[RESOLVED] kucoin claiming kyc now mandatory demanding ID documents to withdraw

[bitcoinjesus2020]

What happened:
- Someone or something (support reps blamed the system) at kucoin froze my account demanding ID documents to withdraw without any prior notice after I discovered this when I attempted to sell my XMR for BTC on Aug. 28th 2020 and contacted them for support via livechat

- First support rep named "winnie" via live chat lied to me and claimed it was a technical issue, it was discovered during second live chat that it was not a technical issue but in fact "mandatory kyc for me" all of a sudden after being a customer since Aug. 3rd, 2020

- Withdrawal restriction was not known until I attempted to withdraw and 4 hours passed (now 18hours) with withdraws never showing up, this restriction is not stated anywhere in any policy, in fact their very own moderator clearly states kyc is not mandatory in the first sentence of the first reply to someone else experiencing this issue with them -> "https://old.reddit.com/r/kucoin/comments/hk3ecg/kucoin_is_not_letting_my_friend_withdraw_and_is/fwqfm5f/" screenshot -> https://imgur.com/WrO4khK

- Spoke to support rep "winnie" a second time, who eventually admitted my account was frozen and while talking with "winnie" an email arrived demanding ID documents, the same support rep who initially lied and claimed that I was experiencing a technical issue.  Then also admitted multiple times, 3 to be exact that kyc is not required to withdraw
screenshots:
https://imgur.com/mQd6QV7
https://imgur.com/TFi9Pso
https://imgur.com/GqQPppw

- Third livechat and second support rep named "snow" who also sent the email shown in the reddit link ("https://old.reddit.com/r/kucoin/comments/hk3ecg/kucoin_is_not_letting_my_friend_withdraw_and_is/") also repeated the non-existent policy of demanding my ID documents to allow my withdrawal, did not respond to any direct questions about this non-existent wording or non-existent policy, also wasting more time pretending to not know anything, another tactic witnessed at scam exchanges
screenshots:
https://imgur.com/B4Zdxmj
https://imgur.com/JweJUzO

- Third support rep named "flower" like the others admitted "kyc is not mandatory" then back tracks and claims that it is for me and I must do so or they will not "help" me with the problem they caused, in these screenshots they have increased my limits but I have no actual ability to do anything, I guess this is something they forced after emails to try and make it match against their invalid policy demands for ID documents, regardless there is no policy they have written for public viewing that states kyc is required to withdraw.
screenshots:
https://imgur.com/yuP17Sy
https://imgur.com/MLs3CvJ
https://imgur.com/2OcWH0
https://imgur.com/mfKaciY
https://imgur.com/px3408f
https://imgur.com/oOgC0Am

- in the links they sent me there is no such thing that says kyc is required to withdraw, those links are:
   "https://support.kucoin.plus/hc/en-us/articles/360025469474-How-to-Finish-the-KYC-Verification-Process-" and the text within towards the bottom "Please rest assured that functionality such as deposits, withdrawal, and trading will remain accessible in accordance with non-KYC verified account rules." screenshot: https://imgur.com/Kk1QbEg

   "https://support.kucoin.plus/hc/en-us/articles/360015102254-About-KYC-Verification" and the relevant text directly underneath a chart that shows the transaction abilities of non-kyc accounts, kyc1 and kyc2 accounts clearly within states "We do strongly suggest our clients complete the KYC verification." screenshot: https://imgur.com/p51Y2B8

   "ECDD.pdf - https://support.kucoin.plus/attachments/token/60oANFuSbNP065TL3En5kN0l2/?name=ECDD.pdf" which in turn takes you to "https://www.kucoin.com/account/kyc" after signing in.  So not an actual legitimate document that actually contains any kyc questionnaire, just force redirecting back to their kyc forms.

