Warning: PokerStars.com stole my initial $100 deposit.

#1 29th August 2009, 6:59 PM

This week I signed up for a PokerStars account, and used their e-check feature to transfer $100 from my Bank account to a new PokerStars account.

30 minutes prior to the beginning of the tournament I wanted to register for, I was logged out of the PokerStars system and my account was frozen.

They demanded a copy of my State ID, a copy of a recent utility bill, a copy of a recent bank statement, and a form filled out with my personal information. Despite the fact that I found this request invasive and unnecessary, I complied with the demand by taking photos of all requested documentation (except the bank statement, which was provided in PDF format).

I received a reply stating that the photos were not sufficient - they needed them documents to be scanned or faxed. This is ridiculous. I don't have a scanner or fax machine, and quite frankly, I've already gone above and beyond in providing this documentation in the first place. At this point, I'm extremely annoyed and just want my $100 returned to my bank account. I would never give PokerStars my business after treatment like this. Here's where it gets insane...

THEY WILL NOT RETURN MY MONEY TO MY BANK ACCOUNT: "we will need that you send the forms
previously requested. Unfortunately if you don't comply with our security
procedure, the account and the funds will be frozen."

This is ridiculous! They won't even provide a phone number so I can speak with a human being about this.

FAIR WARNING: IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH PokerStars, YOU MAY BE LEFT WITHOUT RECOURSE.

#2 29th August 2009, 8:58 PM

There's a little thing called an agreement that you had to sign when you created an account and deposited funds at PokerStars. Did you bother to read it?

There have been others that have had similar problems, but in the end it always comes back to the fact that PokerStars takes security with its user's deposits very seriously. The reason photos are not sufficient is that there is no digital tracking of the information embedded in the file. Its just a picture.

They have every right to freeze the account. Is your bank in the United States? That could be a problem.

Pokerstars has software that flags suspicious activity in new accounts. It may be nothing - it may be that you have multiple accounts from your IP. Who knows?

Your only choice to get your money back is play by the rules that you signed up for when you deposited the money in the first place. If you consider that "no recourse" then you need a lesson in contract law.

Good luck.

#3 29th August 2009, 9:02 PM

#4 29th August 2009, 9:04 PM

As above

I know it can be a pain to scan passports driving licenses utility bills etc. but if it reduces the amount of fraud I'm all for it

#5 29th August 2009, 9:15 PM

Yep, sorry guy, you probably won't find much sympathy here. A number of us, myself included, have been through the procedure and continue to play there.

#6 29th August 2009, 9:15 PM

I've played at Stars for ages, added and withdrawn and had no need to provide any of this. Your account has been flagged (for whatever reason). If you provide the info I'm sure it will get freed up, Stars do not have a game plan to commit misappropriation of funds. They have no need to. There are enough players willing to donate.

Wait this is your first post?!?

#7 29th August 2009, 9:18 PM

I'd recomend going down to your local post office, here in Canada you can fax whatever you want for $.25, also you can goto your local 7/11 to copy the documents to be faxed.

Sorry but Pokerstars always wins in these matters you should just do what they say and get your $100 back.

#8 29th August 2009, 9:32 PM

I know it sucks to be inconvenienced like this. I hate it more than most. However, Stars is the biggest site out there for a reason. They have no vested interest in messing with your account unless it got flagged for some reason. Just do what they say and I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

#9 29th August 2009, 10:09 PM

Sigh, It wasn't stolen they need to verify your identity for whatever reason. Just give em what they are asking for. You ppl waste more time whining in threads like this than it would take to just fax over the info and cash out.
Good luck

#10 29th August 2009, 10:12 PM

[ ] stole your deposit

[x] requesting info for the sake of site and player security

[?] more to the story than op has posted

#11 29th August 2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorkus Malorkus

[ ] stole your deposit

[x] requesting info for the sake of site and player security

[?] more to the story than op has posted

I think it would be safe to put the x in the third box as well.

#12 29th August 2009, 10:46 PM

I think they are doing whats best for the players. I wouldn't want someone to take my money and get away with it. However, for them to hold the money and not give it back to were it came from is sketchy. I would persist no matter what until they give in. that could take a while hope your not busy.

#13 29th August 2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

This week I signed up for a PokerStars account, and used their e-check feature to transfer $100 from my Bank account to a new PokerStars account.

