[LINK] Intriguing demand for information

[David Boxall]

Hi all,

I'm puzzling over the message below.
Given the ease with which a scan can be falsified, would providing scans 
of documents really validate anything?
In view of the information on the documents they demand, are they in 
violation of privacy legislation?

And yes, I'm aware that some customers of the site have had problems.

-- 
David Boxall                    |  I have not yet begun to fight!
                                |          --John Paul Jones
http://david.boxall.id.au       |



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	Please help us to validate your ValueBasket.com.au order (...)
Date: 	Wed, 31 Dec 2014 04:03:58 +0000
From: 	agatha at valuebasket.com
To: 	...



ValueBasket.com.au 332140-663033

Dear David,

Thank you for placing an order with ValueBasket.com.au

...

With regards to your purchase made on 30/12/2014 , I am sorry to inform 
you that your order is temporarily on hold. To protect our customers 
from potentially fraudulent online activities, it is our policy to put 
all orders through a rigorous screening process, and on occasion some 
are held for further manual verification.

This verification process requires you to provide us with some documents 
that serve as proof of your address and identity. This is a fairly 
standard industry procedure � for your information I have provided some 
examples of other websites which adopt a similar process at the bottom 
of this email.

In order to allow us to continue processing your order, could you please 
provide us with the following documentation:

  * Billing Address proof (Your most current utility bill for your
    electricity, water, etc)
  * Photo ID such as driving license, passport, etc.




While I understand that you might be reluctant to reveal your personal 
information, here at ValueBasket.com.au, we take the security and 
privacy of our customers very seriously. Therefore, I hope you 
understand that by asking for these documents, we are doing our best to 
protect both your interests and ours.

Your immediate assistance will be greatly appreciated, as we look 
forward to continue processing your order.

Please attach the documents with your reply to this email, and if you 
have any other concerns, please don�t hesitate to let us know in your reply.

...
A variety of online retailers use similar security procedures, including:

  * B&H photo:
    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/Verification.jsp
    <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpCenter/Verification.jsp>
  * Mvixusa.com: http://mvixusa.com/kb.php?id=61
    <http://mvixusa.com/kb.php?id=61>
  * Tristatecamera.com: http://www.tristatecamera.com/faq.php
    <http://www.tristatecamera.com/faq.php>