What is the purpose of the security questions?

IB requires applicants to select and provide answers to three security questions each selected from a separate pool of questions having varying degrees of complexity. In the event we receive a telephone inquiry involving sensitive information, prior to acknowledging or discussing any account specific information with the caller we will first look to verify that caller's identity. This is accomplished through a multi-tier security process, one tier which requires that the caller answer a randomly selected security question.  The caller must provide an answer to the security question which exactly matches the answer we have on file. Otherwise, the request for information will be denied and a potential lock-down placed upon the account.