PIPEDA Case Summary #2009-012:
A fraudster used forged identification of an individual to open a bank account in the individual’s name. When the fraud was discovered, the individual realized that the fraudster had also used an invalid address and telephone number when applying for the account. The victim claimed the bank could have avoided the fraud and the resulting impact on his credit rating by verifying this personal information before opening the account.
The Assistant Commissioner found that the complaint was not well-founded since the bank had followed the requirements for personal information collection when opening new customer accounts, as stipulated by the Bank Act: The collection and verification of an applicant’s address and telephone number is not required in normal circumstances. While the bank could have verified the information, it had no reason in the circumstances to doubt that the identification provided by the fraudster was counterfeit.
Read more about this case and the findings on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.