Verification Required to Create a Thread

[The Store]

I am just now getting caught up. I actually went to go post a thread and was very confused when it wouldn’t let me. Now I know, lol. Anyway.
I think the intention behind the change is noble, in terms of trying to deter bad actors from taking advantage of others — but, I foresee its execution spelling out “ghost town” for EpicNPC. It’s a double-edged sword, really. Because while you may deter some scammers, you also alienate a large percentage of perfectly honest sellers that have fought tooth and nail to build/keep a solid reputation. Some of these people have been here for years and now either have to comply or get lost? Not for nothing, someone’s naivety and lack of street smarts should not be the reason that an entire community of people are forced into compliance. Particularly when the new rules completely change how its users interact with both the site and one another.
Additionally, this new policy only really punishes sellers, but fails to address scamming buyers that submit false chargebacks to recover funds. How is that fair? And what protections does the policy offer sellers who get ripped off by those scammers? If anything, make the change apply to both, buyers and sellers alike - so either party can be held accountable should anything go awry.
But again, that brings me back to my first point.
If you do that, absolutely nobody will use this site, and for a good reason which i’m about to mention.
You are twisting the arms of a LOT of people here. And not asking, but demanding a considerable amount of trust be placed in the hands of an otherwise dodgy 3rd party company. And I think that’s really unfair considering the amount of data breaches that occur these days. You will find that most people won’t cooperate with this, because people are becoming more vigilant in protecting their private information. And I am one of those people so I will not be using EpicNPC for as long as this stands.

All in all, respectfully, I do not support this and ask that you please reconsider your position on this issue.

There were some really good ideas for alternative measures mentioned in this thread already. And I really implore you to consider them, because i’m confident this decision is going to be a lot more impactful than you initially thought.

I think the admin team has come to the conclusion that they'll have to bite the dust when it comes to a certain number of users not coming back. They are aware of the loopholes this brings but yet still push for an otherwise idealistic solution to a deeply rooted issue in general. I would like to reiterate your point that people will scam when they want to scam, no matter how many implementations are made to combat it people will still do it. Reality is a majority of people will verify their accounts as they will conform to Epic's new changes and things will go as business as usual but as someone who's spent some time here, I sincerely hope for a different approach to this issue rather than using KYC as stop gate that hopefully stops potential scammers from signing up.

 

[SonOfSpira]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask but how long does it take for the verification process to finish if say, you know you'll get flagged? Never felt the need to disclose my real DOB but as things are now, I don't really have much of a choice.

Hoping that things won't take too long after 24hrs have passed since for small time sellers like me who just want to unload excess accounts, time is of the essence.

Not complaining btw, just curious how long it would usually take.

 

[Fluentcee]

Not sure if this is the proper place to ask but how long does it take for the verification process to finish if say, you know you'll get flagged? Never felt the need to disclose my real DOB but as things are now, I don't really have much of a choice.

Hoping that things won't take too long after 24hrs have passed since for small time sellers like me who just want to unload excess accounts, time is of the essence.

Not complaining btw, just curious how long it would usually take.

It only took 5 minutes for me with a US driver's license. It's possible different countries/ languages may take additional time or possibly support assistance.

 

[SonOfSpira]

It only took 5 minutes for me with a US driver's license. It's possible different countries/ languages may take additional time or possibly support assistance.

Ah I see. Mine's a Passport but I'm from SEA so I expect it won't be as quick as yours. Add the fact I have a fictitious DOB registered here, fingers-crossed it won't take an ungodly amount of time.

 

[starglze]

Banned - Previously banned: Wilona

Ah I see. Mine's a Passport but I'm from SEA so I expect it won't be as quick as yours. Add the fact I have a fictitious DOB registered here, fingers-crossed it won't take an ungodly amount of time.

I'm from SEA as well. Their website is stuck on the loading screen on my smartphone; I'm not sure if it's an issue from my or their side.

 

[SonOfSpira]

I'm from SEA as well. Their website is stuck on the loading screen on my smartphone; I'm not sure if it's an issue from my or their side.

Should I resend my verification just to be sure? I know I was able to submit it yesterday but not doing anything is bothering me a bit.

 

[starglze]

Banned - Previously banned: Wilona

Should I resend my verification just to be sure? I know I was able to submit it yesterday but not doing anything is bothering me a bit.

