Facebook Group want my ID

[LondonStar]

Bit of a weird one.

I joined - tried to join - a Facebook group for locals as I am fairly new to my city.

The group admin has replied to me saying he will need to see my ID, such as a copy of my passport, to verify my identity.

Surely this is not allowed?

The group does seems legit, it has quite a few members.

AIBU to find this really creepy?

Utility bill or library card maybe. Passport absolutely not. Apart from anything else it doesn’t have your address on it anyway so has no role in proving you’re local.

@FrangipaniBlue good idea.

Apparently he can "accept" a copy of my lease agreement.
Ummm..... not sure about that.

Wtf?!
I run a locals only Facebook group and we ask for the first three letters of their post code.

I have had to provide union membership number and professional body registration number to join work related groups. But anyone can look me up for either of those, so I didn’t mind that.

Don't give him anything and tag the group in a post stating that they want personal information before anyone can join and report the group.

No way!!!

That sounds very heavy handed. Our village has a couple of fb pages & one just asked you to confirm you lived there the other asked for what part of the village you lived in.

Asking for a passport is ridiculous

Not normal, don't give anyone a digital copy of your passport. They can use it for identity theft

Unless it's a Facebook page for MI5, don't give them any ID as you're leaving yourself open to fraud. You don't know what they will do with your ID or how it will be stored.

Please don't give any of your details to this person. They have no right to ask for them and you have no idea what they will do with the information. Like a previous pp said, report to FB

I am on various local FB groups and have never been asked for ID.

Nope. Find another group. None of the local groups we're on (from crafts to COVID-19 neighbourhood helpers) have EVER asked for ID.

And just for fun, ask them if they're registered for GDPR and who their named person is. I'd put money on the answer being no. Quote Cambridge Analytica (as was) at them. Don't think they've gone away, either, they haven't. Even if they're no longer called Cambridge Analytica.

There must be other groups that wouldn't want copies of your passport or driving licence?

So he can't accept a doc that shows where you live but will accept one that doesn't. Sounds way too officious and the group is probably full of people shaming those who don't clap.

Did he answer your question?