Being permanently banned because my citizenship is Iranian

[ammarshrf]

You’re making too much out of it.

Not really. I would like to know if I may not be able to work on Fiverr, if I decide to live elsewhere. It’s a pretty big issue for a lot of sellers. Some kind of official guidelines or statement is simply a reasonable thing to expect. - Regardless of who a person is, what they do, or where they are from.

@hanshuber16

Hi, what an interesting topic. I am worried now because of this. As my ID verification hasn’t been requested from me yet, and when it is, what do you suggest I upload as an ID (I live in UAE but I hold a Jordanian passport)? I’m afraid that if I uploaded my passport copy, they’d do the same thing they did to OP. Is it better if I uploaded a UAE ID or UAE Driving license?

[Alex.M]

that’s strange… we were 3 members in the past , even if I am the owner of my account I worked with someone who passed away and we were withdrawing money on his payoneer card , since he died a few years ago in a car accident we changed that to our paypal account , now I only work with my girlfriend … so if I am being asked for an id should I provide my id or ? I am assuming that I won’t be asked for my dead friend id… right ? or who knows

[catwriter]

@misscrystal There are Iranians in Israel too, Sanctions are for government not for ordinary people. What Fiverr does in this case is called “RACISM”, If you are OK with that then yes you don’t care, BTW It is illegal in many countries, like UK and many other countries that Fiverr is working in them I think I should open case…

Don’t say I don’t know why companies do what they do, Do not let big companies make decision for you and do what they want!

I think I should open case…

What would that accomplish? It would probably cost you a lot, and Fiverr can’t be forced to allow you to work on their platform.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that it’s all right not to let someone work on Fiverr just because they’re Iranian, it’s that I don’t see what would you gain from it.

[lenasemenkova]

I’m disappointed but not surprised fiverr hasn’t looked into the verification process properly before implementing it.

Being a freelancer often comes with traveling a lot and getting local SIM cards to save money (and your location switches off to the place you’re physically at over time which is another genius idea in the context of ID verification). You’re probably not the first or the last one to face the issue, OP.

I don’t think nationality is the issue here. It’s just fiverr thinking the big update through the way they usually do (i.e., not at all). Very sorry it had happened to you.

[pacquo]

Out of curiosity I’ve checked the Seller Location filter. Iran is not listed.

[misscrystal]

Out of curiosity I’ve checked the Seller Location filter. Iran is not listed.

Fiver blocks some countries so that might be the reason. I recall this being mentioned before. Lots of internet companies do this. Some do it for security reasons.

[maitasun]

@m4hdyar I am so sorry for what is happening to you and also ashamed for the answer you got from Fiverr.

[mjensen415]

Fiverr was founded on the concept of global collaboration and has since turned into a diverse community that supports people from over 160 countries. We are forced, however, to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to us. While we would love to conduct business with people everywhere, pursuant to such law, Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts.

Please note that this only applies to people with official IDs from sanctioned countries; it does not apply to others that want to travel or live elsewhere while working.

[hanshuber16]

@hanshuber16

Hi, what an interesting topic. I am worried now because of this. As my ID verification hasn’t been requested from me yet, and when it is, what do you suggest I upload as an ID (I live in UAE but I hold a Jordanian passport)? I’m afraid that if I uploaded my passport copy, they’d do the same thing they did to OP. Is it better if I uploaded a UAE ID or UAE Driving license?

Is it better if I uploaded a UAE ID or UAE Driving license?

I think so. 😃 I think it is a good idea to upload an official document (UAE driving license, for example) issued by the country you’re currently residing in (if you have one).

But, as has already been confirmed, the OP’s issues are due to the current international sanctions in place against Iran. I don’t think you will have an issue. 🙂

It is very unfortunate to see ordinary civilians of a particular country getting caught in the crossfire amidst these international sanctions.

[catwriter]

Fiverr was founded on the concept of global collaboration and has since turned into a diverse community that supports people from over 160 countries. We are forced, however, to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to us. While we would love to conduct business with people everywhere, pursuant to such law, Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts.

