@Margaret1637
This is just an observation, and I honestly don't know the reasons for it... But...
Most of the stories about "identity fraud" seem to come from the US. And then there's this thing about keeping your "social security" number hidden. Don't give it out unless it's for a secure, official purpose.
In contrast, over here, we rarely hear about "stolen identity" or "identity fraud".
The equivalent of our "social security" number is freely demanded for many things, for example, if you need a tax deductable receipt for something you purchase so that it can be properly deducted from taxes, it must have your number on it.
Also, we have a thing called IBAN. It's your universal bank account number. It's something you readily give out to people who owe you money. Businesses openly publish their IBAN on their websites in full public view.
We also have to provide ID for lots of things, especially anything having to do with government. It's a normal part of life here.
What I'm trying to point out is that it appears there's a cultural difference. Americans seem very reluctant to provide tax or SS numbers or bank account numbers or even show ID. But over here it's just a very normal thing.
Again, I don't know what's different in America, but it's completely normal for us, and we don't seem to have the same problem with "identity fraud".
So I think you can forgive your European hosts for asking. It's the law in most places. I doubt they'd know how to use your ID for "identity fraud". It's not really a "thing" here (yet).
