You receive a call from someone claiming to be the account holder, but they cannot provide the correct PIN or security answer. How would you handle this situation?

Situation

In my previous role at a local financial services office, a customer walked in saying she needed a statement of account but had lost her ATM card and forgot her online banking password. She could not provide any of the usual verification documents.

Task

I had to verify her identity without breaching security protocols, because giving out account info to the wrong person could cost us fines and lose customer trust. At the same time, she was already upset and in a hurry.

Action

I apologized for the inconvenience and explained in simple terms why we needed to verify her identity to protect her account. I asked if she had any government-issued ID with her. She only had a company ID. I then asked her account-specific questions instead: what was the approximate balance last month, when and where was her last transaction, and what was the exact account type she opened. She answered all three correctly. I then called over a supervisor and, following our secondary verification process, we were able to confirm her identity and issue the statement after she signed an identity confirmation form.

Result

She got the statement she needed within fifteen minutes. Although she was frustrated at first, she thanked me for keeping her account safe. No security breach occurred, and the supervisor noted my calm handling of the situation.