Mobile phone contract

I applied for a new phone a couple of weeks back. The company selling the deal eventually replied and asked for a copy of a utility bill or credit card receipt.

I don't like sharing confidential details like this off so I grabbed the nearest credit card bill and, using a marker pen, blocked out the credit card number and the details of financial transactions.

I faxed this to them but received a phone call saying that the details must be visible. Not only that but whatever I send them will be "held on file" by the mobile phone company.

So far in my young life I've arranged a mortgage, several loans, received several credit cards, but I've never had to supply a copy of a bill for any of this. Nor do I think I shoudl have to - it's an invasion of privacy (perhaps a dangerous one - there's a slight but real risk of identity theft if the docs fall into the wrong hands).

So why do they want a utility bill? What's their reasoning behind this? Why can't they just use a credit check like everybody else?

Reply to
NB
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This is absolutely nothing to do with credit checking. The government wants to be able to identify the ownership of mobile phones, so they've adopted similar policies to the money-laundering ones which the banks have to put us through. The advantage of a utility bill is that it ties a person's name to an established address very effectively. I'd give them that rather than a credit card bill every time.

Matti

Reply to
Matti Lamprhey

In message , Matti Lamprhey writes

Virgin supply ready registered work-from-the-box cellphones. A wonderful aid for criminals.

Reply to
JF

To be fair the company, whoever they are, are allowed to ask for anything they like - it is essentially a commercial decision. Of course, you can make a similarly commercial decision to refuse to comply and get your phone elsewhere.....

Reply to
news

Although it has to be said that criminals could just as easily get a mobile phone abroad and roam in the UK.

Reply to
Alex

Could you explain why a utility bill ties a person's name to an address. My wife was having problems getting a bank account because coming from overseas she had no credit history in the UK. I merely wrote to a couple of the utility companies and transferred two bills into her name, no checking, no verfication. The banks take a full driving licence as id but not a provisional. Surely the only id to get a full licence is a provisional and a pass certificate. A passport is taken as id but the only id needed is a birth certificate but a birth certificate is not taken as id. This whole business of id is a bit of a joke. When we get id cards what id will I have to give to get my id card.

Kevin

Reply to
kajr

Do you have any evidence to suggest that the government, rather than the commerical company is behind such moves?

Why can one buy a pay as you go phone for cash if this is the case? And also buy the credit for it with cash?

Reply to
Nowt

You are preaching to the thoroughly converted person who can suck eggs like the best of them, Kevin; I'm not here to defend these iffy practices for a single moment. The utility bill has some extra value over most other documents bearing a person's name and address because it's evidence that the person has some financial responsibility for the property.

Matti

Reply to
Matti Lamprhey

Why do ISPs keep records of the usage of particular IP addresses for long periods of time? They don't do it for 'commerical' reasons but because the Gubbmint tells them to.

Also -- tried buying TV equipment recently without your name & address being required by the retailer?

I'm not aware that you can buy a PAYG phone from a regular retailer of such things without some kind of ID, but no doubt you'll tell me it's possible. I don't think the top-up source is relevant.

Matti

Reply to
Matti Lamprhey

That isn't strictly true - the Passport Office perform other checks to confirm your identity - the birth certificate is one part of that checking process.

Agreed -

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have run a number of articles on this kind of issue - interesting reading if only to know where billions of Pounds will be wasted.

Reply to
Wireless Reader

And what proof of address - to be re-proven each time you move?

It is implied that the new ID card would "make life easier" by being complete proof of ID and address in itself. I suspect in reality we will still need to supply two or more forms of ID and that proof of address will still have to be separate.

Reply to
rob.

On a personal level, I have no idea if you can buy without ID - I assume that since there is no credit checking, then there is no need for ID.

Reply to
Nowt

Yep it's trivial, you can do it from anywhere...

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Ley

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