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Comment by kulahan | Hacker News Reader

I think about this a lot - wouldn't it be super easy to just pretend to be offering a job that pays a tiny bit more than most might expect, then steal all the personal data you inevitably hand over for employment reasons?

It seems like a market ripe for exploitation

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For Swedish citizens, most of that data is already public. Addresses and everything. Exactly which data do you envision causing problems? It's not as if you can draw money just by knowing someone's bank account number.

Actually, you can, with a business account. You need to collect proof that you have permission, so that you can produce it when asked, but technically I can deduct money from any (national?) bank account right now with nothing more than the IBAN.

To do so fraudulently seems like a really good way to go to jail, though, no? And, as a requirement to hold your business account, the authorities know where to find you to put you there should the need arise?

Of course. But that's what were discussing here right, ways people might commit fraud. If people can popup businesses for fake, fraudulent jobs, I wouldn't think this kind of fraud is out for them either. And in some jurisdictions, being hard to trace as a business beneficiary is actually not difficult.

It surprised me when I ran a small business my bank didn't even require me to file the signatures up front. I just typed in peoples IBAN, the amount, and got it. They never asked for paperwork ever. Naturally, I didn't commit a crime, but I'm surprised with the trust.

So, yes, keep your IBAN secret, it can be enough for someone with criminal intent.

I was asked for a copy of my passport for several of my last jobs (in Sweden).

Worryingly, during Covid, a photo of a password was accepted as complete identification in many places (outside Sweden, domestically we have much better electronic ids).

So there is definitely some useful non public data you can steal.

During COVID in my personal experience, a lot of financial institutions waived things like coming into a branch or getting a notarized signature. Also in my experience most things have gone back to where they were before.

As another comment notes a lot of information is either public or widely disseminated, eg in the US my address is public on the voter rolls and I give out my checking account number every time I write a check.

Rife

Nope. Ripe for exploitation; rife with exploiters. Two different words for two different concepts.

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