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Should I worry about a VPS provider?
Hello,
I got a VPS for a good price around 14 hours ago. I paid and the VPS was quickly ready, I accessed it and was working hard to set things up, when I stopped for dinner. When I came back my account was suspended with the reason "Additional Account Verification Required".
They requested me A LOT of things, pictures of my ID, a selfie holding my ID with really hard requirements (it took me a lot and I had to ask for a friend's help to take a picture in which my face appeared and the documents were readable), a picture of transaction info at my banking account and - the most terrifying - a picture of my credit card (with numbers and security code covered, to be fair). To make things worse, my bank doesn't allow me to use my physical card for transactions using the card number/verification code as a security measure, so I used a virtual card and can't have a picture (I tried a screenshot of my virtual card, have no idea if they will accept).
Anyway, I sent them but sadly, it's been several hours and they didn't even answer my first question (regarding the virtual card). I cannot access my VPS and I have saved this weekend to work on the deploy of my experiment, for the research I am conducting, the reason I got the service.
The question I have is: should I worry about their silence and their decision to suspend before even giving me a chance to provide the verification? I mean, they could have at least given me some time to send it before suspending, couldn't they?
Comments
It sounds like you've got scammed. Why would you think it's a good idea to send ID verification for a cheap box (from a presumably shady company?). You should've asked for a refund immediately.
Could be a scam, but maybe not. Who is the provider?
To make things worse, my bank doesn't allow me to use my physical card for transactions using the card number/verification code as a security measure, so I used a virtual card
Are there banks that actually do that?
Ask for a refund, doing this after delivery and payment verification is kinda shady.
Especially asking so much for a virtual server, that is usually what a bank asks for.
I'm willing to bet it's a summerhost who's looking to scam credit cards.
No, don't just worry, run, run away as fast as you can from them.
Name and shame
I once had to send a provider
...was I scammed?
Sounds legit to me!
... can we get that fan fic URL?
I wouldn't call it a scam unless they ask for a gallon of other body fluids. Let me tell you, not easy filling up a gallon of that. Lots of chafing.
And since you had to convert to Judaism, did the provider require you to send in any foreskin as proof? If not, they where totally scamming you.
I once had to send NEKKI-THE-CREEP a photo of me looking slightly disgruntled.
Was I scammed?
If they had given you some time before suspending, then it may have been too late (depending on whether you're honest or not).
Anyway, without knowing who the provider is, what are we supposed to say?
Congrats on your first post.
The only rational conclusion I see is that it's a scam. Everything is a scam.
Your bank does not allow you to use your bank card? OK....................
Meanwhile, provider is posting on a forum talking about this new sketchy customer that paid with a virtual card, lives in a country with previous bad history, etc...
Hello everyone!
Thanks for all the answers.
I opted not to mention their name by the time I posted, it happened that other webhosts in the past bothered me about credit cards, I guess it's because I am based in Brazil so their risk management typically gets a little bit paranoid.
The reason I was worried about was the delay and lack of responsiveness, but 10 minutes after my post they reactivated my account, so I will preserve their name. It seems like everything is okay now!
Well, a person does not choose the country they live in, and paying with a virtual card is a security measure required by my bank (so the physical card remains unaffected case you enter your security code into the site of a "sketchy" VPS provider)
If they had given me, that would have been my fault. But with the time interval I reported, well, that time would have been unreasonably short. And thanks for the congrats!
Indeed there are, I have accounts with two fintechs in my country and both pose such restrictions. In Brazil manufacturing and sending a new card takes a lot of time due to our mail services, so if someone steals your card's number and security code it would take weeks or even months to receive a new one. So such banks only allow transactions with the physical card from pin pads at physical stores or mobile pin pads, leaving virtual cards for online transactions, as those you can cancel and replace with one click. In practice they work as if they were the same card but with a changeable number/CVV.
PS: Why do people act as if a virtual card was a "bad" or "shady" thing anyway?
Just curious, what specs has and how much is that VM?
Here's your answer.
In this kind of situations, constantly add a watermark.
@yoursunny perfectly done that. Well done! (Even if I would recommend putting text/logo on a complicated part of the pic).
So much requirements most likely initiated due to:
1) You come from country which provider just afraid (for his own reason). Let's say you order services from EU or USA provider and come, let's say from Guatemala (this is just for sample). Provider has bad experience with customers from Guatemala and therefore apply additional check.
2) You come from IP-address or IP-address range which was used for doing malicious activity.
3) You use payment method which was used for doing malicious activity.
4) Your phone number seem's to be suspicious (SMS services, virtual phones etc.)
5) You use temporary mailbox to register account.
Internet business always need use some compromises. From one side business must follow KYC standard. From other side end user want to save his personal data as safe as possible. That is real life...