Possible way to lessen scammers

[dorianking]

So recently I came across a forum that gives out something called a Verified Merchant Rank.

Essentially this is how the forum quotes the Verified Rank with a few adjustments I made:

The merchant rank is reserved for members who have proven and verified their identity.

All we require is a recognized form of ID, with all information except the name blacked out. A legitimate trader with good intentions, will have no qualms giving this simple piece of information. Trading with a verified merchant is safer, because it protects you from risks such as stolen credit cards, and unauthorized claims.

Unauthorized payments make up the vast majority of online fraud, especially among younger people (who may 'borrow' their parent's card for example). If we receive proof a verified merchant has lodged an unauthorized claim or chargeback - and they do not move swiftly to rectify the situation - recognized forms of ID can be given to PayPal or the proper authority as evidence, to successfully dispute a fraudulent unauthorised claim or chargeback.

We will hold this information in line with our privacy policy. It will only be disclosed if an unauthorized claim or chargeback is committed, for the sole purpose of enabling the victim to dispute it through PayPal.

To Obtain Verified Merchant Rank
Create a Verified Merchant Application towards an Administrator of Sythe and provide the following:
1) A clear photograph of a universally recognized form of ID such as a Passport or Driver's License/Permit.
2) A second photo, with you holding up a piece of paper with your Sythe username written on it. This is simply so we are able to visually confirm you are the same person shown in the passport/driver's license.

Obviously, people are allowed to edit out any details they are not comfortable with (such as date of birth), all we need is your full name.

I think this is a great solution to lessen scammers. I also feel that this should be a REQUIREMENT for all OMMs in case they decide to turn dirty one day, however NOT mandatory for everyone else. The advantages of knowing who you are trading with are clear and I know many people would feel safer if they know who they are dealing with in case anything happens. This can also be a great way for someone to remove their TWC .

Some disadvantages I see are:
1) Administrators become corrupt and mass identity theft all verified merchants.
2) Online trading is still not guaranteed as a verified merchant's Paypal was truly hacked and therefore legitimately needed a chargeback.
3) Sythe database gets hacked and identity theft occurs.

Those are the main 3 issues I see. Post your comments below and I will add them if they are reasonable.

However the pros I feel far outweigh the cons. Let me know what you guys think!

 

[Kabal]

I don't see how this stops people from stealing gp. Unless the person is scared that someone will track them down irl and kill them. I don't think sythe would ever implement this

 

[dorianking]

Its not meant to stop people from stealing GP. Well it is indirectly, it is more to win disputes for chargebacks in Paypal since ID can be use as solid proof.

 

[Snow Patrol]

A valiant idea, but I don't think it's as easy as it sounds and the privacy concern is probably something sythe + staff dont want to deal with

 

[Bubba Fuzz]

I'm against it personally. I like having my identity private here. I do some crazy crap to keep my online life out of my social life and I wouldn't feel comfortable if some one online new my face + full name.

 

Administrators becoming corrupt is not an issue you need to worry about on Sythe. For a while we had this requirement when we promoted new staff members but it was tedious and ended up burning itself out. And what about members like myself that have no forms of photo ID?

 

[mill3n]

I'm sorry, but I'm not just going to give my ID like that. It really is valuable information, and I don't want people to mess around with that. If Sythe has my ID (a copy) and it is stolen, can't I sue Sythe for that?

Just go with Grand Masters, $200+ traders, known merchants for safe trading.

 

[blazee]

This could work but will take lots of effort. Many people don't want to post photo's of themselves and give out their real name.

Also there is no way that Sythe staff are going to be corrupt. Out of every single forum website i've been to, Sythe has to have the best mods/admins

No support.

 

[Add My Msn]

I like this idea but don't see how this would stop scammers unless you wanna show the person's photo to the police..

 

[dorianking]

Administrators becoming corrupt is not an issue you need to worry about on Sythe. For a while we had this requirement when we promoted new staff members but it was tedious and ended up burning itself out. And what about members like myself that have no forms of photo ID?

I never said it was an issue, but more of a possibility (Adidas Slogan: Impossible is nothing). And I have gotten this issue numerous times and I want to clarify; this Verified merchant rank is NOT mandatory, it is only a thing to understand that exists if you choose to get the rank. Basically, it is the same as a Donator's rank, if you want a give out your ID to make people around you feel comfortable that you are not going to chargeback through PayPal or whatever payment method you use; by all means, go ahead. However, it is not mandatory for all Sythe members.

