When Nationwide ask for ID for fraud checks has it anything to do with electoral roll

excalibar

Ok so I bank with Nationwide i.e flex account...Recently applied for credit card, got approved in Principle..Was asked to show ID such as passport, and now proof of address...They claim it's for fraud checks..Does that include checking if your registered on the electoral roll? or even if your on the electoral roll do they still carry out these further ID checks?

why so some folks not get asked for ID yet some do?

grumbler

Don't confuse anti-fraud checks and ID checks. The latter can be often done without copies/originals, but cannot guarantee that it is your who is applying.

jamesd

It's probably part of something generally called "know your customer" which is part of the campaign against money laundering. One part of that is trying to have sufficiently high confidence that the person they're dealing with is the the person they are claiming to be.

One key method normally used for identity verification is online checks. Being on the electoral roll is a key part of that. It can also use records of other credit sources or bill payments that are reported to the credit reference agencies. The more confirming data they get that way the lower the chance is that they will think that more information is needed. But lower chance isn't no chance and sometimes they will want the extra information.

In some cases extra information can include even something like going into a branch so that someone there can verify that the person in the branch is the person on some form of photo-ID that they are being asked to accept. This can happen if something causes them to wonder whether the electronic verification is for the person applying of if it's a case of identity fraud with someone pretending to be you.

If you have a credit card that does money transfer offers for existing customers you'll find that sometimes the letters offering these come with a security code to supply when asking for the transfer. If you supply the code you've proved that you have access to the post sent to the address of the cardholder, increasing the chance that it really is you asking for the money. That's not certain because it could be a family member, say, but it helps.

When applying for a card or current account, sending you an application form in the post can serve a similar role. if you get the form they know you can get the post at the address supplied so it's more likely to be you.

excalibar

It says on the letter that they will only ask enough information to open your account...In this case showing address and photo ID..

Now my query is even if I was not on the electoral roll would it matter? if they wanted to check if I was on the electoral roll then they would not really bother with ID and address proof right?

lastly once I show them these IDs is that it? the account will be open? she did say over the phone that they just need those IDs in order to open the credit card account.. So am assuming either they know am on the electoral roll and they've also checkd credit history too?

grumbler

excalibar wrote: »

... she did say over the phone that they just need those IDs in order to open the credit card account.. So am assuming either they know am on the electoral roll and they've also checkd credit history too?

I don't understand the logic that you base you ssumptions on.
If they want to see the originals proving your ID and address, how can this mean that they know that you are on the roll? The roll is just one of many ways of checking the ID and not the most reliable one.

Re the credit history, yes, if you failed the credit check there would be no point in extra checks of ID and address.