Maybe, EpicNPC did say it normally it should take a few minutes, unless the verification is flagged causing delay.

 

[Bayonetta]

Damn i got approved literally instantly lol

 

[Futen]

The thing about scammers is they don't have to post threads to scam people, they can just find someone else who verified their account post a thread for something they are interested in. They can just contact them from there and attempt to scam anyway. A few months ago I had a thread for buying accounts, a scammer messaged me and sold me an account he stole, not knowing it was stolen I ended up buying it. A few hours later I post it for sale and I get reported to a moderator. No threads required, scammer made it work without even posting a thread all they did was seek out mine. What about the people who will charge back a payment? What about the people who will recover accounts after the purchase? Sure this change will make it difficult for scammers to make accounts all day and keep making new threads but it also harms people who are legitimately looking for a place to sell what they have without giving away personal information. There are many other methods you could have tried before making such a drastic one that splits your user base. You could have just made a minimum feedback requirement, an account age requirement, or even make someone buy the Epic Upgrade annually to post a thread.

But you guys chose the worst option.

I think new sellers being forced to use TG is a good choice. Instead there is no need to do KYC, all off site contacts may not be included in the thread, like PA ( This is quite an alternative thing, But it is likely that many people will disagree. )


Forcing sellers to do epic upgrade is also a good decision, But it will be forced to use TG on first sale, 10$ is a small thing if you want to scam 100$. New sellers will have a hard time in paying even if it's 10$, they need to make a money first before they can do an epicupgrade.

The above method is an alternative that Epicnpc may already know, The first idea may have been discussed but many people don't like it. For the second alternative, it has been implemented in the boosting section. New boosters have complained about this when I warned them to do an epic upgrade soon.

Epic upgrade on boosting section is also low safety, depending on the type of game account because it is not recommended for game accounts that only have a username & password, without email, 3rd party link, for example : FGO , Even if the game account whose email is held by the owner, the risk can be like threats, damaging the resources in the game account. But from what I understand here, the only ones trying to boost are probably smurf game accounts, most people prefer boosters that have done KYC

 

[Tony and Friends]

i was verified instantly
this kind of sus, no?

 

[deu8n]

I think new sellers being forced to use TG is a good choice. Instead there is no need to do KYC, all off site contacts may not be included in the thread, like PA ( This is quite an alternative thing, But it is likely that many people will disagree. )

No need for any of this... When you can simply limit how many threads each user can post:

Starts from 1 thread only - growing with the amount of successfully completed TG orders. This is perfectly fine in my opinion, promotes use of TG for bigger sellers to increase their thread limit ( Also make a minimum amount of trades required to keep that benefit )

Restrictions like these need to be thought out carefully, you can't just go and ban mention of other social platforms or force TG smh

Same way that you can't just ask everyone to verify like this lol...

 

[Futen]

No need for any of this... When you can simply limit how many threads each user can post:

Starts from 1 thread only - growing with the amount of successfully completed TG orders. This is perfectly fine in my opinion, promotes use of TG for bigger sellers to increase their thread limit ( Also make a minimum amount of trades required to keep that benefit )

Restrictions like these need to be thought out carefully, you can't just go and ban mention of other social platforms or force TG smh

Same way that you can't just ask everyone to verify like this lol...

Scammers can still carry out their actions as usual, Even fake feedback is difficult to detect if scammer has managed to persuade other sellers who have several reviews. Option 2, you can buy an item for $1, that is also a legitimate trade, then you get 1 feedback for only $1.

 

[RedSnowman]

i was verified instantly
this kind of sus, no?

In what letters did you enter your "name surname"?
I asked few acquaintances who also have troubles. Arabic, cyrillic, thai all stuck on "please use another identity document"

 

[EpicNPC]

There are many other methods you could have tried before making such a drastic one that splits your user base.

I think this is a common misconception and cannot be further from the truth. We tried everything else we could think of and delayed as long as possible looking for other options. Unfortunately there are no good options left.

You could have just made a minimum feedback requirement, an account age requirement, or even make someone buy the Epic Upgrade annually to post a thread.

How do you get feedback if you can't sell and aren't buying anything? This would permanently block most new sellers and results in a avalanche of fake feedback.