Think of it this way, as a first timer to the website; I see someone with a verified rank and it is a clear sign I know what it means; I personally would feel more comfortable trading with that person whether it be purchasing or selling. I know when I first came to Sythe, I traded with someone who was well known through the community (many trades, vouches etc) and turns out, it was bad timing when he was mass scamming everyone. This kind of thing is perfect for many top sellers who want to assure their customers that there will be consequences in the case that they scam. AS I SAID BEFORE, it is not mandatory, however, perhaps these verified rank people can to sell in a separate section of the forum or something along those lines.

I hope this clarifies some things, let me know any other issues and etc.

 

[Tckr]

Its a blackmarket cheating website, I think people don't want to share there ID with total strangers just to get a trusted ranked that their vouches can take care of.

 

[xTemporary]

I don't think this will stop scammers in my way of it.

 

[Gexx]

Administrators becoming corrupt is not an issue you need to worry about on Sythe. For a while we had this requirement when we promoted new staff members but it was tedious and ended up burning itself out. And what about members like myself that have no forms of photo ID?

Passport unless your a mexican jumping the border? This is a good idea.

 

[n4n0]

Those of you talking about "Identity theft" and such are obviously quite ignorant. You can't do SHIT with a "FULL NAME" as described in the original post. You need a Name, Date of Birth, and Social Security Number to do ANYTHING. With this idea, this information will NOT be requested nor required for obvious reasons, nor would I personally condone anyone supplying that type of information over the internet to ANY un-verified source. However, forcing someone to supply proof of identity (ID card, Passport, Drivers License, etc) in order to obtain some sort of "Confirmed User" title isn't that bad of an idea in my opinion. I would personally gladly offer proof of identity, as I have nothing to hide, nor any ill intention on the site.

 

[Revolight]

Pretty good idea, just be sure that they can't fake it.

 

[ScammersAreDumb]

This somewhat falls under a requirement for the market/new rank, both of which are on the DNS list and they have also both been suggested and denied in the past.

Back on topic, however, this wouldn't solve much at all. 95% of all chargebacks are done through the person claiming it was an unauthorized transaction. Right now, it's pretty much impossible to fight. Tell me exactly how showing PayPal a scan of their name on an ID would help, especially if everything else is blocked out? Oh wait, it wouldn't. Showing PayPal a copy of the person's ID wouldn't invalidate that person's claim of having their account hacked and a payment sent. If the scan of the ID was emailed to the other party along with the payment, then yes, you would have some good proof of them lying. However, showing PayPal a picture that is who knows how many years old, and only showing the person's name, it wouldn't be much proof at all.

 

[n4n0]

This somewhat falls under a requirement for the market/new rank, both of which are on the DNS list and they have also both been suggested and denied in the past.

Back on topic, however, this wouldn't solve much at all. 95% of all chargebacks are done through the person claiming it was an unauthorized transaction. Right now, it's pretty much impossible to fight. Tell me exactly how showing PayPal a scan of their name on an ID would help, especially if everything else is blocked out? Oh wait, it wouldn't. Showing PayPal a copy of the person's ID wouldn't invalidate that person's claim of having their account hacked and a payment sent. If the scan of the ID was emailed to the other party along with the payment, then yes, you would have some good proof of them lying. However, showing PayPal a picture that is who knows how many years old, and only showing the person's name, it wouldn't be much proof at all.

Unauthorized charges are actually quite easy to win if you supply the correct information (I personally have won thousands of dollars worth of unauthorized charges.) Also, having a person submit a photo of their ID (Showing the name) along with a photo of themselves HOLDING this ID AND a piece of paper w/ their sythe name helps to establish a much better timeframe as to when the photo was taken, as the photo can only be as old as the account in question.

 

[Time To Buy]

A lot of the traders on this site are minors, and I'm guessing that we would not be allowed to do this, however I may be wrong (probably am). However, if we couldn't do that, I'm sure all we would need is parental permission. For some, that would be easy to get, but for others, near impossible. Not a big deal but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

Other than that small thing, I support.

 

[n4n0]

A lot of the traders on this site are minors, and I'm guessing that we would not be allowed to do this, however I may be wrong (probably am). However, if we couldn't do that, I'm sure all we would need is parental permission. For some, that would be easy to get, but for others, near impossible. Not a big deal but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

Other than that small thing, I support.

That's easy. For those who can't/won't supply it. They don't get the verified title. Just one more hurdle they have to try and get over. If they want that title then they have to get parental consent. Not hard to figure out.

 

[Listen to Young Money]

I'd do it, I got nothing to hide. I'm down for anything that can possibly lessen scammers here.