Any John Lewis PartnerShip card owners asked to verify their identity?

pb3

Hi forum,


I have a John Lewis Partnership card - have had it for over 15 years.


Got a letter out the blue today to the effect that "we have fallen short of obtaining sufficient proof of identity and address for a small number of customers... unfortunately you are one of those customers..."


The letter goes on to request certified copies of a document that proves identity and another document that proves address. Alternately you can take the documents into the customer service dept at any John Lewis Shop or by appointment at an HSBC branch.


The letter also concludes with "we would not ask if it wasn't essential"


Is anyone else on the board any of these "small number of John Lewis customers" who have received this letter?


Anyone able to hazard a guess as to this peculiar step? I have always been on the Electoral Register so this is rather puzzling. And tbh I'm a bit peeved. Any ideas?

GingerBob_3

pb3 wrote: »

Hi forum,


I have a John Lewis Partnership card - have had it for over 15 years.


Got a letter out the blue today to the effect that "we have fallen short of obtaining sufficient proof of identity and address for a small number of customers... unfortunately you are one of those customers..."


The letter goes on to request certified copies of a document that proves identity and another document that proves address. Alternately you can take the documents into the customer service dept at any John Lewis Shop or by appointment at an HSBC branch.


The letter also concludes with "we would not ask if it wasn't essential"


Is anyone else on the board any of these "small number of John Lewis customers" who have received this letter?


Anyone able to hazard a guess as to this peculiar step? I have always been on the Electoral Register so this is rather puzzling. And tbh I'm a bit peeved. Any ideas?

B*llsh*t! It's not essential. This is yet another example of the money laundering paranoia that pervades the whole financial sector and makes life difficult for everyone.


If you have another credit card send back the JL one, cut up in an envelope, with a covering letter telling them what a bunch of prats they are. If they are that concerned about checking "you are who you say you are", to coin a much overused phrase, why don't they just check what info is held about you in the CRA data cesspit. There'll be plenty there to confirm your identity.

pvt

pb3 wrote: »

or by appointment at an HSBC branch.

And that probably explains it all.

I deduce from this that HSBC provides the Partnership Card for JL, and HSBC has been hit very hard with fines in the USA for failing to adhere to the letter of anti-laundering requirements.

My guess is HSBC are trawling through every bit of data they have to ensure correct process was followed, and found something about JL's validation procedure that has scared them.

I have a JL Partnership card, but only about 4 years old, and I haven't had such a letter.

But given that JL is one of the better CC providers with very good CS, why not comply with the request rather than spite yourself by turning it in?

If you do as GingerBob suggests and want to replace it with a card from another supplier, you'll have to provide the same validation for the new one anyway.

GingerBob_3

pvt wrote: »

And that probably explains it all.

I deduce from this that HSBC provides the Partnership Card for JL, and HSBC has been hit very hard with fines in the USA for failing to adhere to the letter of anti-laundering requirements.

My guess is HSBC are trawling through every bit of data they have to ensure correct process was followed, and found something about JL's validation procedure that has scared them.

I have a JL Partnership card, but only about 4 years old, and I haven't had such a letter.

But given that JL is one of the better CC providers with very good CS, why not comply with the request rather than spite yourself by turning it in?

If you do as GingerBob suggests and want to replace it with a card from another supplier, you'll have to provide the same validation for the new one anyway.

No, you probably won't have to. I've never yet had to provide such validation when opening a CC account - my most recent was last year. And I did say "if you have another credit card tell them to shove it", not shove it regardless.

pb3

pvt wrote: »

And that probably explains it all.

I deduce from this that HSBC provides the Partnership Card for JL, and HSBC has been hit very hard with fines in the USA for failing to adhere to the letter of anti-laundering requirements.

My guess is HSBC are trawling through every bit of data they have to ensure correct process was followed, and found something about JL's validation procedure that has scared them.

A big thank you to everyone who has replied so far.


You appear to be correct in your assertion wrt HSBC. I found an Internet thread, the URL of which immediately escapes me, where a number of people have received the letter. Some of these people have been JL account holders far longer than I have.


The letter I received did not actually threaten sanctions or provide a timeline in which the information has to be provided.


I do have a big issue with the today's increasing trend of the public being conditioned into providing photo-id when demanded. In this particular case I don't see why I need to provide such documents for a card that I have held for 15 years. JL certain had no concerns that I was who I stated or that I lived at my present address.


I do have other cards and I have no intention of making a journey to a John Lewis store or HSBC branch to comply with this demand. I'll leave things as they are and see how things play out. If HSBC threaten to terminate the card then it goes back to them in pieces.

enthusiasticsaver

I have a JL partnership card which I have had for about 4 or 5 years but have not received a letter. Presumably they have been audited and found they have not complied with money laundering requirements. All banks these days are careful to get id and if it helps with credit card fraud etc then I am happy to comply. It is not such a big deal to prove you are who you say you are.

GingerBob_3

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

I have a JL partnership card which I have had for about 4 or 5 years but have not received a letter. Presumably they have been audited and found they have not complied with money laundering requirements. All banks these days are careful to get id and if it helps with credit card fraud etc then I am happy to comply. It is not such a big deal to prove you are who you say you are.

In some cases it is, and in nearly all cases it's unnecessary. For example, you now can't even turn in a load scrap at the scrapyard without proving who you are. Ridiculous!

bigadaj

GingerBob wrote: »

In some cases it is, and in nearly all cases it's unnecessary. For example, you now can't even turn in a load scrap at the scrapyard without proving who you are. Ridiculous!

That's because it's often nicked.

Hedgehog99

GingerBob wrote: »

No, you probably won't have to. I've never yet had to provide such validation when opening a CC account - my most recent was last year. And I did say "if you have another credit card tell them to shove it", not shove it regardless.

I had to show my passport, driving licence and a utility bill to open a savings account with Santander, despite already having my mortgage and shares with them.

GingerBob_3

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

I had to show my passport, driving licence and a utility bill to open a savings account with Santander, despite already having my mortgage and shares with them.

Yes, over the top, but that's for a bank account. You'd think a driving licence itself would be sufficient, but no, they have to go further.


As for the scrap metal - and I use the example purely as an illustration of what might be called "identity paranoia" - it's true that sometimes large quantities of metal stolen from the railway have found their way to the scrap yard. Surely this sort of stuff should be reported to the police. But no! The answer from the establishment is that if you roll up with a rusty old bike you now have to let the scrap man take a copy of your passport !!!!!!!!! No chance! I now leave my scrap out for the "mobile collectors"; job done.