June 08, 2018

    An update on frozen accounts and FAQs

    Update and Q&A on the most common verification issues encountered by our customers

    We would like to share some updates on our identity verification process and the work we are doing to improve it. Poloniex is committed to compliance with all applicable law requiring identification and verification of its customers, hence the need for all Poloniex customers (legacy and new customers) to provide full identification information. While we believe this is a necessary milestone for Poloniex to build a compliant, solid and smoother way of verifying customers, we also acknowledge that this process can be complex for many of you.

    As some accounts are still unverified and frozen, we want to assure you that your funds are safe and accounted for at all times. We identified the most common issues raised by customers these past 2 weeks, and want to share some insight on each issue in the following Q&A section.

    Your questions, answered

    Q: Why can’t I upload my documents?

    A: This is generally due to errors occurring with your web browser or camera access when uploading a photo of your ID. Check this Dos & Don’ts list to make sure you are able to upload successfully:

    DO:

    • Use recommended browsers Google Chrome and Firefox
    • Update your browser to the most current version
    • Enable the webcam in your browser settings and update the Flash plugin if you have it installed
    • Close any applications that might be using the webcam
    • Take the photos in a well-lit room and ensure that they are clear and that the ID is legible before submitting.

    DON'T:

    • Hold your ID next to your face when you take the selfie

    We’ve found that some customers struggle to upload documents when using a webcam, particularly on mobile browsers. If this is the case for you, you can try our document upload option. If you’re still unable to submit documents through our verification portal, please create a ticket for our support team here.

    Q: What should I do if I’ve reached the maximum number of verification attempts?

    A: If your maximum number of verification attempts has been reached, our support team will need to reset your account so that you can submit again: you can create a ticket here.

    Note: We recently discovered a bug where several customers continued to see the ID verification form on their profile page (despite successfully submitting documents), leading them to re-submit their ID verification form until reaching the maximum number of verification attempts. This bug is now fixed and all customers currently under review should see ‘Pending Review’ messaging on their screen.

    Q: I sent all documents for verification but I'm still not verified. Why is this and what should I do?

    A: This is generally due to errors occurring when uploading a photo of your ID. Check this Dos & Don’ts list to make sure your document upload is as accurate as can be:

    DO:

    • Take your photos (both your selfie and your ID) in a well-lit room, making sure they’re clear and the ID is legible.
    • Take your photos (both your selfie and your ID) with a solid background behind it, as busy patterns can shift camera focus.
    • For Passport ID card verifications, select the "Identity card" option when prompted to select an ID type.
    • When taking your selfie, please write "Poloniex" and the date on a piece of paper and hold it alongside your face.

    DON’T:

    • Don't hold your ID next to your face when taking the selfie – it can confuse the system.
    • Don't edit or modify any information on your documents.
    • Don’t take a photo of a photo; you have to take a photo of your face at the time of verification
    • Don’t take a photo of your ID; you will submit an ID photo separately, and we need to match your ID to a photo of your face

    If your documents are uploaded successfully, they should be approved in a few minutes. If there was a problem with one of your submitted documents, you should receive an email from us explaining what needs to be fixed. If we need a little more information, one of our support team members will reach out to you.

    Q: I am verified but my account is still frozen, why?

    A: Your full account functionality should be restored within one minute of your account being successfully verified. If you experience longer delays, please get in touch with our support team helpdesk here.

    What’s next?

    We are not yet in a position to answer each question on social media channels individually, but we commit to:

    • Give you regular updates on our progress: you can expect at least one update / month to start with.
    • Be transparent on our success and failures as we work to improve our processes.
    • Add resources to the current team to support you as efficiently as possible.

    During this time, and across everything we do here at Circle, being open and transparent with our customers is of the highest importance to us.

    Thank you,

    The Poloniex Team