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My bank has been warning customers that if they receive an e-mail purporting to be from them they "should not action any links in the e-mail."

It then goes on to tell what to do if in fact you have "actioned" a link.

I e-mailed them to suggest that this was a bizarre usage of the word "action", and received back:

Dear Mr. Rueger,

Thank you for your inquiry.

Action can also be used as a verb and to action something means taking steps to do it.

I hope this information is helpful.

Please feel free to contact Scotiabank again any time you require assistance. Our Customer Service Representatives and E-mail Specialists would be pleased to assist you.

Tel. within North America: 1-800-472-6842 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) Tel. outside North America: 416-288-3899 (collect calls accepted 24/7) E-mail: email@scotiabank.com Confidential 2-way messaging for Scotia OnLine users

Thank you again for contacting Scotiabank. We appreciate your business and look forward to assisting you in the future.

Regards,

Irshad Alleear Email Customer Service Officer Customer Contact Centre Scotiabank

Should I admit defeat?

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Action is used as a verb. – Andrew Leach Sep 5 '12 at 15:00
@AndrewLeach - but does "action those links" make sense from that definition? – Matt Эллен Sep 5 '12 at 15:12
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It's certainly inelegant, but not outside the bounds of English. – Robusto Sep 5 '12 at 15:14
1  
Action can be used as a verb, but it is a strange usage to me given that there are other words (that seem more descriptive and common) to describe clicking or visiting or opening a link. A quick google shows that "action a link" is in use, though. Also, plugging in the definition given in the response is even more nonsensical: "should not take steps to do any links in the e-mail." huh? – Cameron Sep 5 '12 at 15:15
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Admit defeat. English speakers will say anything and claim that it's good and acceptable just because they said it (especially if they're native speakers) or if they find some book that claims to be authoritative. As long as you understand it, accept it as something that bankers and other administrative types say. You don't have to say it yourself. – Bill Franke Sep 5 '12 at 15:53
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closed as general reference by Andrew Leach, Robusto, FumbleFingers, cornbread ninja 麵包忍者, Mark Beadles Sep 5 '12 at 15:26

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