Hepkat
Fraud alert...you MUST give them your credit card details ALONG WITH the 3-digit security code as a prerequisite for an account!
After carefully comparing the shipping prices of various forwarding services, I decided to go with ShipToBox. Signing up was a straightforward process. The first major problem reared its ugly head however, when they required me to upload an ID as well as a photo or scan of the front and back of my credit card. WHAT??? I've never heard of such a thing before - a lot of companies will require you to save your credit card number as a requirement for membership, but this is the first time I had to upload a photo of both the front AND the back along with the security code. I scanned both sides of my credit card and blacked out the security code before uploading both photos. So I thought that was it and my account was now complete. But NO, I also had to fill in my credit card information in a separate section, INCLUDING the 3 digit security code. This was crossing a HUGE line, especially since the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) guidelines prohibit companies from storing the CVV (credit card security codes) of their customers! I contacted their customer service via chat and explained that I would not under ANY circumstances be giving them both my credit card number AS WELL AS the 3 digit security code, as this would leave me financially vulnerable should their system ever get hacked or should a rogue employee decide to help themselves to a shopping spree courtesy of my credit card. The agent assured me that entering the 3-digit code on the form was optional. I tried filling out the credit card information WITHOUT the 3-digit code and was given an error message telling me to fill in all the missing information. I sent a screenshot to their agent so they could see that leaving out the 3-digit security code was NOT optional. They then apologized and offered me another option: I would need to make a wire transfer to their account and for the honor of doing so, I would also need to pay a $15 bank fee. It was at this point that I realized that I was not dealing with a serious company and that this was obviously a fraudulent operation. I asked them to immediately delete my account as well as ALL my data. I'll look elsewhere for another forwarding service with standard security policies. Addendum: Response to ShipToBox's response from Oktober 5. "For card verification, customers are instructed to hide sensitive information such as the CVV/security code when uploading the card image." This is simply NOT TRUE! At NO POINT WHATSOEVER was I ever instructed to hide any details before uploading a copy of my credit card. Unfortunately I can't upload a screenshot from ShipToBox's website to prove this, but after opening an account, you are specifically instructed to upload a scanned copy of both sides of your credit card. There are NO FURTHER instructions advising you to hide anything! Furthermore, in a separate section in your customer profile you MUST ALSO provide the three digit security code (CVV) in order for your account to be activated. Account activation is IMPOSSIBLE without this information! I complained bitterly to their WhatsApp customer service, after which I was advised that I could forgo entering my three digit security code ONLY IF I made a transfer to their bank account in addition to paying a $15 fee. So you are faced with the choice of either 1. Uploading a scanned copy of your credit card including the security code AS WELL AS entering the security code in a separate section in your customer profile, OR 2. Making a transfer to their bank account and paying a $15 fee. NO OTHER ONLINE MERCHANT has such a ridiculous requirement! If this were truly about identity verification, which is understandable, then a copy of my passport or other official ID should have been enough. Why do they need my credit card number AS WELL AS my three digit security code? This makes NO SENSE whatsoever and puts the credit card holder at significant risk of fraud!
Response from ShipToBoxOct 5, 2026
Hello Hepkat, We’re sorry to hear about your experience and understand your concerns regarding the account verification process. The requested documents are part of our security and payment verification procedures, designed to protect both our customers and our services against unauthorized transactions and fraud. For card verification, customers are instructed to hide sensitive information such as the CVV/security code when uploading the card image. We also regret the confusion regarding the card information form and the alternative payment option. The $15 bank fee applies to wire transfers as a bank processing fee and is not an additional ShipToBox service charge. We respect your decision to close your account and apologize that the verification process did not meet your expectations. We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us review and improve our processes. Thank you, Customer Service Team


