Private and Confidential

Ferocious

Ferocious

R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
Location
UK
Why do banks send out letters and statements with their 'Bank Logo' emblazened on the envelope, along with the words 'Private and Confidential'?
I received such a letter today and it was opened, so I got onto the bank and gave them hell. I told them, "If thieves had it in their minds to find out personal details about anyone, then these type of letters would act like a magnet, so why not just send information in simple plain envelopes?"
 

I don't bank online on the premise that if it is not there, they can't hack it.

My bank includes enough info in mailings to verify it is the correct account, but not enough to be of use to a crook.
 

There is a politician running for re-election this year that wears an eye patch from. So as I am getting flooded with political mail. Guess what I got in the mail from this guy. Yep. An eye patch! I threw all the paper away and sent the eye patch back.
 
I bank online too, I do everything online, the only mail I get now is junk mail or pkgs. from Amazon! Lol
 
Maybe banks put Important Tax Document Enclosed on their tax mailings so people won't throw away them away, thinking they are ads. It's expensive, and time consuming to keep sending out tax info in unmarked envelopes. Also, here in the US, losses from crime, etc. to your account is covered by federal insurance. I'd guess it would be like that in other nations?
I read somewhere that the vast majority of losses from scams are done before getting to a bank, and rarely involve the bank.
And I think the quaint idea of having privacy hopped on a boat, and sailed away in the 1980s. Today, as long as you pay for it, there isn't anything "private".
 
Last edited:
I don't open letters from my bank, nor do I
open Emailsfrom them, I have told them that
in the unlikely event that they need to speak
to me send a text inviting me to visit the branch
and I will call in.

Mike.
 
You are right to be angry. This is also one of the benefits of banking online and choosing paperless statements. As many mistakes as the postal carriers make around here, I wouldn't want my financial information mailed to me, which is one of the reasons I'll be closing my new Citibank account (see my post Will Be Done With Citibank). After posting this I received a statement listing all three of my accounts (credit, savings and the closed checking) in the mail.
https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/will-be-done-with-citibank-banking.46054/#post-1244895
 
Aunt Bea said:
I wonder about that when the outside of the envelope says Important Tax Document Enclosed or some such thing.

To me, it is saying enclosed please find all of the information that you will need to steal my identity.
Click to expand...
You're right Aunt Bea. Fortunately, I don't get any tax documents from banks because I never get enough interest to qualify and all the brokerages I use now offer online access to 1099s.
 
Have gotten voice mail messages left on my phone that were private and confidential for someone else .... and they say, if this isn't you, don't listen... yeah right! Stupid stuff!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top