Your client care communications

You want clients to provide the information needed for client due diligence as quickly as possible. Based on our experience with thousands of regulated businesses, those with the fastest check completion times clearly communicate to clients upfront about what to expect during the verification process.

What to include

You should be transparent with any costs you will pass to your client as part of completing your due diligence.

We also recommend including a version of the below, tailored to your own firm, in your client care communications that are sent prior to clients being asked to complete their verification.

"As part of our client due diligence, we require clients to submit their personal information via our third-party app ‘Thirdfort’. Thirdfort allows you to verify your identity and verify Source of funds, meaning no more printing, posting or time-consuming office visits, you can do it all quickly and safely with Thirdfort.

*For further information regarding Thirdfort’s privacy policy visit, https://www.thirdfort.com/privacy.*

What you’ll need

To complete your checks you’ll need access to a smartphone. If you don’t have your own, you can use someone else’s, for example a friend or relative’s.

You will also need one of the following valid photo ID documents:

• Passport;

• Photocard Driving Licence;

• EU or EEA Identity Card; or

• UK Residence Permit.

If you don’t have one of these, let us know as soon as possible.

In some circumstances, for example if we are acting for you in relation to a property purchase, we are also required to obtain evidence of the source of funds and wealth being used to fund the transaction. If this is the case you will be required to provide evidence, such as bank statements, payslips and other documents to verify how you have accumulated the funds for this matter or transaction. The most secure and fastest way to do this is via the Thirdfort app.

How the process works

Once we have received your signed instruction forms and basic details, including; name, email address and mobile phone number, we will input these details into Thirdfort. You will receive a text message from Thirdfort asking you to download their app. Thirdfort will guide you through the tasks you need to complete, including verifying your ID and residential address. Thirdfort will analyse this information and provide us with a report.

When undertaking these checks, your credit file or credit rating will not be materially impacted; however, it will leave a ‘soft’ footprint to show a search has been undertaken.

We may ask for additional evidence or information after you have completed your initial checks. This is to help us satisfy our legal obligations. If we cannot satisfy our legal, regulatory and policy requirements, we may have to decline to act.

Politically exposed persons

We’re required to establish whether you are ‘politically exposed’, or if you are related to or associated with a politically exposed person. A politically exposed person is a person who is:

• a Head of State, Minister, or Deputy Minister;

• a Member of Parliament, or similar body;

• a Member of a Supreme Court or other high-level judiciary whose decisions are not subject to further appeal;

• a Member of Courts of Auditors or of the Boards of Central Banks;

• an Ambassador, chargé d’affaires or a high-ranking officer in the Armed Forces;

• a Member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of State-owned enterprises; or • on the governing body of a political party

If you, or a person you are related to or associated with fall into any of these categories, you should let us know.

Where to get help

The quickest and easiest way to get help is to chat with Thirdfort’s UK-based support team via the in app Live Chat. You can also find resources, how-to guides and helpful videos at help.thirdfort.com."

This article is based on accessing Thirdfort directly via our portal. If you access Thirdfort via a partner or reseller, functionality may differ.