Age accounts are not effective. Scammers have thousands of accounts and don't use many of them. A large percentage are inactive, never used. They remain inactive for months or years until the scammer needs them. This would result in members creating accounts, then having to wait months to use them. This would block most new sellers and not be effective to stop scammers.

Epic upgrades is good and that was considered, but then the site wouldn't be free. We also wouldn't be KYC compliant with this method which was one of the goals for this update.

I understand many sellers will leave. However this will benefit the sellers that remain as they will make more sales and profits due to less competition. As new sellers come in to replace those that left, it should eventually rebalance and competition will increase again.

If you have other suggestions on how to block or detect scammers or how to make the site safer, I prefer you send them via support. I don't want to discuss security details publicly.
https://www.epicnpc.com/misc/contact

 

[deu8n]

Scammers can still carry out their actions as usual, Even fake feedback is difficult to detect if scammer has managed to persuade other sellers who have several reviews. Option 2, you can buy an item for $1, that is also a legitimate trade, then you get 1 feedback for only $1.

Put a limit to the minimum amount required - 5 orders over 10$ for ex...

As for fake feedback - this is relatively easy to handle, middleman just needs to ask for buyer/seller to send proof of payment. ( There's no need to make it perfect lol )

Epic upgrades is good and that was considered, but then the site wouldn't be free. We also wouldn't be KYC compliant if this method, which was one of the goals for this update.

Well said, the goal doesn't seem to be security as much as it is monetary gains that you're betting on after being KYC compliant...

There are many other options that were never tried , KYC should have been the very last out of them all

 

[EpicNPC]

Put a limit to the minimum amount required - 5 orders over 10$ for ex...

I don't understand what the means. Before someone can sell they have to completed 5 Trade Guardian transactions? How do they find a buyer if they can't create a thread?

As for fake feedback - this is relatively easy to handle, middleman just needs to ask for buyer/seller to send proof of payment. ( There's no need to make it perfect lol )

95% of sales do not use a middleman, so please provide information about how we can add 50 new MM to verify payments and do it for free. You're suggesting to force Trade Guardian on all new sellers?

Well said, the goal doesn't seem to be security as much as it is monetary gains that you're betting on after being KYC compliant...

There are many other options that were never tried , KYC should have been the very last out of them all

There is no monetary gain from adding this security feature or any security feature. They're all cost money. Do you think we're somehow making more money by adding ID verification? The monetary gain comes from a safter marketplace which in turn will bring in more users. We're investing into the site with the hopes that over time it will grow because it's a safe place for buyers and sellers.

 

[SoyeonJi]

Any news about our document situation for Egypt?
We love this site and want to continue working on it even if there's a rules to pay more in epic member for example...
So all we need is just a little support for our country a middle ground to work for both of us.
All we have is just a hope...
Thanks.

 

[EpicNPC]

Any news about our document situation for Egypt?

Unfortunately Arabic is not currently supported at this time, but they say it will be available in the future. I'm sorry, but you will have to use another ID.
https://help.veriff.com/en/articles/4777615-support-for-non-latin-characters

 

[SoyeonJi]

Thank you.
Can we translate it to Latin then so the same ID Works?
Also does that mean our ID will work but in the future so it's a matter of time that we have to wait? did they say when? If that's the case I think it's okay and will make us happy.
We can't view the link sadly it seems we have to get a plan to register so we can see the article.
Also... could our threads not be deleted till then?
Thank you again for helping.

 

[deu8n]

I don't understand what the means. Before someone can sell they have to completed 5 Trade Guardian transactions? How do they find a buyer if they can't create a thread?


95% of sales do not use a middleman, so please provide information about how we can add 50 new MM to verify payments and do it for free. You're suggesting to force Trade Guardian on all new sellers?


There is no monetary gain from adding this security feature or any security feature. They're all cost money. Do you think we're somehow making more money by adding ID verification? The monetary gain comes from a safter marketplace which in turn will bring in more users. We're investing into the site with the hopes that over time it will grow because it's a safe place for buyers and sellers.

Obviously you gotta roll back the KYC for this to be implemented.

Too much safe this and that in your post smh. There's nothing safe about this , you just wanna be KYC compliant so that you can get better deals from financial institutions.