    "https://www.kucoin.com/news/en-kyc-user-identity-authentication-statement" This link clearly states that identity collection is to be done before a business relationship is created, see for yourself: "it is mandatory for KuCoin to establish and maintain the records of the identity proof and fund source of all our clients before creating a business relationship."  Doing so after the fact nullifies this policy immediately in any contract law.  Considering that not only is there evidence I have deposited but, withdrawn as the current evidence shows I am attempting to currently do that cannot be done without first depositing. screenshot: https://imgur.com/ocq64z9

- there is no policy that explicitly states in any clear terms or statements that kyc is required for withdrawals, in fact quite the opposite and when I requested any of the support reps for this policy they did not provide any link only continued the demand for ID documents

- they ignored the link I discovered on reddit where their own moderator states "kyc is not mandatory on kucoin" (see above)

- they ignored the wording of their own links sent to me in email about their own policies in which I highlight and point out there is no requirement of their own in their own wording on their own policy for what they are demanding

- In the emails to me all they do is repeat this same or similar line while claiming the links they sent state this being necessary

- I have recorded all the live conversations with support, when I ask them direct questions about the situation they do not answer or they give me the same answer about a non-existent policy demanding ID documents to withdraw in which there exists no such policies available publicly even by the very links they have sent in which they did not seem to read themselves

Scammers Profile Link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=2592830

Reference Link:
http://kucoin.com

Amount Scammed:
121.51173607 XMR and 0.01572919 BTC  screenshot -> https://imgur.com/Ier51u0

Payment Method:
Direct deposit to kucoin's XMR and BTC wallet please see proof of payment below.

Proof of Payments:
https://imgur.com/a9Nxv7D

PM/Chat Logs:
Screenshots of the 3 different reps admitting kyc not mandatory then contradicting themselves within the same conversation (please see above for screen shots of the chats).

Additional Notes:
- I had only 9 deposits and 4 actual withdrawals, one failed due to hitting the submit button twice on accident because the website was not responding, and the two "In progress" are being held up by this non-existent unpublished anywhere kyc policy on withdrawals, my withdrawal history is very boring see for yourself. screenshot: https://imgur.com/N19JHwN

- They appear to be using similar if not identical tactics like hitbtc, changelly and others, allowing you to use the service then immediately freezing and demanding info you never agreed to divulge based upon the advertising and policies of it stating that is not mandatory in the first place then stealing your funds

- If this is something new as it appears to me to be, it will not be long before others encounter the same issue and most likely I am the first because kucoin has not really appeared to be scammy even by my own research and the little things that do arise such as the reddit link above from a month ago appear to get resolved but, this may be one of those scams where they build things up and disappear like others have.

- I have never exceeded my withdrawal limit, I have only ever reached the half amount of 2 BTC my withdrawals show this without issue

- also I have been logging in from the exact same IP address the whole time, since day one

full screenshot album https://imgur.com/a/luCy1q4

UPDATE: Within about 20-30 mins of posting my conversations with them they have now blocked me from livechat and are no longer responding to my emails with the same links from above that do not support any of the statements they are making.

2ND UPDATE: Aug. 31 2020 I have received an email in which kucoin is making some claims that will be known to be true or not within the next day or so.  I will post the contents of that email here if it is true because I have learnt that there are many others going through this right now and they all appear to be users of XMR in one form or another.

3rd update: Sept. 5, 2020 (funds still not released despite this email from them) The email I mentioned above which was communicated to me by "winnie" (this is the 4th communication from this person the same 1st one I spoke to claiming it was a technical issue then changed the reason to this kyc thing) stated this:

Winnie, Aug 31, 2020, 12:40 AM GMT+8

Dear KuCoin User,

Hope you are doing well receiving this email. First of all, thank you very much for your kind patience and cooperation. We fully understand your feelings and situation and we are earnestly to step forwards with you and resolve all the problems and difficulties in-between. However, KuCoin Support would like to emphasize some points again regarding to your case:

1.   KuCoin Digital Asset Exchange, similar as all other virtual assets service providers, is having its own risk control mechanism in accordance with the requirements of the Proceeds of Crime Act, Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing legislations.

