HSBC accounts being opened with my address

HampshireH

In late December and then mid January we received the following from HSBC for someone else

* Card Reader

* Bank Card (you can tell through the envelope)

We didn't receive the welcome pack or pin letters.

Then in February we got a letter again to our address to this person stating he had claimed nearly £500 back from Currys due to a fraudulant transaction. The bank wanted this person to call them to discuss this claim.

I took them all into the bank and requested my address be removed from the account whilst I waited for confirmation it was done as I was concerned the address was being used fraudulently and I didn't want to be accused of anything.
They told me this was done and the customer would have to phone them to use their account as their had put a stop on it until he did.

Today we have received a new account pack again from HSBC for the same person. I'm now expecting a repeat of the card reader etc being received.

I'm going to phone the fraud line later before they issue anything else,  but is there a way I can get HSBC to stop accounts being opened with my address on them unless they are mine? It obviously didn't work last time I flagged it with them.

eskbanker

You could perhaps report the matter to their data protection officer, as they are failing to manage personal data correctly when they've been informed that it's inaccurate.

https://www.hsbc.co.uk/content/dam/hsbc/gb/pdf/privacy-notice-full.pdf

Trouble is, it's technically not your personal data, so that may compromise such a report, but at least notifying the formal channel would help indemnify you if there were any subsequent negative ramifications of their failure.  Having said that, what do you see as the potential consequences?

Simply returning post to sender, in the full knowledge that it's not yours, would also be better than opening it....

HampshireH

Thankyou I will look at the DP side.

Consequences, don't know aside of being very annoying but I don't want bank mail for an account already on their fraud teams radar. 

I took it all into the bank and handed it over to ensure it went back to them (after establishing it wasn't our new neighbours son accidentally using the wrong house number)

I just don't see how you can accidentally put the wrong address again after the bank have allegedly removed it the first time as they would have notified the customer to the issue

Band7

Banks probably don't operate by address but by name and DOB, and perhaps NINO, of a person. So it could be the same or a different person who uses your address. It's annoying if it keeps happening but it won't do you any harm as people aren't linked by address, either.

eskbanker

HampshireH said:

I took it all into the bank and handed it over to ensure it went back to them

I'd still recommend writing 'not known at this address, return to sender' on the outside of all such post, leaving it unopened, and sticking it in the post box - I suspect that it's more likely to get to the right processing place that way than by taking it into a branch.  I also imagine that whoever told you in branch that the matter was sorted and wouldn't happen again wasn't authorised to give any such assurances....

Catplan

How long have you been at this address? Have you checked updated the voters roll?
It’s not going to help with already open accounts, but might prevent future accounts being opened. Is it possible the mail is for a previous occupier?

HampshireH

Catplan said:

How long have you been at this address? Have you checked updated the voters roll?
It’s not going to help with already open accounts, but might prevent future accounts being opened. Is it possible the mail is for a previous occupier?

10 years. It's definitely not the previous occupier. I'm fully registered

[Deleted User]

I suspect it’s an elderly person who has opened a new account and they haven’t changed their address. Surely HSBC hold an email address etc or telephone number, how was the account requested?  I occasionally get share holder letters for someone who lived at the address some 25 years ago. I contacted the company who claimed they could not stop the letters due to data protection.

HampshireH

[Deleted User] said:

I suspect it’s an elderly person who has opened a new account and they haven’t changed their address. Surely HSBC hold an email address etc or telephone number, how was the account requested?  I occasionally get share holder letters for someone who lived at the address some 25 years ago. I contacted the company who claimed they could not stop the letters due to data protection.

This person has never lived here. It's definitely an incorrect address. I would also assume they had their customers details to do as you suggest and I wouldn't know how they requested the account.

I've spoken to their fraud team and they have asked I call their fraudulant applications department Monday and gave an extension number (as they are Monday to Friday and close at 5 and I called outside this time).

Today's is back in the post being returned.

surreysaver

[Deleted User] said:

I suspect it’s an elderly person who has opened a new account and they haven’t changed their address. Surely HSBC hold an email address etc or telephone number, how was the account requested?  I occasionally get share holder letters for someone who lived at the address some 25 years ago. I contacted the company who claimed they could not stop the letters due to data protection.

Nonsense. Data Protection just being used as an excuse for laziness 

alibean121

eskbanker said:

HampshireH said:

I took it all into the bank and handed it over to ensure it went back to them

I'd still recommend writing 'not known at this address, return to sender' on the outside of all such post, leaving it unopened, and sticking it in the post box - I suspect that it's more likely to get to the right processing place that way than by taking it into a branch.  I also imagine that whoever told you in branch that the matter was sorted and wouldn't happen again wasn't authorised to give any such assurances....

Right, just stop worrying about what it is and keep shoving it in the postbox... Banks will place limits on accounts where they get returned mail. Any debt collectors are less likely to make visits where the mail is returned like this. It's a good combination of least time consuming for you to do and also most likely to be effective at solving the problem.