 

[EpicNPC]

Can we translate it to Latin then so the same ID Works?
Also does that mean our ID will work but in the future so it's a matter of time that we have to wait? did they say when? If that's the case I think it's okay and will make us happy.

ID cards are cross referenced against multiple government databases to check for bad actors. This process is automated so the ID card must be readable by the system. This is not a manual process and we can't accept cards this way, I'm sorry.

Based on what Veriff stated, they do plan to support other languages sometime in the future. I do not have an ETA for what languages will be available first and when, so unfortunately I can't provide any additional information about this. Sorry.

Egypt passports use the Latin alphabet, so that would be your best option.

 

[deu8n]

ID cards are cross referenced against multiple government databases to check for bad actors. This process is automated so the ID card must be readable by the system. This is not a manual process and we can't accept cards this way, I'm sorry

Wow what I've sarcastically mentioned above is turning out true - you're gonna be working with law enforcements to arrest people? '-'

Who are the bad actors? Only bad actors that governments have are people to be arrested lol

 

[EgySamoha]

@EpicNPC I'm sorry but as I can see at the moment Veriff has many issues with the verification many people complain that they can't verify themselves with that system.

Also, Veriff has many poor reputations and failed to verify many IDs such as the UK driving license according to reviews and other US documents even though it's in English.

Not only the Arabic language that has this issue.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/veriff.com

 

[EpicNPC]

This is the statement from that link I posted about from Veriff regarding different languages.

Does Veriff support documents that feature mostly non-Latin characters? (most notably Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Arabic characters)

Veriff is a growing company in the identity verification industry, and so far our primary focus has been on documents with Latin characters, as that is the standard for the vast majority of identity documents being issued today, both internationally and in domestic issuing authorities.

We do plan to and are working on supporting documents from all across the world in the future, but at this moment in time we do not have the capacity to verify documents not using the Latin alphabet. We apologies for any inconvenience, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to support you with this soon.

 

[RedSnowman]

>we do not have the capacity to verify documents not using the Latin alphabet.

>Open the door to users in more than 230 countries and territories across the globe.
>Our user interface supports 48 unique languages and dialects

Then it looks like false advertising and you were scammed.

 

[soshootso]

.

 

[ZZreroll.com]

WARNING! Off-site contact information posted. Most scams occur off-site. Please contact members directly via EpicNPC chat. We do not investigate disputes if you communicate off-site.

Might be unrelated, might be far-fetched at this stage, but we MIGHT not avoid scam with this new method as well. Why?

1. New people want to sell stuff. New people cannot post.
2. New people find the existing OP to help out, offer commission or sweet talk.
3. Incident (scam) occured, at least easier, when it involved more parties (three or even four with MM).
4. Matter get even more complex?


Since verification is needed for seller, why can't we, sellers bring back Discord link to faciliate our potential buyer? You removed that feature because worry of scam, now you force verification on seller to totally filter out scammer, which mean those who passed are able to use discord server link again?

 

[Holy]

WARNING! Off-site contact information posted. Most scams occur off-site. Please contact members directly via EpicNPC chat. We do not investigate disputes if you communicate off-site.

Awesome change! Many online marketplaces already required ID verification but EpicNPC was lacking behind. Can't wait to see 90% less scammers in the forums. Most scams happen in Discord anyway. Always keep that in mind!

 

[doomedtofail]

Awesome change! Many online marketplaces already required ID verification but EpicNPC was lacking behind. Can't wait to see 90% less scammers in the forums. Most scams happen in Discord anyway. Always keep that in mind!

It will have zero effect on scammers. they will still lurk. they just won't be able to post threads. Realistically most of the time they don't post threads now.

 

[AkBy]

It will have zero effect on scammers. they will still lurk. they just won't be able to post threads. Realistically most of the time they don't post threads now.

I’d have to agree on this. I personally think it will reduce scammers by a bit, but realistically the only thing EpicNpC for as of now still can do is ban scammers from here and that’s it. Only would they be able to provide sensitive data such as ID etc. when an official police report has been made which most people don’t want to go through the hassle of doing so.

Still a good change in my opinion regardless.