30 minutes prior to the beginning of the tournament I wanted to register for, I was logged out of the PokerStars system and my account was frozen.

They demanded a copy of my State ID, a copy of a recent utility bill, a copy of a recent bank statement, and a form filled out with my personal information. Despite the fact that I found this request invasive and unnecessary, I complied with the demand by taking photos of all requested documentation (except the bank statement, which was provided in PDF format).

I received a reply stating that the photos were not sufficient - they needed them documents to be scanned or faxed. This is ridiculous. I don't have a scanner or fax machine, and quite frankly, I've already gone above and beyond in providing this documentation in the first place. At this point, I'm extremely annoyed and just want my $100 returned to my bank account. I would never give PokerStars my business after treatment like this. Here's where it gets insane...

THEY WILL NOT RETURN MY MONEY TO MY BANK ACCOUNT: "we will need that you send the forms
previously requested. Unfortunately if you don't comply with our security
procedure, the account and the funds will be frozen."

This is ridiculous! They won't even provide a phone number so I can speak with a human being about this.

FAIR WARNING: IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH PokerStars, YOU MAY BE LEFT WITHOUT RECOURSE.

To be honest I have another view to what the others are saying here... from the sounds of it you have done everything you can that they have requested and shouldnt have frozen you account like that without giving any real reason why they have...

personally I don't care if anything says anything about Terms & condidtions because what they have done is still not right.

Try to fax these items, there will probablly be a scanner in a libary near to you so you can try that... appart from that I don't know what advise I can give you apart from don't use Poker Stars again and don't tranfer money into things that you can not afford to lose.

#14 30th August 2009, 1:20 AM

Sorry, but PS is just trying to protect themselves and other players. PS is the best when it comes to security. Something caught there eye and your account was flaged.(not that you did anything wrong). Are there more than one PS account on your computer? Is the banking account in your name ONLY? Does your address on pokerstars match the documents you gave?

The only problem I had with the e-check is when I deposited $25.00 and PS processor didn't take it out. Two months later PS asked for another deposit or said I could have It removed from my Stars account. Also pokerstars has never asked me for any documents-don't know why though.

Best of luck

#15 30th August 2009, 8:32 AM

Good lord.

I did my best to comply with their requests, but when it was not sufficient, I decided I wasn't comfortable sharing anymore information with a shady, offshore organization. Quite frankly, I felt like I'd already shared enough, and I felt that their inquisitions were invasive.

BUT PEOPLE - here's what you're missing: I stated quite plainly that I did not want to go any further with their "prequal" system, and simply asked that they RETURN MY MONEY TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT THEY REFUSED.

Repeat: I'm not asking them to transfer my money to another account, to credit it anywhere strange, or anything that might present them with an opportunity for fraud. I'm simply asking them to return my funds to the bank account from which they came.

The fact that they refuse this request under the guise of "security" is laughable. If you don't grasp this concept then I'm not sure how to explain it to you, sorry.

But I'll start here: THEY WANT MY $100. 8-|

#16 30th August 2009, 9:05 AM

first time see something like this on pokerstars, i got the same thing on partypoker, but they didnt send me email about frozen acc, but called to my mobile phone... i talked with him, gived right info and got back my acc in 30min~. pretty bad for you if you get in there your money and cant get it out

#17 30th August 2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Good lord.

I did my best to comply with their requests, but when it was not sufficient, I decided I wasn't comfortable sharing anymore information with a shady, offshore organization. Quite frankly, I felt like I'd already shared enough, and I felt that their inquisitions were invasive.

BUT PEOPLE - here's what you're missing: I stated quite plainly that I did not want to go any further with their "prequal" system, and simply asked that they RETURN MY MONEY TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT THEY REFUSED.

Repeat: I'm not asking them to transfer my money to another account, to credit it anywhere strange, or anything that might present them with an opportunity for fraud. I'm simply asking them to return my funds to the bank account from which they came.

The fact that they refuse this request under the guise of "security" is laughable. If you don't grasp this concept then I'm not sure how to explain it to you, sorry.

But I'll start here: THEY WANT MY $100. 8-|

If you had recently deposited through e-check then PS would still have to wait until the check cleared the bank before they would even think of returning your funds to you.

As they had mentioned, your account and funds are TEMPORARILY frozen, which means you still have the account there with the funds intact, all you have to do is send what they request in the manner they request them, if everything is good with your account, you will then have your choice to play or withdraw.