2.   KuCoin has the ongoing obligation of monitoring every account activity, no matter with KYC verified or not. However, all information is within KuCoin only and there should be no concern of any information leaking or for any other illegitimate usages.

3.   KuCoin has standardized customer due diligence procedures to follow in case of any suspicious transactions or behaviors observed.

What you are facing recently is only temporary frozen, which is quite normal. Your account, just like all other KuCoin accounts, has been filtered by our risk control system automatically based on a variety of elements combined. The system alerted us with your case and we are just following our Enhance Customer Due Diligence process to ask you to provide more information about the ultimate beneficiary owner of the alerted account and the legitimacy of the source of the wealth. Therefore, we sent you the email previously about the KYC verification and ECDD document filing.

Besides, we would like to point out again, that your funds are ABSOLUTE SAFE with KuCoin, no matter your funds are acceptable to us or not. If there really does exist some risky part of your wealth that KuCoin deemed as unacceptable and decided to terminate business relationship with you, your funds would still be ABSOLUTELY SAFE and would be released to you within 5 working days since the termination decision been made. Normally, we would wait for our customers to submit their KYC, ECDD and other supplementary documents for 15 working days. If customer still refuse to provide any information we required, a decision of terminating business relationship would be put forward.

Thank you again for your understanding and we sincerely apologize if KuCoin’s risk control procedure cause you any worries and inconveniences. If there is further question, feel free to contact KuCoin Support Team.

Kind regards

KuCoin Customer Care and Support Team

So I responded and I think this is the 8th or 10th time I told them same thing:

bitcoinjesus, Sep 1, 2020, 6:04 AM GMT+8

Fine and like I keep telling you I want to no longer do business with kucoin so you may as well prepare to release my funds or simply let the deposit go.

I do not feel comfortable with this behavior from kucoin which is why I do not want to be involved with kucoin ever again for the rest of my life.

Their response:

Danae, Sep 2, 2020, 5:44 PM GMT+8

Dear Valued KuCoin User,

Thank you for contacting KuCoin customer support.

We have received your request, we will submit to our legal team to review and will get back to you when we get updates, thanks for your support.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Kind regards,

Danae
KuCoin Customer Care and Support Team

I am under the impression that I would have received or had my funds released by now according to these communication because the 5 working days has passed and it may seem they have not made an internal decision to terminate the business relation because I can still login.  I have blatantly refused the kyc obviously here and I specifically stated so in multiple emails.  I am unsure of the wording because it seems to say to me that I should see the funds by 5 working days and in 15 days they may make a decision, again really unsure so I would like thoughts on this please.  Considering the last response and it's implied actions I do not think they are being honest yet and my funds are absolutely NOT "safe".  Thoughts?

4th update Sept 6, 2020
Like many if not identical now, other threads that have kyc scams of other exchanges kucoin now appears to be passing this to another "department" that like many other kyc scams they have to wait on for an "update":

Your request (312408) has been updated. If you need to add additional comments, reply to this email.
----------------------------------------------

Sukey, Sep 6, 2020, 11:06 GMT+8

Dear Valued KuCoin User,

Thanks for contacting KuCoin customer support.

We do value your experience on KuCoin and really sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. We have passed your information to relative department.

Kindly wait patiently and we will reply you once getting updates.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Best regards,
Sukey

KuCoin Customer Care and Support Team

FINAL UPDATE: Sept. 13 2020  They have allowed me to withdraw my funds however have frozen my account. Here is the email about this last action:

Dear Valued KuCoin User,

Thanks for contacting KuCoin customer support.

We regret to notify you that the service and support for you will be terminated by KuCoin unilaterally due to compliance policy.

Please note that your account will be frozen on 16/09/2020.