Please note that this only applies to people with official IDs from sanctioned countries; it does not apply to others that want to travel or live elsewhere while working.

Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts

How about making a list of those countries, then, or the list of those 160+ countries, so that people know in advance whether they can work on Fiverr or if they would just get banned as soon as it’s discovered that they’re from a certain country?

[manucornel]

Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts

How about making a list of those countries, then, or the list of those 160+ countries, so that people know in advance whether they can work on Fiverr or if they would just get banned as soon as it’s discovered that they’re from a certain country?

How about making a list of those countries, then, or the list of those 160+ countries, so that people know in advance whether they can work on Fiverr or if they would just get banned as soon as it’s discovered that they’re from a certain country?

+1 on that. Transparency on these sort of issues should exist. People could make a lot of money before being banned, like in the case of the OP.

[humanissocial]

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

Fiverr did nothing wrong. If you don’t want to be banned, then don’t do things that can easily be perceived as a scam. Whether or not it is a scam is irrelevant. And don’t try to defame Fiverr for things they didn’t do to try to win sympathy from forum members. It won’t work and we couldn’t help you anyways. Behaving this way is counter-productive if you’re trying to remove the perception that you are a scammer.

[cyaxrex]

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

Fiverr did nothing wrong. If you don’t want to be banned, then don’t do things that can easily be perceived as a scam. Whether or not it is a scam is irrelevant. And don’t try to defame Fiverr for things they didn’t do to try to win sympathy from forum members. It won’t work and we couldn’t help you anyways. Behaving this way is counter-productive if you’re trying to remove the perception that you are a scammer.

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

Did you miss this bit?

Fiverr was founded on the concept of global collaboration and has since turned into a diverse community that supports people from over 160 countries. We are forced, however, to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to us. While we would love to conduct business with people everywhere, pursuant to such law, Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts.

Please note that this only applies to people with official IDs from sanctioned countries;

I assumed it was now clear that Fiverr DOES allow people to verify their identity using IDs not linked to the country where they are currently in residence. The caveat being that Fiverr can not permit some people of certain nationalities to work on the site at all.

Behaving this way is counter-productive if you’re trying to remove the perception that you are a scammer.

There was never any evidence to suggest that the OP was a scammer. Nor did anyone make such an accusation.

This thread did threaten to become quite heated and the OP is quite obviously upset, as I am sure you would be if Canadians were suddenly prohibited from working on Fiverr. However, Fiverr chipping in and clarifying the situation, has helped to diffuse that. It would also seem that no party is at fault here and no party actively attempted to scam anyone.

Sadly making comments like this after things have been clarified just seems a bit needlessly inflammatory.

[humanissocial]

Hello

I had created my account about 20 days ago and now I had about 10 reviews and $156 and 100% on time, All 5 star reviews and 100% on budget with 1 hour response time.I’m living in Turkey but my citizenship is Iranian so I give them my Turkish phone number as I’m living in Turkey , Now they banned me because my ID is Iranian and they say your Identity was fake.

As I read the ToS Being an Iranian or residing is not against ToS.But now the support say sorry your account is permanently suspended(I already explained them what happened but they only say sorry). I already said them I can give you proof, I can show you bills, I can give you my Address but they just suspended me because my citizenship is Iranian…

This is really not fair and I’m going to speak with my lawyer…

Do you think I can do anything else ?

(You can see Screenshots in posts below) In post 38 screenshot 10 you can see they said because you born in Iran you can’t use our service 😕

I didn’t miss the point about sanctions. This has no bearing on my point.

they say your Identity was fake.

This suggests Fiverr may perceive this as a possible scam and also, some people who saw his post may have wondered if there was more to the story than this seller is telling. I’m not saying there is, I’m saying the possibility is there and when you insinuate discrimination without definite proof, naturally some people may question your credibility.

