HSBC "Safe guard" letter

[johnnyb47]

Hi again.
Just the other day I received a letter from HSBC telling me that they are tightening up their security levels on Fraud prevention, and I was required to send off some documentation to prove who i am, which can be cross referenced if the need is felt by the bank.Its all very sensible and I totally agree with the measures the bank wants to put into place , but being the suspicious person I am ,I started questioning whether the letter was ligitimate.
At the end of the day I've received a letter for them telling me to send off a photo copy of my passport or driver's licence and a recent house hold bill and get it countersigned by one of the people in an authoritarian position such as a solicitor / police etc in the envelope supplied..
You often see tv adverts warning you not to give any personal details away to strangers ,and who's to know the letter is not a scam?
It could of been sent by anybody to be frank, so today I popped into my local bank and it turned out to be all above board. I told the bank what I thought of the way this was being handled and pointed out it would be more safer and reassuring to the customer if it was done face to face in the bank , and not by some vague letter. The assistant told me that he's had lots of complaints to the similar vein of mine but it is all above board. A letter dropping through the letterbox is no more safer than a phone call or someone knocking at your door asking for personal details in my book.
Has anybody else received one of these letters. I would be interested to know how you felt about just sending off personal details off yourself to a PO box you've never heard of before.
Many thanks
Johnny

 

[mark st1]

I could maybe understand taking the info into a branch for confirmation. But posting that sort of information sounds a bit risky to me ? Maybe like you I'm just of a suspicious nature.

 

[Markymark]

Go into a bank and ask them.

 

[johnnyb47]

Hi Mark.
That's exactly what I did buddy to make sure it was all ligitimate.

 

[DRHysted]

First Direct send these letters to my mother every couple of years. The first time she contacted them and told them that they already had proof of who she was from when she opened the account, and would not be sending them any new info. She would not be sending a copy of her passport or photo driving license as she didn't have them, and as they send her a statement she saw no point in sending it back to them.
She then shredded the letter and has done with everyone since.
My advice is to treat it like a phone call, if you have not instigated the call then never disclose any details.
My credit card company phoned me the other week as there was an issue on the account, they asked me for my password and were quite surprised when I refused to give any details. Caller ID can be spoofed so unless you have called them directly do not disclose anything, if you get a letter from a company asking for personal details when you are not applying for something from them do not send your details.
It may seem as if I'm paranoid, but still taking these (and other) precautions I have had my credit card done twice, my current account once, and I've been cloned once.

 

[LonesomeWanderer]

I'm with HSBC and that all seems SOP given their general attitude to security. They seem to enjoy sending me unencrypted emails asking me to click random links despite me telling them they would go straight to spam....

I would probably have done as you have and marched down to the local branch, I'd never post that stuff. If they have a problem I can always move my account, there are plenty of other banks handling out introductory deals and my account's always in credit.

 

[ufkacbln]

There was a recent story where by using the passport and details, they changed the ownership of the house at the Land Registry and hen sold it

Me, I do everything in the Branch

 

[Drago]

I seem to recall I had to offer ID to prove my identity before Coutts would let me deposit my billion there.

Having proffered my ID at this point, I'll be damned if I'm going to show it to those cads again. Do they thing I've somehow transformed into someone else in the intervening period?

 

[Milkfloat]

I would ignore it completely. The more you bend to their will, the more you open yourself up to being blamed if fraud occurs on the account.

 

[classic33]

Have the bank sent the envelope out with the address already printed on it, or is that contained within the letter?
If it's in the letter only, not a chance.

I know we used to send letters out when the accounts were opened, requesting the details mentioned, verification of those opening the account. But we never said they had to be signed by anyone. Nor did we we send them out when the account was set up, unless something was wrong. Have you considered that something may be wrong?

I''d treat the letter as a phonecall, as mentioned. If it's genuine, then any branch will be able to photocopy the required paperwork.
What is HSBC Safeguard?:

In today's technology-driven world, banking security has never been more important. At HSBC we're constantly putting new and better ways in place to protect our customers' accounts.

This is why we're introducing HSBC Safeguard; a series of initiatives designed to better protect all our customers from fraud and financial crime. To do this effectively, we need a little help from you. We have global systems that deter and detect criminal activity. To work most effectively, these systems rely on having the most up-to-date customer information. Now we need to confirm that the information we have about you is both accurate and current.

 

[ianrauk]

I wouldn't send anything or even call them about it. They want me for anything then they can call. But sending important documents in the post. I think not.

 

[johnnyb47]

Hi Classic.
The letter did contain an envelope to return my details, with an address printed on it. The local branch said today they were rolling these letters out to there customers over the coming months ,to make sure all details are up to date. He did start talking about all the technical jargon, as to why the bank has to do this ,and said other banks will follow suit in the coming months. I personally don't mind them having a photo copy of my driver's licence ect ,if it will help in preventing fraud ect ,but I do feel that these measures should be undertaken on a face to face basis within the realms of the bank ,and not through some unambiguous letter that drops through the letter box. A letter like this could be generated by any old Tom , dick or harry at the end of the day ,and I felt a little reluctant to just post of a copy of my passport or drivers licence to an unknown correspondent. I'm sure I won't be the last to feel this way as we are are all generally suspicious ,with hearing of all the scams that go on nowadays.
Thanks for your informative post buddy. ( always appreciated )

 

[classic33]

Ask them why are they wanting you to send them to a hair salon.

I bet the person at the branch didn't look as though he knew what he was talking about.

 

[NorthernDave]

You're right to check it in branch.
I had to 'prove' my identity to a bank last year, despite having being a customer for years. Despite assurances that I could just "pop it in the post", I went into the local branch, got them to check the original documents and then send copies off in their own internal mail, with confirmation that they'd seen and validated the originals.

They still lost them though and we had to repeat the saga a month or so later...

 

[Drago]

I would be asking them what they've done with the photocopies of my drivers licence and passport they took when I opened the account.