To be reluctant to provide fingerprints for this reason?

[averystrangeletter]

A bit puzzled and confused about this.

I subscribe to the update service for the DBS. Received this letter.

As part of your subscription we continually check the police national computer (PNC) and have found the record of a person with similar identify details to your own. This does not mean that this PNC record belongs to you, however, we need to confirm that this is not the case. To do this, we need to compare your fingerprints with those held on the PNC record.

There is more, but that’s the important part.

I know everyone will say scam but I’m as sure as I can be that it isn’t. Completely baffled and not entirely comfortable with it.

I’m not comfortable with my fingerprints being taken for no other reason than this one (ie have not been accused of any crime.)

Where do you have to go to give the fingerprints then? Surely a police station or some other government agency office? It can’t be a scam if this is what you need to do. If they’d sent you an ink pad to do your fingerprints and paper with your name on it to send back then it would definitely be a scam.

So is getting your fingerprints taken not a typical part of an enhanced background check in the UK? If not, I guess I can see your discomfort.

I have had to be fingerprinted where I live as part of one of my volunteer roles and had no issue with it - because I know I haven't committed a crime.

I've had this before (teacher, college, Scout leader - I've got DBSes coming out of my ears).

You don't have to provide the finger prints, but if you don't, you don't get the DBS clearance.

Up to you really.

Don’t ever travel to the EU starting this autumn then as they will be taking fingerprints at their passport control. Like many countries already do. We will probably start doing it too as the U.K. is really into keeping up with the EU.

It’s not up to me really then is it, as I need to work. And that’s the point, it isn’t really sitting very comfortably with me I’m being put in this position.

It will not be a scam. I know personally of a nurse who had to go down this route too. I would be wanting to know what they will do with the finger prints once they've been compared.

Happened to me...I had to attend the police station and be fingerprinted to prove I wasn't the similarly-named person with the criminal record.
Fingerprints were destroyed once my identity was confirmed and I got the DBS.

It's most definitely not a scam. If there are two people called (for example) Angela Smith, both born in July 1977 and both living in Birmingham, how do the Police tell one from another?

You are of course free not to give your fingerprints. Your employer or prospective employer is also free not to employ you without a DBS check.

No, it's not normal.
I was surprised how little was asked for when my Enhanced DBS renewed last week.

Hubby who works for Police says fingerprints aren’t held on PNC records.

It is a scam.

You don’t have to work in a position of public trust that requires your identity and background be fully known. Loads of jobs around that don’t require a DBS.

But that only works if you assume at least one of them has a set of fingerprints on file.

The reason you provide passport or driving license is to prove which Angela Smith you are.

Well of if it’s a scam, then shred and ignore the letter. I wouldn’t be sending fingerprints anywhere. Fingerprints you usually have to go into a police, military or other government building to do (ie embassy).

"Hubby" is wrong.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-certificate-disputes-and-fingerprint-consent-forms-and-guidance-af14-af15/dbs-certificate-disputes-and-fingerprint-consent-guidance

This is the guidance for people who receive a DBS certificate with crimes listed which they are sure don't belong to them, they have to give their fingerprints as proof. Of COURSE the Police has a database of fingerprints.

@averystrangeletter how are they expecting you to provide your fingerprints. If they're expecting you to do it yourself at home then that's definitely a scam.

Yes I get that Sugar.

But if we put the choice as

’you can continue doing the job you’ve trained for years for, are experienced in and pays fairly well if we take your fingerprints or you can not have your fingerprints taken and do something else entirely’ it isn’t really a choice in any meaningful sense. I’ve never been fond of over the barrel type scenarios no matter how much ‘well it is up to you’ it appears to be when it isn’t.

I don’t believe the police are our enemy but they certainly aren’t our friends and I’m a bit hesitant about this.

How is the letter proposing for you to provide your fingerprints? Anything other than attending a police station just screams scam, really. I'd suggest phoning the DBS contact number (from different correspondence! not the number from that letter) and advising them of the letter you've received. If there's a legitimate need, they can confirm this. If they can't, then you contact the police because of concerns about it potentially being a scam.

It's right there in the letter the OP has! " found the record of a person with similar identify details to your own. "

So one of the Angela Smiths has a criminal record. DBS wants to know that OP is the other one! 9999 times out of 10,000 this won't happen as your name/town/DOB are unique enough. But if you are called Laura Taylor, Karen Jones, Elizabeth Anderson - there will be dozens of you across the country and if one of the others has a criminal record, fingerprints it is.

And yes, @averystrangeletter the process is that you make an appointment at your local nick to have the prints taken,

They aren’t no. I’m sure it isn’t a scam. But it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with it either!

Read the link posted by a PP, it mentions the possibility of a photo identification rather than fingerprint. Which seems logical now that passports are biometric.

I assume you'll no longer be visiting Europe from November.

If it's legitimate, then you probably do need to provide fingerprints or an alternative if they'll accept that, in order to ensure you aren't someone with the same name or similar details who has committed a crime. You could always ask what alternatives might be available, and check what happens with your fingerprint information once obtained (storage, sharing/cross-linking, schedule for deletion, etc).

I'd check with DBS and police though

Yes, for this specific case. But this won't always be the case. There will be more people with similar identities where neither has a criminal record.

They're not allowed to keep your fingerprints on file for future use, if that's what you're worried about. Once they've been compared to the known criminal's prints they'll be destroyed. The same as when they do those mass fingerprint / dna collection exercises when they're looking for a serial killer or whatever, anyone that doesn't match has their data destroyed.

At the risk of being highly pedantic and pissing you off, we are in Europe. You mean the EU.

I like how you say ‘no longer’, last time I left UK soil was 2002 🤣

In any case, I suppose the disquiet I have is I don’t know how trustworthy our esteemed police force are and it’s a big thing to hand over when no crime has been committed.