If you still have a problem with that, read the user agreement, specifically this one which I copied from PS:

1.3. We reserve the right at any time to request from you evidence of age in order to ensure that minors are not using the Service. We further reserve the right to suspend or cancel your account and exclude you, temporarily or permanently, from using the Service if satisfactory proof of age is not provided or if we suspect that you are underage.The above is taken right from the Terms of service(you know, that document you agreed to when signing up for an account), if you hadn't read it when you signed up, then you are sol SOL and you have no pity from us if you don't read anything before you agree to it.

If this is not satisfactory then go here>>> http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/

#18 30th August 2009, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Good lord.

I did my best to comply with their requests, but when it was not sufficient, I decided I wasn't comfortable sharing anymore information with a shady, offshore organization. Quite frankly, I felt like I'd already shared enough, and I felt that their inquisitions were invasive.

BUT PEOPLE - here's what you're missing: I stated quite plainly that I did not want to go any further with their "prequal" system, and simply asked that they RETURN MY MONEY TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT THEY REFUSED.

Repeat: I'm not asking them to transfer my money to another account, to credit it anywhere strange, or anything that might present them with an opportunity for fraud. I'm simply asking them to return my funds to the bank account from which they came.

The fact that they refuse this request under the guise of "security" is laughable. If you don't grasp this concept then I'm not sure how to explain it to you, sorry.

But I'll start here: THEY WANT MY $100. 8-|

STOP MOANING and do what they ask.. Unless you have something to hide,.

its not that hard to do what they ask, and they fact that the site is doing things properly gives all us other players some confidence that no one is going to scam my account and steal my money!

#19 30th August 2009, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Good lord.

I did my best to comply with their requests, but when it was not sufficient, I decided I wasn't comfortable sharing anymore information with a shady, offshore organization. Quite frankly, I felt like I'd already shared enough, and I felt that their inquisitions were invasive.

BUT PEOPLE - here's what you're missing: I stated quite plainly that I did not want to go any further with their "prequal" system, and simply asked that they RETURN MY MONEY TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT THEY REFUSED.

Repeat: I'm not asking them to transfer my money to another account, to credit it anywhere strange, or anything that might present them with an opportunity for fraud. I'm simply asking them to return my funds to the bank account from which they came.

The fact that they refuse this request under the guise of "security" is laughable. If you don't grasp this concept then I'm not sure how to explain it to you, sorry.

But I'll start here: THEY WANT MY $100. 8-|

they will usually allow people to withdraw to their original funding source which is why i'm pretty sure there's something you're not telling us here. that coupled with the fact that you apparently sent them all this stuff once without a word but are now feeling ever so put out because they dared to ask you for scanned copies as opposed to presumably a low-quality photo copy (i would imagine that it costs like half a toenail clipping to fax something at a post office or some stationery-type stores fyi).

stop acting like the world's most hard-done by person ever and paste the e-mails, perhaps?

alternatively - yes, pokerstars, a complany making millions upon millions every year are risking ruining their reputation to steal your 100 bux. obviously.

#20 30th August 2009, 2:02 PM

why would a big poker site like Pokerstars dare to steal 100 $ ?

there must be a mistake, mail them if there is anything wrong they will fix it.

have a nice day

#21 30th August 2009, 4:20 PM

There has to be something else going on here.

I deposited with eChecks the first time on PS, they never asked me for anything and the funds were available almost immediately. They didn't hold them to see if the deposit cleared or not.

By the time the charge showed on my back account it had been so long that I had forgotten what it was for and almost contested it before I remembered. It didn't show, obviously, as PS but as some nondescript entity.

I am assuming that once I won a couple of the WCOOP events and want to withdraw that I'll have to provide some more tangible ID and I have no real problem with that.

#22 30th August 2009, 4:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidkvno1

Are you a moreon ????

I'm not the one who can't even spell the word correctly, Einstein.

#23 30th August 2009, 4:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorkus Malorkus

presumably a low-quality photo copy ..

Photos were shot with a Canon T1i digital SLR and are completely legible.

#24 30th August 2009, 4:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigsmak

STOP MOANING and do what they ask.. Unless you have something to hide,.

LOL. I'll bet you're a fan of the Patriot Act too?

Why should I comply with their demands when all I want is my money back?

#25 30th August 2009, 4:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinedown.45

If you had recently deposited through e-check then PS would still have to wait until the check cleared the bank before they would even think of returning your funds to you.

