Unable to verify identity -- Help needed urge...

writerjohnp · ‎06-08-2021

Hello. I have had several contracts here on Upwork in the past. Then, I didn't freelance for a few years, and now I'm am back. I have landed a contract that is important to me. Unfortunately, immediately after landing the contract, I received a notification that I have 7 days to verify my account. And without this, no withdrawals, no new contracts, etc.

writerjohnp · ‎06-08-2021

It looks like my message was cut short a bit. To finish: I don't have a valid government photo ID. I have a (recently-expired) passport. Other than that, nothing. I have other evidence of my residence, such as my address on my credit card bill, bank, etc. So, I need the video conversation verification. How can I do that? (No laws in the U.S. require people to have photo goverment IDs, incidentally. So I'm not sure why that should be a requirement to prove my residence. I pay taxes as a Missouri resident without this sort of ID.)

prestonhunter · ‎06-08-2021

re: "I don't have a valid government photo ID. I have a (recently-expired) passport."

You live in Missouri.

Get a driver's license or state-issued picture ID.

Or try using your (expired) passport. That might work. I don't know.

But just go get ID. This isn't a big deal.

re: "So I'm not sure why that should be a requirement to prove my residence."

Why does it matter?

Nobody is forcing you to work as a freelancer on Upwork. If you want to do so, then there are some very trivial hoops you are asked to jump through.

Upwork has certain requirements that other platforms don't have. And other platforms have certain requirements that Upwork doesn't have.

JoanneP · ‎06-08-2021

Hi John,

I've escalated your concern to the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

Update:

John, our team has requested if you could please upload the ID you have so that they can review it for you. Thank you!

~ Joanne

writerjohnp · ‎06-08-2021

Hi Joanne!

Thank you for this. I followed the support ticket link. It took me to the "My Requests" page. I'll keep an eye out there for your team's request. I'm more than happy to upload the ID again when I hear from them.

*That said, from your update, it looks like the team is now waiting for me to act. I do not see where they are requesting that I upload the ID. Am I missing something?

Thanks again!
John

JoanneP · ‎06-08-2021

Hi John,

Please log in to your account, and kindly go here to provide your ID. The team requested that you please try adding it there first. Thank you.

~ Joanne

35ab0c43 · ‎06-08-2021

Thanks again, Joanne! So far, so good. I spoke with**Edited for community guidelines**via video, and he did the visual confirmation. It went well. Regarding the ID, he said that a different department from his handles that, and that they are going to send an email. Do you happen to know if that department is aware of the situation and whether there is anything else that I need to do here?

I should add that the first time I uploaded the passport image earlier tonight, it was simply rejected. The second time I uploaded it, after you told me they were asking for it again, it seemed to have been accepted. My confusion here is that after it was accepted, the guy who did the visual confirmation**Edited for community guidelines**indicated that the photo ID part was still incomplete. Maybe that's just due to a processing delay? Not sure.

Thanks again! You've been very helpful, and I'm impressed that we've been able to make progress on this so quickly tonight given my unusual case.

Regards,
John

35ab0c43 · ‎06-08-2021

Strange! After talking with**Edited for community guidelines**, my "first day" with Upwork appears to have changed from 2012 to June 8, 2021 -- today. My profile picture appears to have been deleted. And my name changed from John P. to John A. I hope that doesn't confuse the other guy I've been talking with about work. I also hope it didn't reset my history with other clients, my ongoing conversations, etc. I'll take a look.

35ab0c43 · ‎06-08-2021

Hi Joanne!

Without my ID being approved, I can't start my job. I'm not at all confident that I'll be able to have a contract here. What's the next step?

Thanks,

John

JoanneP · ‎06-08-2021

Hi John,

Please know that your concern has already been escalated. The team handling your case is reviewing your account and will be sure to update you directly to assist you further. Thank you for your patience while our team reviews your case.

~ Joanne

35ab0c43 · ‎06-09-2021

Hi. I don't mean to be a pest, but I'm worried that I'll do work and not be able to get paid for it. And if we can't work this out soon, I could lose a contract.

Do we at least have a timeline or an estimate of when this will be resolved? And is their any assurance that it *can* be resolved in a timely manner so that I don't work and my payment get locked up where I can't withdraw it?

Thanks,

John

AndreaG · ‎06-09-2021

Hi John,

I checked and it looks like our agent advised you to please allow 24-48 hours for an update regarding your verification status.

~Andrea

35ab0c43 · ‎06-13-2021

Thanks Andrea. It has been several days now -- more than the 48 hours. I haven't received an update. Is there a place where I should be looking that I may be missing it? There have been no Upwork notifications that I have received.

Thanks,

John

PradeepH · ‎06-13-2021

Hello John,

I am sorry to hear that you have still not received a notification. I checked and noticed that you will have to complete ID verification again from this link. Our team will review your submission and will update you with the status.

Thank you.

Pradeep.

35ab0c43 · ‎06-14-2021

Hi Pradeep! Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. I get this error:

**Edited for community guidelines**

BojanS · ‎06-14-2021

Hi John,

Could you please confirm if you're receiving this error message when you're logged into your freelancer account you've initiated this thread with?

Thank you!

~ Bojan

writerjohnp · ‎06-14-2021

Hi Bojan!

That was the problem. I didn't notice that I was on my employer's account. I uploaded the passport again, and it says they'll review it tomorrow.

Much appreciated!

kenzleehamm · ‎06-13-2021

Hello. I have landed a contract that is important to me. Unfortunately, immediately after landing the contract, I received a notification that I have 7 days to verify my account. And without this, no withdrawals, no new contracts, etc. I DO have a valid state-issued driver's license. With my current address listed on it. Why will it not verify it?

PradeepH · ‎06-13-2021

Hi Morgan,

Thank you for your message. I see that you have already completed ID verification on your account. Feel free to message us if you need further assistance.

Thank you.

Pradeep.

Unable to verify identity -- Help needed urgently