Moneybookers closed my account!!!!!!!! Anti-Bitcoin policy !!!! 2-12-2012

[someone703]

Yea, I probably posted this elsewhere but I didn't have a good experience with Moneybookers either.

Set up my account and all that and had trouble adding my bank account to there to transfer some money to Moneybookers.

Called in for some technical support and was told I'd receive an e-mail in 30 minutes or so with a solution.

Instead?  They went and locked my account for security reasons lol.  I verified all the account information over the phone too with tech. support.  They then wanted high-res color scans of my driver's license and a bank statement or something.

I went ahead and got the scans and put in some watermarks saying that it's valid for Moneybookers' account verification only and they e-mailed me back saying that it can't be altered in any way.

I then sent them an un-watermarked scan but I played with the resolution some so that it's not completely clear but definitely readable and they said that it wasn't high-res enough...

I found that to be kind of fishy but sent them a high-res one unaltered anyway and got the account verified but never used it after reading about all the horror stories of accounts being closed and funds kept.

[kneim]

I also promised them in one of my first emails not to use moneybookers for Bitcoin trades any more. If they do not want it, it's ok. But they never tell you they do not want it, bogus simply. Nevertheless they locked my account once more. Enough already.

[lordoftheflies]

all reversible money transfer services do this. paypal, alertpay, moneybookers

[Sant001]

erm.. Why in the world would you open the bag of confusion by telling them its a bitcoin trade.

You should have just told them immediately it was a personal transfer to a friend, leave it at that and you had no issues. Now that you admitted to trading something they dont like or not really understanding of, you will be lucky to get the money if not after a ton of paper work.

Only being able to trade goods or services that the people at Paypal/MoneyBookers/Etc understands and approves of is too limiting. The world is simply bigger and more complex than these folks could ever grasp.

Not to mention the huge privacy issue of having to explain your financial transactions to a stranger foreigner over the phone or e-mail, how did we put up with this is is beyond me.

Thank god we now have a better alternative, we should avoid the Paypals like the plague.

[localhost]

Thread necromancy, yay...

They closed my account and the only thing I did is trade Bitcoins at bitcoin.de.
I got my money back but they will close my account so that pretty much sucks!

Well, doesn't suck that much since you got your money back. Not sure that's something you can even hope for @ PayPal...

Thank god we now have a better alternative, we should avoid the Paypals like the plague.

Yup, all we need now is some additional easy ways to exchange BTC and fiat.

[strello]

Seems Moneybookers is changing it's name:

https://www.moneybookers.com/app/

to Skrill.

Sounds like some scamming alien lifeform to me!

[localhost]

Yeah I noticed that a while back. Their new site looks like a scam actually IMO
On a side note they disabled my account for not apparent reason, inactivity I guess... I hope they end up deleting my data, the reason I left them in the first place was because there was no way to remove an e-mail address from one's account (and no possibility to add more than 4 or 5 including the outdated ones).
Too bad, they started as a more consumer-friendly alternative to PayPal but end up an even worse dictatorship with a crap-looking homepage...

[Sant001]

Seems Moneybookers is changing it's name:

https://www.moneybookers.com/app/

to Skrill.

Sounds like some scamming alien lifeform to me!

Is it pronounced as "Screw"?

[Herodes]

And secondly, goverments activetly try to destroy anythings that makes it easy for the civilians to go around there system, and we all know that the system only serves those who control it.
The Dutch (Netherlands) goverment had a undercover secret agent telling a crime reporter how pedofiles use TOR and Bitcoin, he is partial right but that's not the complete story ofcourse.

Notice how most people without hesitation accepts whatever the government says. Most often the government is handling in their own interest, and not in the interest of the people.

So it is the responsibility of every bitcoin enthusiast to educate his friends and associates about bitcoin and tell them, no it's not a designated tool for phedophiles and criminals no more than a fast sports car, a cell phone or a sledge hammer is.

On an unrelated note, MultiSafepay has also now added a no-bitcoin policy for their merchants, citing among other things negative news coverage.

[lickitysplit]

Moneybookers sucks. I haven't used them in a couple of years but I remember having to wait a week or two for some code to come in the mail, then I had to add a bank account, give them my SSN, send a utility bill, and then after all of that nonsense they had the audacity to tell me I had to wait six weeks for them to deposit into my bank account! They are almost as bad as PayPal. PayPal was worse in the sense that they asked for my wholesale cell phone supplier's SSN and driver's license to unlock my account. Ridiculous.

[01BTC10]

I've been using MB/Skrill since 2006 for online poker and never had any problem with them.

