perhaps am I paranoid about identity theft?

Hello,
looking UK jobs searching (even voluntary) sites (I speak about
serious ones),
often they ask for ID/passport number together with
forms to be filled (for European(not UK)/Not European).
Does this lend to any security risk?
And why they ask for that number?
Thanks,
will

On 2010-11-24, dr.oktopus <blindwilly@freeonline.zzn.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> looking UK jobs searching (even voluntary) sites (I speak about
> serious ones),
> often they ask for ID/passport number together with
> forms to be filled (for European(not UK)/Not European).
> Does this lend to any security risk?

Yes.

> And why they ask for that number?

Because they can. Sometimes it is because there are certain citizenship
requirements for the job but they can be done after you have accepted
it. It is lazy sloppy procedure in general. Do not fill it out and
explain the dangers (eg identity theft) to your filling it out. If the
company is so clueless that they make it a requirement, you probably do
not wnat to work there anyway.

> Thanks,
> will

On 25 Nov, 11:51, unruh <un...@wormhole.physics.ubc.ca> wrote:
> On 2010-11-24, dr.oktopus <blindwi...@freeonline.zzn.com> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > looking UK jobs searching (even voluntary) sites (I speak about
> > serious ones),
> > often they ask for ID/passport number together with
> > forms to be filled (for European(not UK)/Not European).
> > Does this lend to any security risk?
>
> Yes.
>
> > And why they ask for that number?
>
> Because they can. Sometimes it is because there are certain citizenship
> requirements for the job but they can be done after you have accepted
> it. It is lazy sloppy procedure in general. Do not fill it out and
> explain the dangers (eg identity theft) to your filling it out. If the
> company is so clueless that they make it a requirement, you probably do
> not wnat to work there anyway.
>

Oh, currently I would like to work anywhere :-)
However, thanks, I'll explain my doubts and see what happen..
Is there any references, links, cases I can refer to explaining
the situation?

On 2010-11-25, dr.oktopus <blindwilly@freeonline.zzn.com> wrote:
> On 25 Nov, 11:51, unruh <un...@wormhole.physics.ubc.ca> wrote:
>> On 2010-11-24, dr.oktopus <blindwi...@freeonline.zzn.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Hello,
>> > looking UK jobs searching (even voluntary) sites (I speak about
>> > serious ones),
>> > often they ask for ID/passport number together with
>> > forms to be filled (for European(not UK)/Not European).
>> > Does this lend to any security risk?
>>
>> Yes.
>>
>> > And why they ask for that number?
>>
>> Because they can. Sometimes it is because there are certain citizenship
>> requirements for the job but they can be done after you have accepted
>> it. It is lazy sloppy procedure in general. Do not fill it out and
>> explain the dangers (eg identity theft) to your filling it out. If the
>> company is so clueless that they make it a requirement, you probably do
>> not wnat to work there anyway.
>>
>
> Oh, currently I would like to work anywhere :-)
> However, thanks, I'll explain my doubts and see what happen..
> Is there any references, links, cases I can refer to explaining
> the situation?
>

That is of course the problem. You get caught in a cleft stick-- if you
raise a stink they might decide they do not want you. Thus they can get
away with unethical and even illegal actions. It is how corruption keeps
going. Everyone knows it is wrong, but people need the output, and thus
ae willing to put up with the wrongness.
This does not help you however. You have to decide if it is worth
working for that company,whether this behaviour is minor enough and
untypical enough that you are willing to accept it, or if it symptomatic
of a company who really does not care about their workers.