**About your withdraw, we will unfreeze it, then please withdraw all your assets before 16/09/2020, and we will freeze your account on 16/09/2020.**

Thank you for your understanding.

KuCoin Team

Please exercise extreme caution as they are still holding the funds of another user -> kaefergeneral <- even though this user DID submit kyc documents as detailed in this thread!!

[mr.smith]

I will not support this allegation for now because it's not the only exchange that asks for KYC there are other exchanges that ask KYC on day one after you register even if you did not deposit, I have a hard time reading your posts you are punishing us for making it looks bloody to us,

I will wait for other Kucoin users to back this allegations

[bitcoinjesus2020]

If possible please share some documentation as I did.  What has been the most disturbing to me is that they are literally following the same exact path hitbtc, polo, and another that I cannot think of at the moment.  This tactic is basically used to steal funds with the excuse of kyc, not an unfamiliar tactic.  This particular exchange seems to simply have drawn out the con, I believe they call this the "long con".  Either way if possible some evidence to share so non-believers do not get confident in this exchange.  One other thing to note is that all these exchanges who did this had one thing in common, they did this to all traders who had low volume specifically under 10k, I noticed this time and again when going through the complaints of the other exchanges doing this.  Every now and then you will come across a big one they scammed but, not often just a bunch of smaller traders.

As of this writing and now over 24 hours later they still have not budged on allowing my withdraws to go through, so now they have actually stolen my funds and the addresses that I had the deposits going to I can clearly show have never received a thing.  I am currently cleaning the chat videos of any privacy violating information and will release them here as well.  You will see that not only do they respond very little but, the support actually appears extremely incompetent another "hitbtc" move in the kyc scam playbook.  In addition the chats 4 of them in total always take at least 30 mins+ you will also see this in the chat in realtime as it happened, something I do not think many traders are aware of how horrible there support is when actually needed.

Stay safe more info to follow with the original screen video recordings.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

I will not support this allegation for now because it's not the only exchange that asks for KYC there are other exchanges that ask KYC on day one after you register even if you did not deposit, I have a hard time reading your posts you are punishing us for making it looks bloody to us,

I will wait for other Kucoin users to back this allegations

When I read the reddit complaint about them doing this I to was skeptical, until out of nowhere they did it to me.

I can remove the red, I thought it would simply help highlight the points.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

I will document going further. Didn't document at first as I wasn't worried. I had heard reports of them sometimes taking longer to execute withdrawals, but did not expect something like this.

And yes, the red makes it hard to read, would remove it.

I have removed it and left it only for specific highlighting please let me know if it is better viewing now.  This is my 2nd time in 8 years that I have to make any kind of complaint about any exchange so I am a little rusty.  However after that first incident I started recording everything, even if they seemed legit because you just never know.  I am not against kyc/aml as long as I know what is expected of me, however I do not agree with these tactics of holding someone's account ransom and demanding more ransom such as ID.  If they had a different approach I probably would have complied but, this approach makes me think they are going to steal my ID for nefarious purposes as a financial terrorist or highly motivated thief would.

I also do not think they will do the right thing as banning me from livechat gives me the impression of.  As I am expecting them to steal my funds, I believe the best repercussions would be to inform everyone about them and withdraw as soon as they can, as currently the fake reviews, fake articles (I think they are fake now) do not match up to the way support spoke with me as everyone will soon see from the video recordings.  Sadly the support situation is not one that is easily discovered until a problem arises.  I also suspect that they make efforts to remove bad reviews/complaints however trustpilot has shown me negative reviews of many who experienced this, like others I did not believe it until now.  There are even reviews of people saying they will play with your psyche which I also did not believe but, when you see the chat video it shows they try to play games, again highly unprofessional.

In any event these types of scammers have to be exposed and rooted out they are destructive to the crypto space and newbies get scared away quickly by this type of thing.

