboard rang non-stop, and in the midst of this each customer was to be greeted (see above) and sent to the correct floor with access to the right rooms, it took a while but I got there.

It was in this little scene that I received an email saying that my Paypal account had been hacked.  I was most concerned so I followed all the instructions to rectify the situation.  Simply fill in your basic details once more, including the long number on your card, expiry date, security number and pin number…yes…pin number.  Now at this stage most would halt the procedure in hand and remember the age old rule, a bit like putting your hand in a fire, that you never give your pin number to anyone.  Not this day, no, not me.  I filled it all in and with one click the page disappeared.  Busy reception, busy reception, busy reception…not a flicker of concern.

That night whilst chatting to my housemate I mentioned that I’d finally got my PayPal thing sorted.  She rolled her eyes and said “Yeh, what a bloody scam that is!”

“I’m sorry?” 

‘’It’s a scam” she continued, “it asks for your pin number and then it disappears, I mean how many idiots would do that”…

There was a brief pause as my mind fast tracked into images of 10 coins (the status of my bank account) drop into a big bad burglars bag.  

I leapt off the sofa, and yelled  “That was me, I did it, I did that!”

Char attempted to calm me down, “No Rach, you’re fine, you haven’t, they can only get your money if you gave them your pin number”. 

My face drops… “Char…I did”. 

You see Char had known me at this stage for about a year and a half.  I’m not claiming to be some type of Einstein but I have an actual working brain inside my head, I live in the world, I talk to people and even go out for dinner sometimes!  I gave my pin number out on line!

Immediately I’m rifling through bank statements as I try to locate a number for my bank. Time is 2150.  In ten minutes, internet banking, which I haven’t got, shuts down for the night.  I call and plead that they take me seriously.  I chat with this lovely Northern Irish woman, who like Char assures me they can take no money unless I gave out my pin, she chuckles and tells me not to worry.

“Um…the thing is…I kind of did”

Then there is a brief two second hiatus and the phone goes dead

“Hello?”

Two seconds more of silence…the chuckle is no more.  At this point it is necessary to adopt your own  Northern Irish accent, I’ve made it easy to sound out

“YOU GE-AVE THEM YOURRRR PIN NUMBER! Oh dear, oh dear, dear, dear…you NEVER give owt your pin number”

Yes lady, I have by now realized that you never do, in fact I do know, I just went completely mad for a tiny second…so now that it is 2158 can you please stop my account…which she did and for the record I never actually spoke the last bit out loud.  I was at her mercy, I’d have given her my ten coins if it meant the big bad crooks didn’t get them!

It would seem apt at this point to mention that I have never used PayPal, I have no account with them.