An increasing trend is for people to volunteer up photocopies, or a print-out of bank statements, or even email them to conveyancers. Sometimes with the commentary that ‘we bank/our utilities are all online, so we can only print off statements/bills’.
Unfortunately this cannot be accepted. Instances of fraud, particularly in relation to property are on the rise and we have very strict guidelines that we must follow when it come to verifying your identity.
If a customers does not receive hard copy statements or bills they can however visit a local branch and have statements printed off by the clerks and stamped by the bank or request a hard copy statement/ bill is sent to overcome this.
The task for the conveyancer, and all those tasked with checking ID documents, is to ensure they (or an agent) inspects an original document, in case of forgery, as well as checking the true likeness of any photo to who they have so far met – even to compare the signature on the ID document to the one being used by who their purported client.
Someone once explained that would you ever walk into an off-licence, and when asked for ID, reply “I don’t have the original, but I prepared a photocopy of my passport earlier, will you take that”. Of course not.
We appreciate you may not wish to send your original documents in the post we are therefore pleased to invite clients into any of our offices where our friendly team can take certified copies and the originals can be taken home with you.
To speak to one of the team you can get in touch below or call us on 0800 2800 421.
