Time was when to have a credit card was sort of a status symbol. Now many banks practically give it away and in some cases, shove it to your face.

I understand the card agents who walk up to me with the offer of "free membership on the first year," and "pang-emergency lang, ma'am," or "additional credit when you need it" since they earn from sign-ups. I also understand how my branches of account offer me credit cards because bank employees are required to do their own selling.

I understand getting the offer, and I appreciate being given the right to refuse.

What I hate though is that some banks have resorted to getting contact information unscrupulously and using that information to -- how do I put it -- apply on our behalf. Unknowing consumers have been contacted by agents who were "just verifying" or "confirming" some work information and presto.. five tricky minutes later, they've been duped to getting an additional, unnecessary credit card.

In the last two weeks I received separate calls of that nature from East West Bank.

The first call went this way:

"Good morning, ma'am. This is so and so from East West Bank. Tanong ko lang po kung ano ang position ni (my husband) sa company?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Employment verification lang po."

"What for?"

"Credit card application nya po sa East West Bank."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but he does not have an application with East West Bank."

"Paano nyo po nalaman?"

"Asawa ko siya."

"Ah, (stammer) sige, thank you po."

And the second attempt went this way. (I dare say they've been getting pretty stupid call agents lately...)

"Ma'am, correct me if I'm wrong, pero si (my husband) is ONE OF THE GENERAL MANAGERS of (our company), tama po ba?"

[Last time I checked, isa lang ang general manager in any company. So I was tempted to say, "No, you're wrong..."]

Instead I asked, "Why do you need to know?"

"Employment verification lang po for his credit card application with East West Bank."

"You know, you're the second person who's called about that. Let me say again, he does not have a credit card application with East West Bank."

"Sino ho ba ito?"

"Asawa niya."

"Baka ni-refer lang ho siya ng ibang friends niya..."

"Wala kaming ganung friends... they make sure to at least tell us na ni-refer nila kami. You must have obtained his personal information somewhere else."

Shoo, fly. Don't bother me.

"Ah, anyway, Mrs., thank you po and have a nice day."

What, after that pesky intrusion of privacy?

Then, to top it off, a credit card statement of Account in my mom's name was delivered to our house from -- you guessed it -- East West Bank. My mother's overseas and has never applied for this credit card. Nor has a card in her name been delivered before this statement.

While wala naman siyang utang, according to the statement, she was still pretty ticked off because it's screaming intrusion of privacy and trickery.

This is NOT what respectable banks do. East West Bank, clean up your act.