PokerStar frozen account - help???

I recently joined PokerStars a few days ago.

I made a deposit with my VISA and was playing no longer than 1 hour, when I received a message saying my account was frozen, until I submitted some ID and signed a statement authorized all transactions with PS. I was given no reason as to why it was frozen.

After many slow emails back and forth (they take over 12 hours to respond), I still do not have a reason. They claim it was a precautionary measure.

I've since asked them to refund my VISA and close my account. They said in order to proceed, I needed to send them ID and sign the statement. I'm not comfortable doing this.

Help. What can I do?

Send them some id. It's in the interests of keeping the site secure and they can be trusted.

If it were me I would have sent them the id in the first place. They have never asked me to do that - but if they ever do then I would oblige.

What are you afraid of -that they are trying to steal your identity?

They do not need my ID to reverse the VISA charge.
I will not play on a poker site that takes my VISA information, then freezes my account, and asks for more info for NO REASON.

sorry but PokerStars obviously felt there was a reason, they wouldnt do it for no reason.

If you wont give an ID to Stars then what happens when you try to play on a small untrustworthy site?

just send them the ID and get things fixed

There was a reason - they would not jhave done it for no reason. There is really nothing any of us can do to help you.

Obviously you shouldn't play poker at a site you don't trust - but if you don't trust Pokerstars then you can't trust any of them. So if I were you I wouldn't play anywhere.

I trust them - so if they ask me I will just send it.

I still don't know what it is you fear they will do with your id.

I've been playing online for 6 years and never had issues with any sites I've played at. Why should I send them the ID? If there was a good reason, they should let me know what the issue is.
If I don't want to play on their site, they should just refund my VISA, not hold my money like ransom.
Are these reputable actions?

they ask for id as a security precaution to help prevent id and/or credit card fraud.

instead of feeling outraged for no real reason you should be happy they are asking for id, as requesting id from players helps make the site safer.

What do you do in stores, banks etc when they ask you for your id when you use your credit card?

Sorry - but I worked in credit card fraud for years. I am glad they ask when they feel they need to. It is for your protection and our protection.

Yes - very reputable actions imo.

Still waiting to hear what it is you fear might happen to you if you do it.

^^^this is exactly why, and we all should be happy they are doing this

So you've been playing online for 6 years and you're just now opening a Stars account? Possible I suppose. Right after they announced that they were upping their deposit bonus to $600? Man how fortunate that you waited. Now you don't want to send in your ID? How coincidental.

^^ WVHolmes!!!

If its actually legit, did you play any HU sng's like 2 days ago, since they have froze the account of everyone who did to sort out the big hoopla of the glitches software

First of all they have their own rules. There is no higher authority to which you can appeal.

Your choices are to 1) provide what they request; or 2) lose your deposit. If you provide what they require, and they don't like what they see, you could still be out the money anyway.

If the time frame and circumstances are actually as described, what would be perfectly reasonable here would be for them to refund your money TO THE SAME CARD up to the amount of the deposit. Anything in excess of that might reasonably be held pending receipt of the required documentation.

But, they don't have to be reasonable, which brings me back to my first point. They have their own rules. There is no higher authority to which you can appeal.

Sorry bro.. but WV makes a compelling argument...

That said... if you ARE being completely honest then , though I understand your reaction I think you should check it.

In this exact instance, they are protecting YOUR money from possible fraud. If they are wrong, at least they err on the side of caution.

Then again if WV theory holds merit, they are protecting themselves from fraud, which I appreciate as THAT protects MY account.

I have no theory. My post was just about how coincidentally lucky the OP was to deposit at Stars at just the right time.

When was the last time you made an online purchase at say Amazon or such, where you were asked to fax in your ID?

Do you have to be 18 to buy stuff at amazon?

If so, what are you buying?

You're right this is so improbable. There is no way I could've happened to open an account as a new user at the same time they're offering this deposit bonus.

If they fear fraud, they should ask all new users to send ID, prior to making any deposit.

When was the last time organized crime operations tried to use Amazon for money laundry?

Or you could read the terms and conditions and find that they said they can do this.

I am prepared to show my id anywhere I use a credit card and so should you be.

I have never been asked to show mine at Pokerstars.

why are you soo offended? what are you hiding that makes you unwilling to send your id?

loool, i was initially thinking there was a high chance that OP is underage but i think my theory has been usurped. well played sir, well played.

I'm not hiding anything. I am worried about identity theft.

In all these responses to my posts, why can't any of you provide a reason as to why they don't ask for this info before a deposit is made?

because asking all the players on their site with empty accounts for their ids would create hours, days, heck probably weeks of unnecessary work for the site staff.

seeing as, y'know, someone who has never had any money in their account is pretty unlikely to be using the site to facilitate credit card fraud or suchlike.

They only ask for it if they sense something fishy, sine you had your account froze, im assuming they sensed something fishy, and want you to verify it. If someone had hacked into your account and pokerstars realised it and froze it and asked them to verify who they were, you would be grateful

Cause they only do it when the feel there is cause to.
Some reasons they might want ID.
Some one else has acount from the same IP.
They think u multi acounting.
The CC was "suspect".
ect...

Was thinking the same thing when reading the op, are you sure you haven't deposited into an acct at pokerstars that you forgot about with this card
What about this, may this be possible.



SEND THE ID AND BE DONE WITH IT, IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE.

If you are that concerned about identity theft then don't use credit cards - period.

It is very easy to provide a reason why they don't ask for id's before a deposit is made. Because it is unnecessary - in most cases they will never need it. There is no reason for them to slow down the process of every deposit made.

But when a red flag pops up - they will need to see it. So always be prepared to show it when you use a credit card for anything at all.

For the record - while it is not impossible for you to become a victim of identity theft as a result of sending them your id - the risk is so incredibly small it is very silly to be concerned about it.

You had to provide your credit card bank with all of that same personal information -were you not too concerned when you did that?

dk i think you just made up a new word. suchlike. lol. as stated by everyone above. i would show them the id and get it over with. pokerstars is one of the most trusted poker sites on the internet with thousands upon thousands of transactions daily. i would trust them if they ask for anything. hell i'd give them my house keys if they asked. but thats not the point. the point is that you have a better chance of some one hacking amazon and taking your card or id then anyone at stars. send it to them.

Lol that would make a good thread, "OMG Pokerstars stole my house!"

You handed over credit card details my friend, why not ID? You should always be prepared to show it and be happy that they ask. As pretty much everyone here has said, if you can't trust Pokerstars, what site can you trust?
Show them and have done, or forget about Pokerstars and the money.

WTF, just send them your ID, maybe they think your under age. Maybe your pokerstars name does not match your CC name.

I should hope not. I can just see the faces of people when I hand over my CC and it has my PS name, klitkat.

I am sure like others said they got a red flag. I do know alot of sites who ask for ID when making a withdrawal so you prob would have to show it at some point. Not a big deal, I have not read any instances of anyone who showed an ID to pokerstars and got their identity stolen and I am sure they have asked to see many more than just yours.

Part of the reason that you're getting responses from so many people willing to supply Stars with ID is the reputation that Stars has in the poker community. I had been playing there for a couple of years before being asked by them for ID and I was willing to send it, knowing their reputation and the fraud/laundering/underage pressures that they're under, which is quite a bit more than Amazon.