 

[Random 524204]

Rofl, are you serious?
The site is already much deader than in the past, or at least there is much less demand and more supply/competition than before.
Trading presumed security for privacy, in how many years do you think you'll reach the GtrashG model?
Nice enshittification.
Imo, in 5 years you can become a poor copy of GtrashG or simply even less relevant than you are now.
Anyway everyone in this world claims not to sell or "use in bad ways" data, but in one way or another always data end up in the hands of data brokers, data breaches or not, but you probably know this well

 

[Random 524204]

This site is so privacy-friendly that I can't even find out how to delete my account, insane level of privacy.
And the FAQ?




Next level of useful

 

[Fluentcee]

This site is so privacy-friendly that I can't even find out how to delete my account, insane level of privacy.
And the FAQ?




Next level of useful

EpicNPC doesn't delete accounts. You can request your account be disabled here or in a Help thread: https://www.epicnpc.com/misc/contact

 

[Futen]

It will have zero effect on scammers. they will still lurk. they just won't be able to post threads. Realistically most of the time they don't post threads now.

Maybe this is the button you refer to?



@EpicNPC Is there no adjustment regarding this button, this button should only be able to be used when the buyer has already purchased ( already left feedback )

 

[BenevolentTurtle]

I hope you realize how most people hesitate to share their personal info because account selling/trading is banned by all games and social media websites. Major sellers could even get sued by strict Chinese companies who want to make an example out of somebody.

You may claim that the data is safe, but that's irrelevant when you look at what kind of person makes up your userbase- people deep into the online and gaming scene who are guarded about such matters. This will also kill off the niche game forums when buyers can't make new threads and there's already low activity.

 

[Tony and Friends]

on oguser 7 days sticky thread 20 usd
ahahha lol no thanks

epicnpc much better

 

[HaniOtaku]

WARNING! Off-site contact information posted. Most scams occur off-site. Please contact members directly via EpicNPC chat. We do not investigate disputes if you communicate off-site.

1. Verification Requirement: Consider implementing mandatory verification for all members registered from 2022 onward.
2. Mandatory Middleman Use: Enforcing the use of a middleman for all new members and strictly prohibiting them from using or mentioning alternative communication methods could enhance security. A keyword filtering system could be implemented for terms related to platforms like Discord and other communication channels. If a new member mentions a prohibited service, an automatic warning could be issued, with a three-strike rule leading to an automatic ban.

Im against discord ban not because i want to use discord but because 90 percent of our clients prefer to use it if we ban that will affect our sales a lot
+ for verification i think buyers should not be forced to verify their account because that may be annoying for them verification should be only for sellers

 

[Holy]

Awesome change! Many online marketplaces already required ID verification but EpicNPC was lacking behind. Can't wait to see 90% less scammers in the forums. Most scams happen in Discord anyway. Always keep that in mind!

Also we should require the same verification to be able to leave feedback. There's so many false ones and it would make the job easier for the admins.

 

[starglze]

Banned - Previously banned: Wilona

Also we should require the same verification to be able to leave feedback. There's so many false ones and it would make the job easier for the admins.

Might as well just make the site accessible only to verified members if that's going to happen. You need to verify ID just to leave feedback as a buyer who bought from a verified seller's post or vice versa? Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Futen]

Might as well just make the site accessible only to verified members if that's going to happen. You need to verify ID just to leave feedback as a buyer who bought from a verified seller's post or vice versa? Absolutely ridiculous.

That won't happen, buyers can create guest accounts without requiring any verification & ready to use for TG transactions.

 

[deu8n]

That won't happen, buyers can create guest accounts without requiring any verification & ready to use for TG transactions.

They can also use that guest account to scam the sellers- with or without TG it doesn't matter

Get banned - make a new one and do it all over again hahaha

Where's KYC for buyers ?

So much for the "safety" that KYC is supposed to bring... It's nothing but double standards - epicNPC only cares about buyers , and doesn't give shiit about their sellers. So much "safety" that if you are a seller and get scammed the only thing they'll do is say too bad....

They know if they ask buyers for KYC they'll lose them all , but for some unknown reason they think they can do the same exact thing to the sellers

 

[HaniOtaku]

They can also use that guest account to scam the sellers- with or without TG it doesn't matter

Get banned - make a new one and do it all over again hahaha

Where's KYC for buyers ?

