Google Play WTFuckery

April 6, 2018 8:26 AM

Google Play wants a picture of my photo ID and credit card... is this legit?

After several years of using Google Play to purchase phone apps and music, a few months ago it suddenly began refusing to process any paid transactions, claiming I needed to send them a picture of my photo ID and credit card.

This makes me very uncomfortable. However, I can't see any way around it if I want my account back. I can still download free apps and access my current music in Google Play Music, but I can't make any new purchases without getting an error and a request for my ID.

My husband, who is an IT professional, freaked out a bit when I told him and was immediately suspicious. He did a bit of searching online and reluctantly came to the conclusion that it seems legit, but still seemed somewhat dubious that doing this is a good idea or an appropriate thing for them to be asking for.

I'm just wondering if anyone here has any insight or experience on whether this is a thing I should be worried about doing; and if so, is there any way to get around sending them this info and still get my account fully restored?

posted by Serene Empress Dork to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Best answer: I'd send them the pictures, but with electrical or other heavy tape over the CC / ID numbers, because those are not raw pictures I will send out into the internet.

If they are only seeking to verify that you are in possession of the cards, that should work well enough.
posted by Dashy at 8:39 AM on April 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You technically already agreed that they could deny to process payment until you send such info, in the Google Payments Terms of Service, which says:
" In some cases, we may ask you to send us additional information, such as a copy of your driver's license or passport, or to answer additional questions to help us verify your identity."

You could try the blackout bit Dashy suggests, but they may well balk at that, and then have to do it all over again or give up.

Remember when Google promoted their motto "Don't be evil"? Ever wonder why they stopped using it?
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:45 AM on April 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: They already have your CC#, so I'm not sure what you hope to avoid by obscuring part of it. The only reason they could be asking for this is to verify that you are, indeed, both who you say you are and the card holder. If someone was illegitimately using your card, you would be happy they used this safeguard.
posted by ubiquity at 9:08 AM on April 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: What you hope to avoid by obscuring the info is man-in-the-middle attacks. Presumably google isn’t going to abuse that info, but third parties would love to. When you enter the cc# online it’s into a secured form. But sending a regular gmail with a photo of a credit card is different, and generally a bad idea.

It’s not clear to me how google wants this photo sent to them, but I think it’s reasonable to ask google for their preferred method of receiving encrypted info.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:13 AM on April 6, 2018 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Hmm, it doesn't seem like anyone is too horrified by this. The instruction page on how to send the info does show a person using their finger to obscure the credit card number, so I guess that shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks!
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:09 PM on April 6, 2018

It's possible that your card use meets some pattern that causes them concern. I would check my statements carefully. Google Play can't access the check on your card to verify that you have the card in your possession, so they're asking for the photos. If I had a different card to use, I'd do that.
posted by theora55 at 7:14 AM on April 7, 2018