[Guest helen_f]

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

Fiverr did nothing wrong. If you don’t want to be banned, then don’t do things that can easily be perceived as a scam. Whether or not it is a scam is irrelevant. And don’t try to defame Fiverr for things they didn’t do to try to win sympathy from forum members. It won’t work and we couldn’t help you anyways. Behaving this way is counter-productive if you’re trying to remove the perception that you are a scammer.

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

That is not the case.

The OP stated he is Iranian, living in Turkey.

when you insinuate discrimination without definite proof, naturally some people may question your credibility.

1. The OP had no say in which country they were born.
2. Moving to another country is not a scam.
3. If you read the post from Fiverr staff again, you’ll see it is a form of discrimination, albeit to remain within international sanctions.

Again, the OP has done nothing wrong, and for you to suggest they have is insulting at best.

[humanissocial]

This is misleading as it suggests the reason for banning you is discrimination, when really it’s because there is a discrepancy in your contact information.

That is not the case.

The OP stated he is Iranian, living in Turkey.

when you insinuate discrimination without definite proof, naturally some people may question your credibility.

1. The OP had no say in which country they were born.
2. Moving to another country is not a scam.
3. If you read the post from Fiverr staff again, you’ll see it is a form of discrimination, albeit to remain within international sanctions.

Again, the OP has done nothing wrong, and for you to suggest they have is insulting at best.

1. The OP had no say in which country they were born.

That’s what I’m saying. If you have contact info in one country and other contact info in another country, this is a problem.

1. The OP had no say in which country they were born.

Not relevant to my point at all. I never said or suggested that his country of origin is grounds for suspicion or rejection and it’s not fair to suggest that I did. I said it was the discrepancy in contact info that makes it suspicious. I appreciate that having to move can create those issues, but Fiverr still has to screen for issues and these discrepancies occur in actual scams, so they have to be careful.

1. Moving to another country is not a scam.

I never suggested it was and that’s not at all the point. Don’t twist my words. The point is that having contact info in one country and other contact info in another country prompts suspicion. My making that point doesn’t mean I think moving to a different country is a scam. That’s an illogical, unjust conclusion.

You’re just proving my point. I’m trying to explain why discrepancy is an issue and you’re assuming that I think it’s grounds for discrimination. I’m sorry, but terms and conditions don’t change because of personal circumstances. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong. I’m saying that’s just how it is.

[misscrystal]

This is good to know.

Libya, Sudan, Somalia, N. Korea, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Cuba

U.S. companies cannot do business with these countries.

[zakisp]

Wow this is so unfair,

i think they should tell you from the begining that it’s because you are from Iran instead of giving you unclear explanation

Also, they should mention clearly that they don’t do business with iranian abroad outside and inside iran

[misscrystal]

Wow this is so unfair,

i think they should tell you from the begining that it’s because you are from Iran instead of giving you unclear explanation

Also, they should mention clearly that they don’t do business with iranian abroad outside and inside iran

They can’t tell people you were banned because you are from xyz country. People will get mad and not understand the reason. Just be aware of some laws in this regard and the political reasons for it.

[zakisp]

No. People will get mad if they get banned without any explanation, after making certain amount of money… Not if they are not allowed to access the plateforme from begining,

Having access is not a right, many online plateforme are restricted

[llobetine]

I think rules are rules. From your description you dont seem to have a fixed place of abode. You are a risk. Your intentions may be honorable but this is a forum based on trust. You cannot be held accountable in case of any issues because you reside nowhere formally. Nobody is naive to think fraudulent things dont go on online. They do. So I think they did the right thing. Settle down get an address,get ID that match address etc and come back.

[misscrystal]

No. People will get mad if they get banned without any explanation, after making certain amount of money… Not if they are not allowed to access the plateforme from begining,

Having access is not a right, many online plateforme are restricted

. People will get mad if they get banned without any explanation, after making certain amount of money

But you now have an explanation. Customer support has to communicate with people in a diplomatic way. They cannot read the law to you. Nor do they want to engage in arguments with angry people. So they communicate in ways that avoid arguments.

