Why am I being asked for personal information?
Like many of the world’s most innovative technology companies, Direct Health uses Stripe to process credit card payments in the U.S. Stripe processes billions of dollars in payments each year for companies like Uber, Lyft, Slack, Instacart, Etsy, Kickstarter, Unicef, USO, Amazon, and even Google. They are the best in the business in terms of service and security, which is why we chose to partner with them here at Direct Health.
Due to The U.S. Patriot Act’s “Know Your Customer” (KYC) checks, payment processing companies are subject to strict regulations regarding the verification of individuals and companies making and accepting payments online. The primary reason for this is to ensure individuals and businesses on Direct Health are not on a “Prohibited Persons” list. This is so we can collectively combat crimes related to money-laundering, terrorism, and other terrible things.
In the past, Direct Health has not required all of your personal information upfront. However, random account reviews that Stripe must perform have created a situation where providers could be suddenly cut off from performing consultations on Direct Health until the information was acquired. To avoid sudden service disruptions, Direct Health made the decision to get the information we need to keep providers up and running to care for their patients.
Much like other marketplace platforms (Airbnb, Indiegogo, etc.) the additional pieces of information that may be required are:
- Last 4 of your Social Security Number
- Full Social Security Number
- Personal Mailing Address
- Copy of your Photo ID
- Company EIN
When you input this information directly into the Direct Health app, it is securely sent to Stripe, not stored on any Direct Health system, and used purely for verification purposes.
