British Gas - fraud opportunities

MrsJ2008

I have duel fuel with BG and each year get a £15 credit. Last year payment was enclosed as a cheque with a covering letter. This year I had to take numerous forms of current id into a paypoint shop to get the cash-back.

My concerns is that the staff in these shops are not CRB checked, the information is highly confidential (bank statements, DOB, salary information, etc) and the information is checked in full public view of other shoppers.

Surely this is a prime pickings for some undesirables to steal our id and run up all sorts of debts in our names?

I have just emailed BG to highlight my concerns and ask them future payments as a cheque. Has anyone else thought this/complained?

t0rt0ise

I'd just be more careful about what you take in to prove who you are. Did you really have to take salary details and bank statements? Last time I had to do this for a redirection of mail application I took my credit card and a water bill. Not much there of interest to anyone.

MrsJ2008

They stipulated the type of id to provide and it had to be current.

I reckon they have done this in the hope people wont have the id to show as most people have paperless billing now

penrhyn

Can't you just pay the cheque into your bank account, or arrange for the payment to be paid there in the first place.

Premier_2

What's this £15 credit for?

If it's for dual fuel, isn't it normally credited to the customer's energy account (or meter if on PPM - it's not payable unless you've got a key PPM where this is possible)

Yellowcard

Premier wrote: »

What's this £15 credit for?

If it's for dual fuel, isn't it normally credited to the customer's energy account (or meter if on PPM - it's not payable unless you've got a key PPM where this is possible)

You can't credit a meter, if its PPM it's done via a cheque once a year (and it's conditonal) if on regular credit dual fuel it goes on the quarterly electricity bill.

undaunted

t0rt0ise wrote: »

I'd just be more careful about what you take in to prove who you are. Did you really have to take salary details and bank statements? Last time I had to do this for a redirection of mail application I took my credit card and a water bill. Not much there of interest to anyone.

I wouldn't be so sure of that personally. Your credit card probably gives your card, issue & security number, expiry date, possibly your bankers name etc - that would be more than enough to make fraudulent transactiions with on line etc.

Your water bill gives your address. It wouldn't need a lot more to start opening accounts in your name.

Many forums include your date of birth, some people chat very freely - revealing things that potentially & inadvertently provides all sorts of useful information about them to fraudsters

Premier_2

Yellowcard wrote: »

You can't credit a meter, if its PPM it's done via a cheque once a year (and it's conditonal) if on regular credit dual fuel it goes on the quarterly electricity bill.

Is the wrong answer

From the British Gas website (click on 'Discount conditions' for dual fuel)

Dual Fuel Discount
A dual fuel discount is given where British Gas supplies both gas and electricity to the same property (and the accounts are in the same names). No dual fuel discount is available to customers with token or smartcard electricity meters. Only one dual fuel discount per property. Where electricity is supplied through an electricity key meter, British Gas must be supplying both gas and electricity to the property on 31st August in each year. The dual fuel discount is up to £15 per annum. A pro-rated amount will be calculated based on the number of consecutive days in an unbroken period in the calendar year up to and including 31st August that British Gas supplied both gas and electricity to the property. This amount will be credited to the electricity meter within the three months following 31st August.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy/our-tariffs/pay-as-you-go.html

Yellowcard

Ah, fair enough!

My source was a BG agent, clearly incorrect!

SwanJon

And the correct answer is C - both of the above and a third option. (This sounds like it is pay as you go - if you have a quarterly/DD meter for electricity the discount comes off each bill.)

Last year BG sent out a lot of cheques, but some customers said that they didn't have a bank account (in which cas eyou can cash it but need to provide ID as above).
Others were sent to customers meters - some customers didn't notice, others thought their meter was faulty.
This year a different way was tried - collect the cash from an outlet - quicker than cashing a cheque, and easier to get to. Certain types of customer still recieved creit to the meter or a cheque though.
Understandably this credit should only go to the customer, so ID was requested when collecting the cash.

Any bank employees want to confirm that they are CRB checked?
Is there any reason that you don't trust your local shop? Alternative shops are available.

t0rt0ise

undaunted wrote: »

I wouldn't be so sure of that personally. Your credit card probably gives your card, issue & security number, expiry date, possibly your bankers name etc - that would be more than enough to make fraudulent transactiions with on line etc.

Of course, but no more information than any other shop gets if I use the card, which is what I was thinking. And anyone knowing my surname, which is unusual, can find my address in the phone book.

As for the OP saying that they were required to give salary details and bank statement, I wonder what happens if you don't work or have a bank account.