Buffalo Partners KYC

[NDG]

Just received an e-mail from Buffalo Partners with a new set of requirements for
affiliates to get paid. Everybody now has to provide Know Your Customer documents
and even screenshots of e-wallet accounts in order to be paid any affiliate earnings.

Affiliates are marketing partners for the affiliate programs. I don't understand how
we could be considered customers. We aren't purchasing anything from them.

 

[LandofOz]

According to Wikipedia, Know your customer (KYC) is the process of a business identifying and verifying the identity of its clients. The term is also used to refer to the bank and anti-money laundering regulations which governs these activities. Know your customer processes are also employed by companies of all sizes for the purpose of ensuring their proposed agents, consultants, or distributors are anti-bribery compliant. Banks, insurers and export creditors are increasingly demanding that customers provide detailed anti-corruption due diligence information.

How do affiliates fit into this? And why now?

 

[AussieDave]

Write back to BP and ask them to supply the same details to you...

I also just received this.

While it's a load of bollocks because affiliates are B2B NOT B2C, BP are blocking payments until the documents are supplied. So they have us ALL over a barrel.

Be interesting to see if the "hacker" (who is still promoting BP casinos) passes this KYC.

 

[AussieDave]

I've just sent them the require proof and completed KYC form.

Yes it sucks, cause and reiterating we are B2B NOT B2C...However, with the AU market closed now, my final payment for my AU players isn't chump change, so I want to be paid, and submitting this ID proof, is the only way I will be paid.

 

[NDG]

I have nothing against submitting the documents if you have revenue and they won't release it.
I just don't understand why an affiliate program would suddenly require this. If it is required by
law in their licensed jurisdiction, then I understand.., but, it could just be another tactic to weed
out all of the inactive affiliates from the affiliate program and keep their commissions.

 

[Bonus Paradise]

I got the email too from them, not amused!

 

[Bonus Paradise]

but, it could just be another tactic to weed
out all of the inactive affiliates from the affiliate program and keep their commissions.

They sure keep a lot of money on their bank accounts because of this KYC policy.

 

[Engineer]

I am refusing to comply until they provide more information.

Specifically, which "new rule" are they referring to? I need the exact regulation and the passage of text that says these documents are required.

I am not about to send my sensitive personal documents to anyone unless I believe what they say is 100% true -- and at this point, I don't have that.

 

[falseadoom]

This was required by betwaypartners before and is why they need now since the merger. I have asked why I need to repeat this since it was already provider before with betway and they are checking on that. Only difference now is they want screenshot of web-wallet (not thrilled about that).

 

[Engineer]

I would blur out the payment amounts from other programs. They have no reason to see that.

 

[inspiration]

Write back to BP and ask them to supply the same details to you...

I also just received this.

While it's a load of bollocks because affiliates are B2B NOT B2C, BP are blocking payments until the documents are supplied. So they have us ALL over a barrel.

Be interesting to see if the "hacker" (who is still promoting BP casinos) passes this KYC.

You can now call / chat with the UK police if the hacker has hacked a UK school website as Buffalo knows this customer ?

 

[Biti]

You can now call / chat with the UK police if the hacker has hacked a UK school website as Buffalo knows this customer ?

Sure, but no idea if the police will do something against it.

 

[inspiration]

the police could send a message to the UK GC as a warning

I just do not want my content / domain names on hacked websites via redirect cloaked pages.

 

[Biti]

I think for police men or a UK GC employee it's difficult to understand the issue. They might see that just as a copyright issue. Then it's up to you to claim some bucks because of violating your copyright.

I think the solution is media attention in mainstream media. I saw Casino News Daily having some very well documented articles. More people should do that. It will be an issue if mainstream media pick it up. Before that, nobody will understand why it's a problem. And if they do, they're passing the ball quickly. Copyright? Look for a lawyer and claim something. Website hacked? Go to the police and claim about it...

This article for example http://www.casinonewsdaily.com/2017...ng-company-acquires-players-notorious-hacker/. This kind of articles are great. More people should write about it. Perhaps then it's starting to become a problem.

 

[inspiration]

yes you are prob right the cops prob have no idea how this works

 

[NDG]

I've also refused to provide the details requested until they provide me with the regulation or law that
requires them to get this documentation from affiliates. I'm growing tired of the games they play.

 

[AussieDave]

I've also refused to provide the details requested until they provide me with the regulation or law that
requires them to get this documentation from affiliates. I'm growing tired of the games they play.

Kudos, I'd usually follow suit.
However having taken a huge hit with the close of the AU market (being in AU), I can't afford not to receive Sept's payment - It's not chump change.

I agree it sounds fishy. Cause the KYC stands for Know Your Customer. Reiterating Affiliates are not Customers, we're business partners. It's akin to asking the CEO of Google for KYC documentation, or any B2B one is conducting commerical business with.

 

[CaseyM]

I've also refused to provide the details requested until they provide me with the regulation or law that
requires them to get this documentation from affiliates. I'm growing tired of the games they play.

Please keep the thread updated with what they reply

 

[Biti]

Some side notes about this:

- the definition of customer might be bigger than just a client or a player. Business partners, executing parts of your core business, might fall under that definition too. Hence, an affiliate could be considered applicable for KYC and Coca Cola (if they deliver some bottles at the office) not.
- law outside the US is usually principle-based instead of rule-based. Usually there is something like companies have to do their own risk assessments, write policies with the conclusions of this risk assessment and execute measurements that are formulated. If Buffalo concludes in that process that they see KYC of affiliates as a control, that's it.

Of course this is all very hypocrite of Buffalo, because for years they are working with criminal. Buffalo is by far the most disgusting company around. They clearly abuse law when it's ok for them and ignore law when it's not ok for them.

And let's throw a stone in the pond... why I should motivate players to leave their money at a place where I don't even want to leave some generic company details...

 

[TheGooner]

We received the request. We replied within an hour with the documentation.
The request is similar to ones we have fielded from several UK facing affiliate programs - so I had copies of the documentation in place.

Like it or not, the internet changed global business, and over the last couple of years government agencies have been catching up.
These procedures are in place to catch money-laundering, fake corps in tax havens with Western domiciled owners, and any non-paying tax payers.

My bank has asked me for similar recently - even though we have a 15-year relationship.
It used to be a US requirement to catch US citizens, but it's now a Global requirement that many Western countries have signed up to.

If you have been paying your taxes on your revenue, and you have nothing to hide, then submit the documentation and get paid.

If you don't want to be paid - then avoid sending anything - rant on an affiliate forum and act like it's an indignity.
You won't see a back-down. You won't get paid.


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And yes, I completely understand the irony that a company like Buffalo partners that is pretty dodgy in it's dealing with affiliates is enforcing this requirement.
But if EVEN crooks like Buffalo Partners don't want to play slippery with the global tax-man then that should be a signal to you too.