[Pffrt]

Was your XMR source bad or tainted? I think they found your XMR source as bad and that's why they have frozen the account. Anyway, they have the right to ask for KYC once they found anything suspicious on your account. O think they have stated this in their terms and condition.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

Was your XMR source bad or tainted? I think they found your XMR source as bad and that's why they have frozen the account. Anyway, they have the right to ask for KYC once they found anything suspicious on your account. O think they have stated this in their terms and condition.

You cannot trace XMR to a bad or tainted source it does not work like that, regardless I am actually mining XMR.  I thought maybe my first bitcoin deposit was "bad" but, as you can see in the deposit history they did not react to that and I was able to conduct transactions well after.  I am also uncertain about how they came to ascertain my account as being "frozen" worthy or suspicious because the last deposit I did also listed in the deposits history screenshot was on Aug. 21 for 115 XMR and during that time I did a small trade which is how I obtained the small BTC amount that is currently "In Progress" for withdrawal.  So when you look at my account it is quite easy to tell that I am an XMR guy especially by the deposits.  If they are making some decisions based upon the withdraws to BTC I have no control over that because that is BTC I have used for various bill payments and things, and if I am all of a sudden being held responsible for what someone does after then it is likely they will attack other accounts like they did mine.  I am beginning to think this is what is going on, they have not told me anything as to why exactly except "the potential risks" as will be seen in the chat videos I am preparing to upload to youtube.

Thank you for your thoughts I like the insights.

[Changelly]

Hello!
We are very sorry that you have encountered the problem you are describing:( However, we would like to note that our company never intentionally freezes users' funds. To find out more, you can read our terms of use here –> https://changelly.com/terms-of-use

[bitcoinjesus2020]

Hello!
We are very sorry that you have encountered the problem you are describing:( However, we would like to note that our company never intentionally freezes users' funds. To find out more, you can read our terms of use here –> https://changelly.com/terms-of-use

The only thing is that your terms are not explicitly clear as to what happens when a user might refuse ID documents.  You are clear that the transaction will be put on hold, refusal to deliver ID docs not so much.  This is what has caused complaints from what I have read and not something I want to experience.  I get that you operators feel this necessary but, it really is not in line with any principles of cryptocurrency from many inceptions of white papers available for public reading.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Hello!
We are very sorry that you have encountered the problem you are describing:( However, we would like to note that our company never intentionally freezes users' funds. To find out more, you can read our terms of use here –> https://changelly.com/terms-of-use

The only thing is that your terms are not explicitly clear as to what happens when a user might refuse ID documents.  You are clear that the transaction will be put on hold, refusal to deliver ID docs not so much.  This is what has caused complaints from what I have read and not something I want to experience.  I get that you operators feel this necessary but, it really is not in line with any principles of cryptocurrency from many inceptions of white papers available for public reading.

How did Changelly get involved in this thread--did I miss something?  I'll admit that I haven't yet read every single post in its entirety, but this is about Kucoin.

I started a thread back in February of this year when I got hit with a KYC requirement just to log on.  It turned out to be some sort of error (apparently), but I had a gut feeling that Kucoin was gearing up toward requiring KYC from their customers, even those who trade in small amounts and don't use fiat.

I'll be following this thread closely, as they're the only exchange I still use.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

How did Changelly get involved in this thread--did I miss something?  I'll admit that I haven't yet read every single post in its entirety, but this is about Kucoin.

I started a thread back in February of this year when I got hit with a KYC requirement just to log on.  It turned out to be some sort of error (apparently), but I had a gut feeling that Kucoin was gearing up toward requiring KYC from their customers, even those who trade in small amounts and don't use fiat.

I'll be following this thread closely, as they're the only exchange I still use.

Funny you wrote exactly what I was thinking about changelly chiming in.  Maybe promoting their service?

I am hoping this kyc thing is an error, except having others telling me that they primarily use XMR and it has happened this past month does not give me a good gut feeling about them.  The worst for me is that I was referred to them by someone who has been using them a year, I do not know the trading habits of this person but, I was told there were no issues like this.

