Anyone know more about this BT "uk identity verification" scheme?

[Nicholas Bohm]

At 15:01 05/03/2003 +0000, Ian G Batten wrote:

>On Wed, 05 Mar 2003, Philip Perry wrote:
>
> > A typical BT c*ck up.  The false rejection ratio will be astronomical, for
> > example:
> >
> > * students living away from home
> > * shared flats (name not on electricity bill)
> > * new houses (lots of them if John Prescott has his way)
> > * recently moved house
> > * everyone under 17
> > * people who don't register to vote
> > * people who cannot register (foreign nationals etc, members of the 
> House of
> > Lords, etc.)
>
>People who live in rural areas who are not connected to mains
>electricity.  People who live on boats ditto.  People who live in mobile
>homes or static caravans who purchase their electricity indirectly from
>site operators.  The homeless.  Those detained under the mental health
>act and prisoners who are both unable to vote _and_ unlikely to pay
>their own electricity bill.  Anyone who lives in a location where
>electricity is supplied collectively, such as a military base,
>University hall or college, doctors' or nurses' accomodation, hospital,
>nursing or residential care home, bail hostel, half-way house, batter
>women's refuge.  Anyone who is living as a lodger in a house owned and
>serviced by someone else.
>
>Aside from that, it's an excellent idea.

This sort of nonsense knows no bounds.

My bank, with whom my wife and I have banked for some 30 years, has noticed 
that when opening our accounts, it never asked us for a utility bill (as it 
would do if we opened them now) as evidence of "identity".  To keep its 
records looking good (to whom, one wonders), it has asked me for a utility 
bill, despite the fact that it knows far better who I am than any of the 
utilities.

To avoid time-wasting, I have given it a bill.  This is addressed to me, 
since I have never seen any reason why the utilities should have the 
benefit of being able to sue my wife as well as me if we don't pay.  My 
wife has no utility bills addressed to her; goodness knows what they will 
want with her name on it.

Regards

Nicholas

Salkyns, Great Canfield,
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