However, I know some others players who got their account temporarily frozen for ID verification. They are enforcing the same KYC rules as Mt-Gox... This is standard procedure especially for a company that process CC deposit.

They have the lowest conversion fee from US/CAN I found on the net and my cashout usually show-up within 24h into my bank account.

This is not anti-Bitcoin policy... It's CC fraud prevention procedure.

[sinner]

pretty standard for MB.  they are effectively an offshore bank account so they have to freeze/verify accounts.

[01BTC10]

Maybe users should read the FAQ before complaining.

What the UK law requires:

We may be required to verify your identity and address.
We are required to keep full records of all transactions together with identification provided.
We are required to monitor any unusual or suspicious transactions of any size.
We have a legal obligation to report to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) any suspicious transaction.

https://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=laundering

[Herodes]

I've been in touch with MoneyBookers,

they have an absolute no-go policy for bitcoin.

[01BTC10]

I got my first BTC via MB but if asked I would not have mentioned it was for BTC...

[Herodes]

I got my first BTC via MB but if asked I would not have mentioned it was for BTC...

That's the only way to do it. You can also use Paypal that way, but it you tell them you sell bitcoins or receives bitcoins using their service, the account will be frozen, because it's against their TOS.

My personal opinion is that it's a total shame, seeing as how the traditional banking system is full of crooks, I don't think bitcoin is any worse..

[01BTC10]

Yes your are right. BTC is only a hash value and we should be able to lawfully trade them without fear.

[Herodes]

Yes your are right. BTC is only a hash value and we should be able to lawfully trade them without fear.

It could be interesting if someone with deep pockets challenged someone like Moneybookers in court. That would cost a lot of money, but then we would receive possibly a decision by high court in the end.

[gensen]

Moneybookers are Criminals they stole 5000 EURO,


I also had the message that i was locked out for any out going transactions and i must contact there security team and sent them some copy's of my resident passport and bank details.


When i did i get a e-mail what said:


Thank you for your prompt response.

In order to lift the temporary restrictions applied on your account, please provide us with the following information in addition:

-      What are you mainly using your Skrill (Moneybookers) account for?

-      What is your relationship with the intended recipients of the transactions you execute through our service?

-      What do you mainly receive money for?.


I answered like this:

Mainly i use my Skrill account for making online payments and receive money
from  casino's, sales, family and friends.

My relations whit the intended recipients are merchants, customers, family
and friends.

Mainly i receive money for customer services and Payouts from casino, friend
and family.


For a couple of days a did  hear any thing from them and when i ask them for a respose they tell me this:


Thank you for contacting our customer service and submitting the requested
 documents.

 Following an audit of your account on behalf of our Security Department,
we must advise that your account will now remain closed. Based on your
 transaction history, we have reasonable grounds to discontinue our
 business relationship.

For more information, please visit section 17 of our Terms and Conditions.

Please note that our decision is final and is not a subject of further
negotiations.


When i checked my account i  noticed that all the money 5K Euro was gone! (Or cancelled it says)

What can i do? Year i used my MB account for Bitcoin trading, but they dont know that!

Can some one advice how to get my money back ?

Thanks

[paraipan]

Moneybookers are Criminals they stole 5000 EURO,


I also had the message that i was locked out for any out going transactions and i must contact there security team and sent them some copy's of my resident passport and bank details.


When i did i get a e-mail what said:


Thank you for your prompt response.

In order to lift the temporary restrictions applied on your account, please provide us with the following information in addition:

-      What are you mainly using your Skrill (Moneybookers) account for?

-      What is your relationship with the intended recipients of the transactions you execute through our service?

-      What do you mainly receive money for?.


I answered like this:

Mainly i use my Skrill account for making online payments and receive money
from  casino's, sales, family and friends.

My relations whit the intended recipients are merchants, customers, family
and friends.

Mainly i receive money for customer services and Payouts from casino, friend
and family.


For a couple of days a did  hear any thing from them and when i ask them for a respose they tell me this:


Thank you for contacting our customer service and submitting the requested
 documents.

 Following an audit of your account on behalf of our Security Department,
we must advise that your account will now remain closed. Based on your
 transaction history, we have reasonable grounds to discontinue our
 business relationship.

For more information, please visit section 17 of our Terms and Conditions.

Please note that our decision is final and is not a subject of further
negotiations.


When i checked my account i  noticed that all the money 5K Euro was gone! (Or cancelled it says)

What can i do? Year i used my MB account for Bitcoin trading, but they dont know that!

Can some one advice how to get my money back ?

Thanks

File a police report, and it will be extremely helpful if you will have to sue them.