The Gold and The Silver

A couple of PTC sites are making it surprisingly difficult to get the money you’ve earned, and GoldenClix (formerly Golden Clicks) is a prime offender. I signed up with GoldenClix back on Day 130 and earned my first cashout of $4.75 on Day 234. The money was deposited to my PayPal account about two weeks later.

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Since then I have requested cashouts three more times, and all three times the money bounced back to my available balance. The first bounce took about two months. The second bounce took another month. After that I submitted a support request asking why I wasn’t being paid.

THREE STRIKES

Apparently GoldenClix has instituted a requirement that anyone wanting a cashout must first post a picture in the forum showing their previous cashout. What a hassle! But if I want to get paid, I need to follow their rules.

I finally got around to it a few weeks later. I located that first cashout payment in my PayPal records, grabbed a screenshot, and posted my required “payment proof” in the designated forum. (First making sure to blur out any PayPal personal info in the image.)

And then I requested my money a third time.

Two weeks later, the pending withdrawal bounced back into my available balance. Three strikes! Three times I tried to obtain my cashout from GoldenClix, and three times it failed.

Many people would have given up after that, but I was ticked off that a PTC would make its members post payment proofs in order to be paid… and then still not pay. The payment proofs in the forum gave the appearance that Golden Clix was paying regularly, even though they were not paying at all.

So I sent another support ticket asking them to explain why my cashout request was denied — again.

This time they replied telling me they had just instituted a new policy requiring all members to send a copy of their Drivers License or other photo ID, plus another recent photo of themselves, to prove who they are.

And they required that the name on the photo ID be the same as the name on their GoldenClix account.

Well as you know, my online persona, “Tame Bear,” is not my real name — I use the Tame Bear brand identity everywhere as part of my marketing strategy.

My next thought may have already occurred to you…

Handing over your drivers license and a personal photo is all that’s needed for a total stranger to pull off an effective online identity theft.

I was sure NOT going to let these PTC admins (owners, who keep their own real names secret) open a new credit card account in my name and start racking up purchases. Beware what you share online! Your personal information is valuable, and can be used to perpetrate fraud against you!

Unfortunately, GoldenClix is not the only PTC site that has such blatantly unacceptable policies. SilverClix is the same way. And no surprise — GoldenClix and SilverClix are run by the same admins.

PTC PROFESSOR

I joined both of these PTCs through Eric Goettmann’s PTC Professor direct referrals downline builder. Eric (that’s his real name) is a reputable owner who stands by his products. I first discussed Eric’s site, PTC Professor, in a post on Day 146.

So I decided to ask Eric what he thought of this photo ID requirement. Here are his response…

I think it is a valid concern…  I think by blacking out any important information, they would still accept it…  As long as the License Number is blacked out… and even a portion of the address… and signature, that may be all you need to protect yourself.  I think if you voice your concerns with the owner they would be willing to work with you. It was put in place to deter cheaters I am certain.

Great idea — I hadn’t thought of that. Blacking out my drivers license number (and other info they don’t need) is a smart thing to do, and I can also refer them to my “About Tame Bear” page where they can find another picture of the real me to compare with my photo ID.

I’ll follow up on Eric’s suggestion, and let you know how it goes.

I understand the need for GoldenClix and SilverClicks and other sites to defend against cheaters. But they ought to be able to do it without instituting really dumb rules. If you are clicking and earning at GoldenClix, or at SilverClix, then I advise you to observe the same caution.

What do you think, is it risky to send a copy of your drivers license to strangers online? Or am I just being paranoid? The debate lines are open, post your comments below.