Vulnerability during a phone call

I'm going to share an awkward subject that I'd rather leave off my blog but I believe it's important to be honest about a variety of topics. Awkward, embarrassing, silly, serious, all of it belongs on here.

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There's a level of vulnerability involved when I make my own phone calls. During the call, I'm communicating with two people: The faceless relay employee and the business agent. When I make phone calls to my credit cards or bank, I worry the interpreter is writing down my information for fraudulent intents. I can refuse to answer a couple of security answers, but I can't refuse all questions. How much information does it take to have your identity stolen?

During my last phone call, my credit card company interrupted the call to directly ask the interpreter to verify their company and employee ID number. Talking directly to the interpreter shows poor etiquette, but in this case--that is an excellent addition to security policies and to date they are the only company I've encountered with this new policy. As much as I appreciate relay technology, I'm constantly worried because it only takes one shady employee to use my information for identity theft or fraudulent purchases. But what else can I do other than force a hearing friend or family member to handle 100% of my phone calls?

Handling my own phone calls is one way to feel independent, but it comes with risks. I've had fraudulent purchases on my accounts twice. Once is entirely unrelated to phone calls (Papa Johns inside Houston Int'l Airport), the second time may have been a relay employee but I can't say that with certainty. Both of those occurred over 5 years ago. It could be unnecessary paranoia, but it's one that will stick with me unless I give up and make a hearing person my Power of Attorney. If it were possible, I would never make phone calls and handle everything in person. That would be the easiest solution, but it's not an option.

 It might seem simple: "Get someone else to handle your phone calls, what's the big deal?" But handling phone calls is just one of those things people take for granted. It's easy to do and accessible everywhere-- If you're hearing. It's an everyday habit for most hearing people and probably isn't associated with independence. When other people have handled my phone calls, I'm left without a voice of my own. That feeling of helplessness is why I continue to make my own phone calls despite the risks.