It honestly made my head spin when this started because I have as you can see extremely small volume so this boggles my mind.

One thing further is that they had the opportunity to send me this latest email, after about 10 back/forth way before it escalated to this, so I think this thread and it getting exposure has prompted something, what that will be I am not sure until I see.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

I am hoping this kyc thing is an error, except having others telling me that they primarily use XMR and it has happened this past month does not give me a good gut feeling about them.  The worst for me is that I was referred to them by someone who has been using them a year, I do not know the trading habits of this person but, I was told there were no issues like this.

So you think this has to do with trading XMR in particular?  That doesn't make any sense to me at all--either an exchange needs KYC documents from their customers or they don't.

I'm not an active trader, but I've been buying some select altcoins on Kucoin for well over a year now, and aside from that problem I linked to in my previous post, I've never had any issues with them about withdrawal, KYC, or anything else.  They're one of only a few exchanges that have a decent reputation as far as I know, so I'm hoping for your sake that this really is just a mistake.

You don't think it has anything to do with an issue like this one, do you?  I don't know what country you live in, but it looks like Australia is giving privacy coins a bad rap and a hard time.  I also don't know where Kucoin operates out of, but I don't think it's Australia.

Edit:

someone found out they have an empty office when they checked up on it.

Really?  I don't recall having read anything about that before.  If you've got a link, I'd sure like to see it--I'm pretty confident Kucoin is not a scam exchange and isn't headed toward being one.  On the other hand, I thought the same thing about Cryptsy when they were in business, so you just never know with crypto exchanges.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

I am hoping this kyc thing is an error, except having others telling me that they primarily use XMR and it has happened this past month does not give me a good gut feeling about them.  The worst for me is that I was referred to them by someone who has been using them a year, I do not know the trading habits of this person but, I was told there were no issues like this.

So you think this has to do with trading XMR in particular?  That doesn't make any sense to me at all--either an exchange needs KYC documents from their customers or they don't.

I'm not an active trader, but I've been buying some select altcoins on Kucoin for well over a year now, and aside from that problem I linked to in my previous post, I've never had any issues with them about withdrawal, KYC, or anything else.  They're one of only a few exchanges that have a decent reputation as far as I know, so I'm hoping for your sake that this really is just a mistake.

You don't think it has anything to do with an issue like this one, do you?  I don't know what country you live in, but it looks like Australia is giving privacy coins a bad rap and a hard time.  I also don't know where Kucoin operates out of, but I don't think it's Australia.

I hate to think it an XMR type of problem but, I am not in Australia or USofA so I do not have issues thankfully like them.  Kucoin is out of Hong Kong or Singapore and someone found out they have an empty office when they checked up on it.

I hope it is a mistake to because right at the beginning of this event they said technical issue but, shortly after reverted to saying it is kyc.  Maybe they are trying to cover a technical issue up?  Or some kind of hack?  I really hope just a mistake to.

[Coin_trader]

I am hoping this kyc thing is an error, except having others telling me that they primarily use XMR and it has happened this past month does not give me a good gut feeling about them.  The worst for me is that I was referred to them by someone who has been using them a year, I do not know the trading habits of this person but, I was told there were no issues like this.

So you think this has to do with trading XMR in particular?  That doesn't make any sense to me at all--either an exchange needs KYC documents from their customers or they don't.

I'm not an active trader, but I've been buying some select altcoins on Kucoin for well over a year now, and aside from that problem I linked to in my previous post, I've never had any issues with them about withdrawal, KYC, or anything else.  They're one of only a few exchanges that have a decent reputation as far as I know, so I'm hoping for your sake that this really is just a mistake.

You don't think it has anything to do with an issue like this one, do you?  I don't know what country you live in, but it looks like Australia is giving privacy coins a bad rap and a hard time.  I also don't know where Kucoin operates out of, but I don't think it's Australia.

