To be reluctant to provide fingerprints for this reason?

Absolutely. People forge letters asking recipients to go to the police station to give prints all the time. 🙄

Could be a forgery.

It does happen. Before I retired I signed DBS forms and sent them off and one came back that the prospective member of staff needed to have fingerprints taken, it all came back clear. It was his name and age were apparently the same as a murderer, might have been an alias rather than his actual name but anyway it does happen.

He had to go to the local police station where his fingerprints were taken.

I can't think what the scam would be, what would they do with the fingerprints?

I have what could be considered a 'common' name on the DBS Update Service. In all the DBS literature, I've never seen this 'fingerprints' aspect. I'd suggest it to be a scam. You CAN speak to the DBS HQ by phone and from memory they are very responsive and clued up. In any case, fingerprints of someone like yourself, completely honest with no 'history' could only be kept on file for a very limited time.

OP, hasn’t said she’s 100% it’s not a scam.
I’ve never heard of this before, giving fingerprints.Think it’s just helpful for OP just, to get different opinions.

I imagine she's going to go to a police station, as she won't be able to keep her job if she doesn't.

So after 5 pages of posts and hand wringing, what are you going to do?

@AccidentallyWesAnderson @Josette77
My parents have been observed and recorded for completely legal activity (political party membership and unions). Even if I don't think they're interested in my prints, I equally don't think they're interested in privacy legislation or can even be bothered to follow deletion procedures.

I have had countless interactions with the police who have proven themselves at best feckless arseholes - you want some examples though?NDN is followed home by a moped. She turns from opening her door to find a man with knife. Luckily her husband was behind the door. Police response? "What do you expect, you live in __". A man was beating his girlfriend under the estate bins by my kitchen window. I called multiple times and they just wouldn't come. Not until I said I'd have to go out with a cricket bat because I thought he'd kill her. A young man, shirtless and with no shoes in December, high and in extreme distress in the road. Saying he was going to kill himself but also batter any man walking past. "That's not our responsibility".

Two close friends married officers, both marriages failed. Emotional abuse. Husbands made such casual comments as "9 times out of 10 I stop people for the way they look at me" and "If I can't remember the law I'm arresting someone under I look it up on the way to the cop shop".

You only have to look at the news to see what the police are like. Look up the stats for officers being perpetrators of DV. Every week there's catastrophic failures. The Met has had to set up a unit to investigate it's own officers.

Don't tell me I'm paranoid.

Probably! :-)

If they're ink, the customer walks away with them. The police don't keep a copy. If they're digital it's a separate department that deals with the prints and a paper copy is available for them to collect. GDPR is adhered to by them. The police don't care about your/Joe Bloggs standard DBS prints mate. Too busy (and not enough staff) dealing with actual criminals.

This sounds incredibly paranoid.

The police aren't out to keep your fingerprints for a rainy day.

Take some time to read into the problems of the “I’ve got nothing to hide” argument.

I had my finger prints taken locally and with interpol twice when adopting. I never gave it much thought.

I'm not a criminal so no fear of them linking me to a crime.

To be honest I'm surprised you aren't more concerned someone might have stolen your identity.

I had my finger prints taken back in 2000 for my job. In the last 24 years I have had no other interaction with the police. They dont bother with me because I havent done anything for them to need to interact with me. I find it strange that people who have a clean record would be bothered by this, and sound a bit paranoid about it all too.

I agree OP, I wouldn’t want to be going to a police station to give fingerprints or DNA when I haven’t committed a crime. The people who don’t seem to have a problem with this will be the type who don’t mind extra monitoring because “I’ve got nothing to hide” but people don’t really truly consider what is wrong with that.

No don't use the contact details on the letter thats the point if its a scam those will go straight through to the scammers. Go to the gov.uk website for disclosure and barring service, and find contact details there. That's your start point

I wouldn't want to go to a police station and have my finger prints scanned.
I don't have a criminal record and haven't committed any crimes. I just really wouldn't want to, because I don't trust the police at all and want absolutely zero interactions with them. They're a law unto themselves, I doubt that they give two shits about requirements to delete prints, GDPR, SARs or anything else.

Id just wait for any appointment to have your biometrics done at a police station. Realistically this is the only place youd give them…
I’ve had a Google and can find guidance regarding it -and that states wait for an invite to your local police station.

It does make sense though as there might be someone with a similar if not the same name and DOB… that person might have precons etc

I dont understand what the big deal is. I'm in America and work in a school. You have to provide your fingerprints to pass a background check to work there. If you have not done anything bad (and dont plan to) why does it matter if they have your fingerprints?

Don’t ring … a scammer will answer. Visit your local police station and just ask if it’s a scam. You don’t have to give them info or prints. You are just checking it’s real.

I was fingerprinted when I went to the USA this year. Didn't bother me. What on earth do you think they're going to do with it?

They already have access to all your information though

I worked with someone who had to do this. We looked his name up and it came up with someone who had been convicted of murder (might have been manslaughter.)

I wouldn't worry but I know we are all different but I'd look at it as I leave my finger prints all over the place, if the police desperately wanted them they could follow me into a cafe and take the glass when I leave or follow me into a shop and if I've picked something up and put it back they could just take it. Not hard to get some fingerprints.

@AccidentallyWesAnderson No change in 50 years! The odds are good that my baby/toddler prints have been eaten by time and nature :)