Why prove your identity?

When financial services companies ask you for proof of identity, it doesn’t mean they suspect you’re a disreputable Robert Maxwell figure. No, they are required by law to verify the identity of their customers.

Typically, companies do this when you first become a customer. However, they may also ask you to prove your identity if you are already a customer. This is often due to:

• You were a customer before identification requirements became a legal requirement (ie, before 9/11) or when the standards for checks were different than what is needed today.
• The service provider may want to make sure that the information it has about you is up to date.
• You may be requesting a new product or service
• The company wants to protect itself and you from fraud.

prove your identity

Neither the law nor the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) set out specific details on how companies must authenticate the identity of their customers; however, the most reputable companies are required to follow the industry protocols of the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG).

Companies may ask you for different forms of identification, but most companies will ask for official national identity documents to verify your name and address or your date of birth. The following examples include:

• A UK government issued document with your full name and a photograph (such as a valid passport or driving license with valid photo card), or
• A government-issued document with your full name and title, but no photograph (eg old UK passport), plus another document showing your full name and full name, address and/or date of birth.

If you cannot provide them for any reason, the above documents, the following may be sufficient:

• A letter from a local or central government agency confirming entitlement to social/state benefits such as a pension, council tax, housing benefit, or
• Adequate confirmation of identity from a youth’s workplace or educational institution, or
• A letter confirming your identity from the administrator of a nursing home or a guardian of sheltered accommodation or a shelter

All companies have their own policy on what documents they will accept, so they should explain it to you beforehand.

When businesses use electronic databases to verify your identity (ie, credit applications), they may not ask you for identity documents.

If you have difficulty proving your identity, the staff member handling your request should turn the matter over to someone who is authorized to decide that you are who you say you are.