[LINK] Intriguing demand for information

[Ivan Trundle]

Roger’s follow-up is as succinct as ever, but the overriding question, from my perspective, is ‘In whose interest is it to have this information, and what does it achieve?’

I can buy and sell all manner of goods and services via the web, and have yet to have to prove that I am who I am by anything other than a credit card.

It begs the question of why a seller of good and services deems this a requirement - what are they selling that invites fraud, what security procedures and protocols do them employ to ensure that a transaction is what it seems?

You could spin this one around and ask what protocols are in place for phone orders, for example.

I agree, though, David - anything can be ‘validated’ with no effort on the part of an amateur miscreant.

iT


> On 31 Dec 2014, at 8:12 pm, David Boxall <linkdb at boxall.name> wrote:
> 
> 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>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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