From Malcolm Bacchus
Your article highlights the risk of ID theft when people share personal information such as passport and driving licence details on the web (13 March, p 24).
However, in the UK this information is hardly private. As a result of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Money Laundering Regulations 2003, organisations dealing in money (including not only banks but also estate agents, solicitors and accountants) are now required to obtain photocopies of passports, utility bills and similar items and keep these on their files to prove their customer’s identity.
I must have already passed across some half-dozen copies of my passport to various businesses since the act came into force. While I’m sure all such organisations have some sort of file security in place, I have no control over who has access to the personal information I have handed over, or what use is made of it. Any security system based on passport or similar information is compromised. It is ironic that the UK’s new money laundering rules have made the problem worse.
London, UK