As they had mentioned, your account and funds are TEMPORARILY frozen, which means you still have the account there with the funds intact, all you have to do is send what they request in the manner they request them, if everything is good with your account, you will then have your choice to play or withdraw.

No. That was my argument as well. They stated that even once the hold period on the deposit is over, I would still have to provide the information. I provided a PDF document of the first page of my bank statement, with the account number and my address, etc. They demanded the rest of the pages! WTF - what's the point? The transactions on my bank statement are none of their business, nor are my direct deposits from work. It's invasive.

If you still have a problem with that, read the user agreement, specifically this one which I copied from PS:

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinedown.45

1.3. We reserve the right at any time to request from you evidence of age in order to ensure that minors are not using the Service. We further reserve the right to suspend or cancel your account and exclude you, temporarily or permanently, from using the Service if satisfactory proof of age is not provided or if we suspect that you are underage.The above is taken right from the Terms of service(you know, that document you agreed to when signing up for an account), if you hadn't read it when you signed up, then you are sol SOL and you have no pity from us if you don't read anything before you agree to it.

If this is not satisfactory then go here>>> http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/tos/

Great. I provided an EXTREMELY clear and HUGE copy of my State ID to them already. What's your point?

#26 30th August 2009, 4:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDTed

I am assuming that once I won a couple of the WCOOP events and want to withdraw that I'll have to provide some more tangible ID and I have no real problem with that.

Only a couple? lol. They may need to send it by armoured car and can verify your details when they do!

#27 30th August 2009, 5:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

LOL. I'll bet you're a fan of the Patriot Act too?

Why should I comply with their demands when all I want is my money back?

That is how it goes. If you want your money back they probably have to verify it was your money. It is not a big deal dude unless you are not on the level. Your account was flagged for whatever reason. So now they need to verify some things. Once they do they will release the funds.

#28 30th August 2009, 5:02 PM

thanks for posting those e-mails!

#29 30th August 2009, 5:54 PM

Just send what they want!
Most all of us have had to do so at one site or another at some time or other ...
No big deal!

#30 30th August 2009, 7:12 PM

Just send what they want.... its not that hard.

#31 30th August 2009, 9:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Good lord.

BUT PEOPLE - here's what you're missing: I stated quite plainly that I did not want to go any further with their "prequal" system, and simply asked that they RETURN MY MONEY TO MY ACCOUNT, BUT THEY REFUSED.

Repeat: I'm not asking them to transfer my money to another account, to credit it anywhere strange, or anything that might present them with an opportunity for fraud. I'm simply asking them to return my funds to the bank account from which they came.

The fact that they refuse this request under the guise of "security" is laughable. If you don't grasp this concept then I'm not sure how to explain it to you, sorry.

But I'll start here: THEY WANT MY $100. 8-|

Not missing a thing. But YOU are. Have you ever heard of "money laundering"? This is the keystone of the reason that they will not immediately return your deposit to the bank.

#32 31st August 2009, 12:04 AM

Look at it this way , if you don't comply with PS, you will not get your funds and no amount of whining here will change their mind.

#33 31st August 2009, 4:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Photos were shot with a Canon T1i digital SLR and are completely legible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

Great. I provided an EXTREMELY clear and HUGE copy of my State ID to them already. What's your point?

WHAT!?!? They asked for a COPY not a picture-get real. They will not give your money back until you comply because they have issues with you(just like people in this thread.) What you are not GETTING is that they do not know if your of age and if that bank account is yours.(or whatever you're hiding)

Why don't YOU listen to the people here and the other forum that you posted this on and give them what they want.

Everybody's wrong but you-right?

#34 31st August 2009, 5:32 AM

If this were a fly-by-night place, I would understand your qualms. However, most of us trust PS. We trust them to hold our money for us, no matter how much we win. We trust them to keep their security intact so that few or no people get away with problematic things. We want them to be careful. Same with Full Tilt. If either needed more info from me, I would give it, in exactly the format that they wanted, and ask if there is any more they need to clear up a problem.

If they need more information, they have a good reason. I notice you did not post the emails... so I assume that there is more to this story.

#35 1st September 2009, 1:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBradford

LOL. I'll bet you're a fan of the Patriot Act too?

Why should I comply with their demands when all I want is my money back?

Doesn't matter if you like it, you still have to abide by it.

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