Energy supplier - date of birth

2

Comments

  • PlumbingTheDepths
    PlumbingTheDepths Posts: 41 Forumite
    edited 7 December 2017 at 12:26PM
    takman wrote: »
    I wouldn't consider your date of birth as particularly sensitive information. If it was sensitive then nobody would celebrate their birthday and tell everyone how old they are!.

    I think it becomes sensitive, simply because it is used to check identity, just the same as your mother's maiden name.

    Certainly, I have seen many identity theft warnings about not advertising your date of birth on social media.

    EDIT: To reset the password on my water account yesterday, I needed my email, DOB and registered phone number. As you suggest, plenty of people know all three. (and, yes, I did give the water company my real DOB, which I'm now regretting).
  • nic_c
    nic_c Posts: 2,928 Forumite
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    You have to remember a lot of this information is easily accessible. Unless you have a fairly common name, it would be trivial to find mothers maiden name in the UK if you knew (even roughly) how old they were. It's given when births are registered and that's publically available. Have a search at https://www.freebmd.org.uk for you own
  • PlumbingTheDepths
    PlumbingTheDepths Posts: 41 Forumite
    nic_c wrote: »
    You have to remember a lot of this information is easily accessible. Unless you have a fairly common name, it would be trivial to find mothers maiden name in the UK if you knew (even roughly) how old they were. It's given when births are registered and that's publically available. Have a search at https://www.freebmd.org.uk for you own

    Quite right, this information is not too difficult to find.

    Luckily finding my mother's real maiden name won't help them hoodwink my bank, if my bank have a record of her name being "Ramesses the third". :rotfl:
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,545 Forumite
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    A place of birth for one of my accounts was the Lost City of Atlantis :)

    See how many people try that as an answer for a security question :)
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • Shakin_Steve
    Shakin_Steve Posts: 2,700 Forumite
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    After watching Martin Lewis on tv (all about switching),it occurred to me that maybe one of the reasons they ask for your DOB is to check whether you are entitled to one of the discounts available to older customers.
    I came into this world with nothing and I've got most of it left.
  • nic_c
    nic_c Posts: 2,928 Forumite
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    Shakin_Steve wrote: »
    After watching Martin Lewis on tv (all about switching),it occurred to me that maybe one of the reasons they ask for your DOB is to check whether you are entitled to one of the discounts available to older customers.

    Possibly, but often companies request as much information as possible, just in case it's needed in future. You can always ask why do they need it and state you'd rather not disclose it.
    I don't think there is a problem giving an incorrect DOB so long as you are consistent - the problem is when you phone up the energy company and can't remember what you used originally :rotfl: . A lot of people will have incorrect DOB on their credit reports, especially for the likes of mobiles taken out over the phone or by hand written application where someone else is inputting the data.
  • tenchy
    tenchy Posts: 486 Forumite
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    nic_c wrote: »
    Possibly, but often companies request as much information as possible, just in case it's needed in future. You can always ask why do they need it and state you'd rather not disclose it.
    I don't think there is a problem giving an incorrect DOB so long as you are consistent - the problem is when you phone up the energy company and can't remember what you used originally :rotfl: . A lot of people will have incorrect DOB on their credit reports, especially for the likes of mobiles taken out over the phone or by hand written application where someone else is inputting the data.


    I know I've asked this before - but there's never been a satisfactory answer. The question is - how can this happen? The credit bureaus identify people uniquely by a combination of name, address and date of birth, so if one of those items doesn't match, they can't associate records being submitted with those they already have on file (leaving aside linked addresses and alias names). What on earth is going on here? If they receive records with an unmatched date of birth then they can't link them - simple as that. Are they linking them regardless? If so, and it can be shown that they are, then the ICO should be informed about this malpractice.
  • Shakin_Steve
    Shakin_Steve Posts: 2,700 Forumite
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    tenchy wrote: »
    I know I've asked this before - but there's never been a satisfactory answer. The question is - how can this happen? The credit bureaus identify people uniquely by a combination of name, address and date of birth, so if one of those items doesn't match, they can't associate records being submitted with those they already have on file (leaving aside linked addresses and alias names). What on earth is going on here? If they receive records with an unmatched date of birth then they can't link them - simple as that. Are they linking them regardless? If so, and it can be shown that they are, then the ICO should be informed about this malpractice.
    I think a few folk on the forum exaggerate.....a little. My energy supplier (EDF) does not report to the CRA’s, but some do.
    I came into this world with nothing and I've got most of it left.
  • BettyBones
    BettyBones Posts: 164 Forumite
    I've never given any utility company my personal details. They get my title and surname and that's it. I don't currently pay any utilities through a supplier as they're all included in my rent but the last supplier I did have was E-On. When I rang them to tell them that I had moved into the property they asked for my date of birth but when I asked what they needed it for, they said 'so that we know the date when you become eligible for the older person's discount'. I was about 30 years away from my retirement date at that point so said thanks, but no thanks.

    To be honest, I don't really understand why I would need to give my personal details as security for when I want to contact them either. Surely just giving the account number is sufficient?
    What's someone going to do... ring up and pretend to be me so they can pay my bill? Or try to find out how many pence per unit I'm paying? Anyway, I wouldn't give any further personal details other than my title and surname and the chap on the other end of the phone was fuming. Eventually he said 'don't bother ringing us when you have a problem then' and promptly hung up on me :rotfl:
    If you can dream it, you can do it - Walt Disney
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,545 Forumite
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    You should have asked at what age the discount applies and said i was that age yesterday :)

    EDF here and nothing on my file. If they do i will phone and ask why my dads electric bill is on my file.

    Far too much information being shared these days and its only there to be sold on.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

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