We don’t know for sure that was the reason anyway, we are just guessing.

[hanshuber16]

No. People will get mad if they get banned without any explanation, after making certain amount of money… Not if they are not allowed to access the plateforme from begining,

Having access is not a right, many online plateforme are restricted

Not if they are not allowed to access the plateforme from begining,

This doesn’t make sense, tbh. The international sanctions that strictly forbid any sort of business/financial dealing with people from certain countries is something that came into effect only 2 months ago. So, there was no way for Fiverr to know beforehand that some day in the future, citizens of such countries would no longer be allowed to work on Fiverr due to international sanctions.

So, it’s impossible for Fiverr users from such countries to have been forewarned right when they were creating their Fiverr account. The OP had been on Fiverr for a few years before the international sanctions against his country came into effect. So, how could have the OP been warned while registering their account, say, 2 years ago? It’s not like Fiverr could have warned them of something that was going to happen 2 years in the future.

What they could have done, however, was let all Fiverr users know (as soon as the sanctions came into affect) that Fiverr has to abide by the international sanctions, too (as they are a registered business in the US) and that they will have to, unfortunately, suspend accounts of Fiverr users who belong to certain countries (the list of countries should have been mentioned in their ToS).

We don’t know for sure that was the reason anyway, we are just guessing.

Oh, we do know the actual reason. This quote ⬇️ is from a Fiverr staff:

We are forced, however, to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to us. While we would love to conduct business with people everywhere, pursuant to such law, Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts.

Please note that this only applies to people with official IDs from sanctioned countries

From your description you dont seem to have a fixed place of abode.

I don’t think someone should be discriminated against just because they don’t have a fixed place of abode. Just saying…

[cyaxrex]

Not if they are not allowed to access the plateforme from begining,

This doesn’t make sense, tbh. The international sanctions that strictly forbid any sort of business/financial dealing with people from certain countries is something that came into effect only 2 months ago. So, there was no way for Fiverr to know beforehand that some day in the future, citizens of such countries would no longer be allowed to work on Fiverr due to international sanctions.

So, it’s impossible for Fiverr users from such countries to have been forewarned right when they were creating their Fiverr account. The OP had been on Fiverr for a few years before the international sanctions against his country came into effect. So, how could have the OP been warned while registering their account, say, 2 years ago? It’s not like Fiverr could have warned them of something that was going to happen 2 years in the future.

What they could have done, however, was let all Fiverr users know (as soon as the sanctions came into affect) that Fiverr has to abide by the international sanctions, too (as they are a registered business in the US) and that they will have to, unfortunately, suspend accounts of Fiverr users who belong to certain countries (the list of countries should have been mentioned in their ToS).

We don’t know for sure that was the reason anyway, we are just guessing.

Oh, we do know the actual reason. This quote ⬇️ is from a Fiverr staff:

We are forced, however, to abide by the laws and regulations that apply to us. While we would love to conduct business with people everywhere, pursuant to such law, Fiverr.com is prohibited from conducting business with citizens of certain countries and is therefore forced to close these accounts.

Please note that this only applies to people with official IDs from sanctioned countries

From your description you dont seem to have a fixed place of abode.

I don’t think someone should be discriminated against just because they don’t have a fixed place of abode. Just saying…

I don’t think someone should be discriminated against just because they don’t have a fixed place of abode.

It also goes against one of the fundamental reasons why a lot of people go freelance in the first place. There are entire coworking networks like coworker.com which exist solely to serve the likes of digital nomads.

[misscrystal]

I don’t think someone should be discriminated against just because they don’t have a fixed place of abode.

It also goes against one of the fundamental reasons why a lot of people go freelance in the first place. There are entire coworking networks like coworker.com which exist solely to serve the likes of digital nomads.

Thanks for that link to coworker.com. I found one near me for $100 a month offering free beer and wine 24 hours a day so I’m going to check it out. 😛 I can get a private office for $700 a month which will give me a needed tax deduction also.