Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1vl5ugz/insanely_shady_stuff_from_goharddrivecom/

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The original was posted on /r/datahoarder by /u/TranquilSniper on 2026-08-11 03:12:06+00:00.

About a week ago, I purchased a 20 TB WDC Ultrastar from GoHardDrive.com. Checked out, got the confirmation email, thought nothing of it (except how gross it felt spending $600 on a refurbished HDD).

Over the weekend, they emailed me. They froze the transaction so their "credit department" can verify my info. They asked me to fill out a PDF with the same billing info I put in when I checked out. I was hesitant to do so, but reiterated my billing and shipping details. Then they hit me with this:

"Your authorization form is incomplete. There are documentations required – Copy of credit card (Front & Back) and Driver License for our credit department review to proceed with your order."

Exact wording from the email. Apparently you need a credit check to buy something with a debit card. This is not my first rodeo purchasing a hard drive, and won't be my last. In all my time, I've never seen something like this. In what world do you have to resort to such lengths? This isn't crypto. My bank called me and I authorized the purchase with them. It should be a done deal.

This was extremely shady and raised a ton of red flags. I told them to cancel the transaction, and forwarded the name and address of the business to my lawyer and bank. Locked the card I used as well and am awaiting a new one.

Bought the same drive for an extra $50 on ServerPartDeals without a single issue. Free shipping, too.

If anyone has a similar experience or can tell me what the hell was going on here, would be much appreciated.