Telephone safety--scam reminder from an absent minded writer

If someone calls you and tells you they are calling from your bank / credit card and wants to ask you some questions and these questions turn out to be personal information, they are NOT calling from your bank.

I was in the middle of cooking dinner last night, while also trying to mediate an argument between my kids. I was absent minded enough to give them my date of birth and postal code, but after that I clued in, and terminated the call. I felt like a total idiot, but that's life, I guess.

My credit card customer service told me that I didn't give out anything crucial, but they could still send me a new card for my peace of mind, because "this is what we are here for," so I feel marginally better about my stupidity.

The call sounded very "professional"-- but something was definitely off. I felt it right away, and hesitated before telling my date of birth and postal code. I actually paused for quite a bit, and considered hanging up, but somehow went with the flow.

My credit card people advised me that they would never ask for personal information if they were to call me. Also, if someone calls, claiming to be from your bank, and offers some kind of financial information or service, ask them to mail it to you.