I hate to think it an XMR type of problem but, I am not in Australia or USofA so I do not have issues thankfully like them.  Kucoin is out of Hong Kong or Singapore and someone found out they have an empty office when they checked up on it.

I hope it is a mistake to because right at the beginning of this event they said technical issue but, shortly after reverted to saying it is kyc.  Maybe they are trying to cover a technical issue up?  Or some kind of hack?  I really hope just a mistake to.

Maybe there support is not well coordinated. I notice that you are talking to different support which might result to a miscommunication. It happens to me on kucoin too and I’m a bit disappointed on the support. I keep repeating typing my case everytime I need an update.They are way behind to Binance support which  never leave chat until it solves. I was force to do KYC on kucoin just reclaim my account. I believe you might force KYC too. So far after that, No issue at all in kucoin at this point.

[LittleJadiel]

they could be doing it for security, money laundering is a major risk and I believe every other exchanges have been fighting against money laundering, including kucoin, nothing to worry about if you're not doing anything illegal - kyc got some benefits as well, you can use that for your advantage

[FlashAlex]

Based on the given proofs you have, it seems like your account is "too active" with thousands upon thousands of deposits and withdrawal which does not correlate to the age of your account (Aug 3, 2020) and having no KYC. In my point of view, this might be a counter measure of the exchange for money laundering since its rampant on the crypto industry.

[coboguard]

Did they make an announcement ahead of KYC's official launch or an immediate proceeding?

[M-BTC]

This is not a scam accussation. Kucoin's policy is pretty clear about KYC, which you have agreed to when registering an account:

2.3. KuCoin maintains an anti-money laundering, countering the financing of terrorism and know your customer compliance policy (the “AML/CFT Policy”). Pursuant to such policy, KuCoin may, in its discretion, require identity verification and go through other screening procedures with respect to you or transactions associated with your KuCoin Account. You agree and undertake to provide KuCoin with any and all information and documents that KuCoin may from time to time request or require for the purposes of these Terms or in connection with your KuCoin Account (including, but not limited to, your name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, government-issued identification number, photograph of your government-issued identity card or document or other photographic proof of your identity, and information regarding your Digital Token Account). KuCoin will have no liability or responsibility for any permanent or temporary inability to access or use any Services as a result of any identity verification or other screening procedures.

This doesn't mean that KYC is mandatory but they can require you to verify your identity in certain cases, so technically their support wasn't wrong when saying that KYC isn't mandatory. Trying to sell over $11,000 worth of a privacy coin is a valid reason for them to require identity verification. Kucoin has no choice but to follow these AML/CFT policies in order to remain compliant.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

Really?  I don't recall having read anything about that before.  If you've got a link, I'd sure like to see it--I'm pretty confident Kucoin is not a scam exchange and isn't headed toward being one.  On the other hand, I thought the same thing about Cryptsy when they were in business, so you just never know with crypto exchanges.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4869493.0  Empty office and pics

Within that same thread they also reply not convincingly though.

[bitcoinjesus2020]

Maybe there support is not well coordinated. I notice that you are talking to different support which might result to a miscommunication. It happens to me on kucoin too and I’m a bit disappointed on the support. I keep repeating typing my case everytime I need an update.They are way behind to Binance support which  never leave chat until it solves. I was force to do KYC on kucoin just reclaim my account. I believe you might force KYC too. So far after that, No issue at all in kucoin at this point.

I would agree except that the very same support people I spoke with on chat are exactly the same people emailing me.  In fact "winnie" whom I spoke with 1st and 2nd is also the last person to email me which I referenced in my 2nd update in the original post.  I do not think they should have forced you at all and considering that you are stating what I am experiencing that does not bode well for the rest of the community under the same impression as I about kyc being optional with them in particular.  Nor does it set well when reading their policies that continuously claim that it is optional or in their own words "not mandatory".  Or if you look at the reddit link or the chat logs their own people say this repeatedly.