So much for the "safety" that KYC is supposed to bring... It's nothing but double standards - epicNPC only cares about buyers , and doesn't give shiit about their sellers. So much "safety" that if you are a seller and get scammed the only thing they'll do is say too bad....

They know if they ask buyers for KYC they'll lose them all , but for some unknown reason they think they can do the same exact thing to the sellers

and how a buyer exactly can scam a verified seller except for paypal chargeback which can easily be avoided if you use invoices
and if you use any other payments like Crypto or Wise there is no way you can get scammed If you are stupid to give account infos
without receiving the money then its your problem 90 percent of scams are from sellers not buyers

 

[YGODLSeller]

my seller status is : approved for now , do i need re-verify ?

 

[Structura]

what to do in a situation if I have a Russian passport and no other documents? This thing says that it can't accept my documents

 

[The Fallen]

"Full name, phone verification, ID scan and selfie will be required."

Well i could agreed with Bank / paypal / phone verification i did. But sending ID scan either selfie to non gov. / banking company from other country even with 100% data protection. Well. No thank you.
Even big secured gov. getting hacked as we all know and customer data exposed.

Here in Poland with ID scan, you can just take a online bank credit etc.

As i love that website for years. You cant give me 100%, that it would not happen in week / month / years.

I get your position on that matter. So, nothing personal.

 

[AdamVanStalleon]

Admin accounts are employees.

Epicnpc does not sell any data. Vefiff.com also states they do not sell data.
https://www.veriff.com/privacy-notice

No, we do not release sensitive data in cases of disputes unless we are contacted by law enforcement or receive a subpoena.

Four types of IDs are acceptable. Drivers license, passport, residence permit, or ID card. We are not requesting SSN or any tax ID.

IDs cards are screened against sanctions and PEP watchlists including OFAC, UN, HMT, EU, DFAT, and more globally, with real-time updates. Other various security tools are used to identify fake IDs. When an account is flagged, we will then conduct an additional review.


VPNs are allowed.

I think I got a warning and minus credit because I use VPN before. Though it was a year back :v

 

[EpicNPC]

EpicNPC doesn't delete accounts.

That is incorrect. EpicNPC follows all privacy laws from any country or state that requires data deletion on request.

@EpicNPC Is there no adjustment regarding this button, this button should only be able to be used when the buyer has already purchased ( already left feedback )

We already recently made significant changes to the Watch system to prevent abuse. We've been monitoring those affects and have a few other changes planned in the near future. That suggestion is pretty good, so we'll include that in the update.

my seller status is : approved for now , do i need re-verify ?

You can check your Verification status here. If it's complete, then you're done.
https://www.epicnpc.com/account/account-details

 

[RedSnowman]

Veriff checks the date of birth in the document and here?

 

[YGODLSeller]

That is incorrect. EpicNPC follows all privacy laws from any country or state that requires data deletion on request.


We already recently made significant changes to the Watch system to prevent abuse. We've been monitoring those affects and have a few other changes planned in the near future. That suggestion is pretty good, so we'll include that in the update.


You can check your Verification status here. If it's complete, then you're done.
https://www.epicnpc.com/account/account-details

ok , under seller verification ,status is Approved , so i don't need take any further action ,right ?

 

[Futen]

WARNING! Off-site contact information posted. Most scams occur off-site. Please contact members directly via EpicNPC chat. We do not investigate disputes if you communicate off-site.

They can also use that guest account to scam the sellers- with or without TG it doesn't matter

Get banned - make a new one and do it all over again hahaha

Where's KYC for buyers ?

So much for the "safety" that KYC is supposed to bring... It's nothing but double standards - epicNPC only cares about buyers , and doesn't give shiit about their sellers. So much "safety" that if you are a seller and get scammed the only thing they'll do is say too bad....

They know if they ask buyers for KYC they'll lose them all , but for some unknown reason they think they can do the same exact thing to the sellers

I think it's a rare case, too naive for giving out sensitive information.

There are cases that do occur, like the seller doesn't see his profile when chatting on epicnpc, such as impersonation of mods and reputable members, This case occurred when they were initially contacted by scammers via discord.

If the buyers is required to verify their identity, this will of course be firmly rejected by so many sellers, demand will decrease drastically, because buyers are basically uncontrollable

However, if the sellers is required to verify their identity, I am sure that no buyers will reject it