Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : HostGator new registration asking for ID and CreditCard scan

[slyphnier]

hello everyone

i am new member in here

today i registering at hostgator, because i am hearing good review for them

But surprisingly, after the registration completed
they send verification email, asking for my personal IDs and CreditCard scan!

Even though they allow me to mask-off digits on the creditcard, but as new user, i didn't feel confident especially when lot hacking activity lately

And i have been using various webhosting, and this is first time a webhoster asking for ID, hostgator even didn't let me know the reason they need my ID scan

So i tried to contact hostgator sales, and they said they will call me
after waiting around 6hours without no call from hostgator, i contact sales person in live-chat again, now they said they going phone immediately, then they said no one answering the phone, i am waiting and i didn't hear the phone ringing either... i give them my cellnumber, but same they said the made call, but it never reach me

in the end i need to call their international support, but my phone-line seems didn't allow me to contact their international call for some reason

i also ask if i can pay thru paypal, but they said i will still need to do verification, which i think ridiculous, my paypal is already verified, why they need to care that much ?

So i want to know if new user at hostgator been asked for your ids ?
and did you feel safe sending your ids ?


thanks in advance

[grow]

I've never heard of this before! Where are you in the world?

[Lincxu]

No such experience with our clients, but from my partner's stats hostgator does got lots of fraud sign ups recently, maybe this is the reason why they set so restrict rules

[slyphnier]

i am in asia pasific, indonesia
now i am feel discrimination

if they afraid fraud, why they didn't let me just pay from paypal ?
they can verified they got no problem with the payment
and also i didn't have to send out my id over internet

here their email :

Hello,

Thank you for your order with HostGator.com!

In order for us to setup your account, we will need you to call in and verify your billing information.

If you are unable to call us, you can instead respond to this ticket with a scanned copy of a Photo ID such as a passport, or drivers license. In addition to a photo ID, please include a scanned copy of the credit card that was used in your account purchase (assuming you purchased a hosting account with a credit card). For security purposes you can mask off all the digits of the card number except for the last 4 digits.

Please provide us with the above requested information at your earliest convenience to ensure that your account with HostGator is setup as soon as possible.

Toll-free: 1-866-96-GATOR, extension 1010
International: 001-713-574-5287

We are available 24/7, so please feel free to call us at your convenience. We apologize for any inconveniences that may result from this process.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you,
HostGator.com Sales Team
Customer ID: 949451

[aselmani]

That happened to me once with another host. I had to send them and then they released the payments and host.

[RBurns]

Even with paypal there is potential fraud. Normally during the winter is when we get a lot of fraud on our site. Paypal took back up to $5000 for fraud last year, nothing hurts a business more than that. Security and checks is going to be a big thing soon.

[Vijay Pather]

Happened to me with Host Gator and I'm from Australia. It's to stop credit card fraud which happens a lot in the hosting industry.

[cpanellover]

Hostgator asked me that to

[slyphnier]

thanks for the reply everyone

@CheetahHostdotNet
when you receive payment you can check whether user is verified user or not right ? don't you think verified user safe (free from fraud)
i don't know how far people doing fraud

@people sending their id to hostgator
do you feel comfortable sending your confidential matter to internet company ?
i know hostgator have good reputation, but imho my personal information is more critical than their need for verification procedure
i mean if a user found out that doing bad things they can just cancel the account like they mention on their ToS right?

and i just didn't get from people that trying to register a website using a stolen creditcard... i mean, their account will be blocked as soon as the company findout... so what the point they register the account anyway ?

[Hsunami]

Originally Posted by slyphnier

when you receive payment you can check whether user is verified user or not right ? don't you think verified user safe (free from fraud)
i don't know how far people doing fraud

It doesn't matter if the PayPal account is verified or not. The account could have been compromised. When the real owner finds this weird charge, they will do a chargeback.

[cpanellover]

Originally Posted by slyphnier

thanks for the reply everyone

@CheetahHostdotNet
when you receive payment you can check whether user is verified user or not right ? don't you think verified user safe (free from fraud)
i don't know how far people doing fraud

@people sending their id to hostgator
do you feel comfortable sending your confidential matter to internet company ?
i know hostgator have good reputation, but imho my personal information is more critical than their need for verification procedure
i mean if a user found out that doing bad things they can just cancel the account like they mention on their ToS right?

and i just didn't get from people that trying to register a website using a stolen creditcard... i mean, their account will be blocked as soon as the company findout... so what the point they register the account anyway ?

Yes i had no problem with there verification procedure note that hostgator or any other company for that matter is permitted to sell or otherwise disclose personal information unless the involved company is being forced todo this by law enforcement(eg court order(s)) Hostgator will only use that info to verify you are indeed who you claim to be after that is done all of your worries will be over unless offcource you are being naughty

[stablehost]

This is common in the hosting industry -- no need to make a big deal out of it.

[slyphnier]

thank you again for the information everyone

well i have been in some webhosting like hostcolor / powweb / lunarpages etc.
and been never asked about id, so this is new to me ^^

[JamesOakley]

Originally Posted by slyphnier

thank you again for the information everyone

well i have been in some webhosting like hostcolor / powweb / lunarpages etc.
and been never asked about id, so this is new to me ^^

Which makes it your choice. It's reasonable enough for hostgator to be cautious. That's their prerogative. They've just upped the cost for you hosting with them, in that it's a mild inconvenience for you, and a possible security risk. But they haven't upped it by much. Either you still want to host with them, given it now costs the money they quoted and the non-material price of the security checks, or it's now too pricey and you want to give your custom elsewhere.

Hostgator have done the cost-benefit analysis of that for them. Only you can do it for you. If they still meet, then you still have a deal.

[Lanny]

@OP If you read what HG sent to you, their desire is for you to call them on the phone. Or, if you cannot call them on the phone, then the second option is to send that stuff to them.

You can call phone numbers that are toll free within the USA (800 numbers, etc.), FREE, on Skype.

Also, if they have it enabled in Indonesia, you can call phone numbers in the USA, regular or toll free numbers, free, until the end of 2011, on Gmail. I can do that from Colombia, but, I'm not sure if Google has it enabled from Indonesia.

I would have no problem sending that data to HostGator.
Much smaller companies, I would probably not want to send that data to. That does not mean that I assume smaller companies are dishonest, but I would feel better sending that data to HostGator, than a small provider.

I have had to send data like that, on a number of occasions, because I live in South America. GL