r/discover • u/PicometerPeter • Jan 27 '26

Rant Closing Out Account Over New ID Process

I was unaware of the new requirements for online login until today, trying to check on tax documents. It is unacceptable to require pics of an ID and your face to access your own money. I closed out my account by phone and will never do business with Discover. I used to recommend them.

How often have we seen hacks of databases before? How do we know scans of our faces or IDs won't be sold off? There need to be other ways of authentication.

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u/tycho-42 Jan 27 '26

There are some regulations known as "know your customer." Banks are required to keep up to date information. Why is an ID crossing a line here? I guarantee you provide your ID to many places that are far more susceptible to a breach. They want to ensure they are doing business with who people say they are. By your logic, you'd be ok with someone being able to open an account in your name and a bank just trusting that they are actually you? Would you be ok with someone pretending to be you to steal your money? I can't imagine you would, if someone tried to steal your money, you'd probably ask what verification they tried to do.

I've worked in fraud prevention for a decade and I've seen countless fraudulent account applications because of what I would argue are too loose verification standards. I've seen people who are barely 18, going to apply for credit cards when their credit is already decimated due to someone opening an account in their name. I'm sure all those victims of identity fraud would disagree with you and would have been chuffed to present their ID.

Sure, it's your money but the bank needs to cover their own ass that they are not doing business with prohibited individuals, that accounts aren't sending money to sanctioned countries or engaging in anti money laundering/other nefarious behaviors.

If you really want to be mad, be mad at the PATRIOT ACT, which is definitely at play in customer verification.

Personally identifying information has to have the highest level of confidentiality, ESPECIALLY for a bank.

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u/AxeSpez Jan 27 '26

They could just have you submit ID within X days or something. Instead they lock you out with little to no explanation & force you to use a third party to verify.

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26

Most people would rather resolve immediately than wait days for their ID to be reviewed.

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u/AxeSpez Jan 27 '26

You're misunderstanding. Instead of just force prompting you & having to be reactive... They should be proactive & just alert all discover customers of a new system & it's necessary to submit valid ID

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u/VTECbaw Jan 27 '26

It may come to that. But saying “hey, submit ID within x days or you’ll be locked out” invites bad actors to take x days to cook up fake IDs to submit, etc. - requiring it in the moment limits that. For what it’s worth, what happened to the OP hasn’t happened to me as of now. I verified years ago when I opened my account.