is it legal to impersonate someone over the phone?

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is it legal to impersonate someone over the phone?

I work at a credit union. A member said that charges on their debit card for a
trial offer are fraud. Can I pretend to be the member and call the company to
inquire about the charges?

Asked on March 1, 2019 under Business Law, Ohio

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 5 years ago | Contributor

NO--you can't do this. Any impersonation of another person in regards to obtaining services or confidential or financial information, is a crime. It is a felony in your state; that means it is the more serious kind of crime, for which you could theoretically fax more than a year in jail. It could also likely make it impossible for you to work in the banking or financial industries.


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