Is there any way to communicate with a real person regarding ID verification?

[AurumNaturals]

I've been a seller in good standing on Etsy for 14 years. I keep failing their new ID verification process. I have submitted my ID with photo, full name, address, birth date, expiration date, and country of issue, as required. However, I am extremely uncomfortable with them having my driver's license number, the image of which, according to their Terms, will remain on their server for six years (during which time hacking is extremely likely). Therefore, I redacted my license number in the uploaded image. The Trust & Safety team keeps sending the same form letter, instructing me to re-upload the image. I am fine having my account shut down over my refusal to comply. However, Etsy is holding my existing funds in my payment account, and will not release them since they allegedly cannot verify my ID. I have attempted to talk with someone from Trust & Safety SEVEN TIMES, and have received the same cut-and-paste form letter back from six different agents. They are clearly not reading my e-mails. I am starting to suspect the responses are just from AI bots that make up fake human names.

According to Etsy's Terms, funds in unverified payment accounts will be sent for escheatment "within a certain period of time." I am fine with that, as I have no problem proving my ID to my state government. However, according to numerous people on Reddit, Etsy still has not released their funds after two or more years. Furthermore, since those former sellers no longer have accounts, Etsy now refuses to talk with them.

At this point, is there any way to talk to a real human at Etsy anymore? Does anyone have experience with escheatment, and how long it takes Etsy to initiate that process?

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Did you email Etsy and include your phone number to have them call you.

No to redacting the number.  It is used to verify.  Yes they can verify ID numbers including drivers.

There is nothing wrong with Etsy having this information.  They do not give out the information.  They do not sell it.  It is encrypted.

Even the IRS asks for driver;s license and has to see the number.  Same with medical insurers and so forth.   Your bank even has the information. 

Unless a scammer gets a hold and it is usually through other means then no harm in Etsy having it. 

And they can legally hold funds until you are verified.  If you close shop they can hold for 180 days.  

[AurumNaturals]

Thank you but this does not address the questions. Etsy can hold funds from closed shops for 180 days. (However, many former sellers indicate that Etsy continues to hold the funds well beyond 180 days.) Regardless, those funds can only be released to a verified bank account. If the bank account is not verified (which mine no longer is, despite being verified for the past 14 years), Etsy must release the funds for escheatment. That is the process I am inquiring about.

[AurumNaturals]

Every e-mail address I have tried (trust and safety, legal, etc.) either sends a form letter response or an auto-response saying that the account is not monitored. Which e-mail address are you using that successfully reaches a real person?

[NanaLetha]

@AurumNaturals  If Etsy requires it, you have no choice. What exactly would they do with it?

[AurumNaturals]

I understand and accept that if I do not follow their policy then I will not be allowed to sell on their site. At this point I am only trying to close my account and find out how to get Etsy to follow their policy of releasing my existing funds to escheatment, upon which I can then go through the process of obtaining those unclaimed funds from my state government.

I do not think Etsy in particular will do anything with my ID. However, there is a high likelihood of hacking and identity theft from third parties. A full-color license with that much personal information can easily be used for identity theft.

[PoochandTabby]

"...will remain on their server for six years (during which time hacking is extremely likely)"

"there is a high likelihood of hacking and identity theft from third parties"

Based on...?

Do you have credible information that Etsy is going to be hacked soon?

[AurumNaturals]

@PoochandTabby, I have no insider information on when or whether Etsy will be hacked. However, I receive snail mail from various banks, medical billing companies, private companies, etc., numerous times a year about their systems having been hacked, so I am making an assumption that any large business that is known to store personal information and biometric data is a prime target for hackers. Therefore, I try to avoid giving out my information to the extent that it can be avoided.

Regardless, my question was not intended as a debate about Etsy's security. It was intended to find a way to communicate with a human at Etsy to clarify their escheatment policy for releasing funds from unverified accounts.

[PoochandTabby]

@AurumNaturals

No scene. You based your wanting to leave because you didn't want to provide your info and made it seem that Etsy was going to be hacked in the near future. Just wanting to know if you had credible info on this. That's all.

[NanaLetha]

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013375488-How-to-Contact-Etsy-Support

[AurumNaturals]

Thank you. I followed those prompts and got a callback just now. The agent was unable to determine how long it would take for Etsy to release my funds to escheatment, and escalated my question to someone from Trust & Safety. I will report back here if I get an answer.