Reply to: Providing bank statements / credit card bills for time spent on the bench???

[chef]

Ask the agent to provide details of the agencies bank statements to prove to you that its worth the risk to contract through them

agencies director's and staff's

[jimjamuk]

Ask the agent to provide details of the agencies bank statements to prove to you that its worth the risk to contract through them

[swamp]

I got this with a contract I am doing in the Netherlands. A little over-the-top but has not proved to be a problem (yet).

...Although funny you should say that - my new Dutch credit card has stopped working

Best advice is to stall them by saying things like the statement's in the post, or the cat ate your photocopier etc until you actually start working at the client. Only then can you be sure they are kosher and not identity thieves.

That's what I'd do. Fob them off with all sorts of nonsense until they get bored and give up. Also check with your bank; they may tell you not to send them.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Even in these chronic market conditions these requests will get rationed out of the market as 99.5% (if not more) of worthwhile candidates will simply say "get lost".

Sadly, no. The British people will not stand up and say F... Off! That is the reason why we are in such a state.

It was always thus:

Hey! think the time is right for a palace revolution
But where I live the game to play is compromise solution
Well, then what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock n roll band
cause in sleepy london town
Theres no place for a street fighting man
No
Rolling stones, 1968.

[moorfield]

If was me would tell them to take a flying **** off a very high bridge,

WHS.

I've been at a couple of clientcos who have various forms and personal checks once you're through the door which is understandable but I usually tell pimps to p*** off if they are asking for anything other than myltdco information.

[TriggerHippy]

So the non-worthwhile candidates will get the contracts. Great.

I think a lot of these checks are overlooked when your daily rate is around £80, which would explain some of the dodgy certificates, degrees and dubious "6 years of SQL Server 2008" experience I've come across.

[Not So Wise]

If was me would tell them to take a flying **** off a very high bridge, to ask a contractor for that is just bloody stupid. (hell to even ask an employee this is beyond the pale)

Do they ask the heads of all the consultancy's (and all the consultancy's employee's) they deal with to provide such? Doubt it

You even sure it is the 3rd party (client) asking for such and not the agent? Seen any kind of proof?

If you don't take it and it's a bank, don't forget to send a nice little letter to the higher up's informing them of this practice, because giving this kind of information is exactly what they recommend bank clients don't do. Copy of latest bank statement/CC statement with other info they will be asking you for is generally more than enough for a half decent identity thief

[HeadOfTesting]

So the non-worthwhile candidates will get the contracts. Great.

Maybe over the extreme short-term but as I'm sure 'The Agents View' would agree, the market will quickly identify the need to drop such requests.

This is a blip - it's too stupid and unworkable to be a trend (imo).

[Menelaus]

So the non-worthwhile candidates will get the contracts. Great.

Dumbing down. It's a conspiracy.

[expat]

another item to add to my criteria for terminating (politely of course) conversations with agents.

I wouldn't worry unduly about this. Even in these chronic market conditions these requests will get rationed out of the market as 99.5% (if not more) of worthwhile candidates will simply say "get lost".

So the non-worthwhile candidates will get the contracts. Great.

[HeadOfTesting]

another item to add to my criteria for terminating (politely of course) conversations with agents.

I wouldn't worry unduly about this. Even in these chronic market conditions these requests will get rationed out of the market as 99.5% (if not more) of worthwhile candidates will simply say "get lost".

[expat]

Agree, just give them the a statement from that month and don't get paranoid or over-analyse the situation, it could just be some stupid process designed by some ignorant arse, so most likely they are collecting the statement to tick a box... btw are they after a company or personal statement?

must be

Some ignorant arse who thinks nothing of treating people like dirt. I left permie employment so as not to be subject to people like that.

[Menelaus]

"According to Church, the process has become so rigorous that to corroborate periods of inactivity or unemployment, for example, the agency may have to provide passport stamps to verify a candidate was travelling, and bank statements to prove there was no irregular activity."

I'm afraid that my answer to this, without wishing to be too argumentative, would be:

1. If I'm going travelling, that's my business not yours - and if I'm travelling in the EU you won't see any stamps in my passport. My passport proves my status as an EU citizen - nothing else should matter to you

2. Given that the vast majority of agents would, I'd imagine, not know money laundering if it jumped up and bit them, and almost certainly have never submitted a SAR to SOCA "irregular activity" is a misnomer

If an agent wants to check that Joe Contractor isn't a member of the Taliban / al-Qaeda they can check this online.

[zamzummim]

They can't ask to see any transaction data, so just use marker pen as you have suggested (in fact you'd always do that anyway.) All they want to see is a continuity with your bank statements - i.e. that you have been using the same bank without problems.

Seriously, don't get too paranoid over this. Just do as you have suggested and see how it goes.

Nomadd

Agree, just give them the a statement from that month and don't get paranoid or over-analyse the situation, it could just be some stupid process designed by some ignorant arse, so most likely they are collecting the statement to tick a box... btw are they after a company or personal statement?

[Menelaus]

Er, nope.

You and I both.