AGE VERIFICATION POLICY (Required by the FDA)


Why is Iwan Ries & Company verifying my Age?

Iwan Ries & Company is dedicated to servicing our customers with premium tobacco products only if they are at least 21 years of age. Due to state rules and regulations, we cannot process any Iwan Ries & Company tobacco orders from the states of Hawaii, South Dakota, and Utah. You may be able to purchase our products at your local retail store where available. Additionally, due to recent changes in California Law in 2019 into 2020, Iwan Ries & Company will require an adult signature for any deliveries to California in accordance with California Senate Bill 39 (CA SB-39 Tobacco products).

How does the 3rd Party's Age Verification work?

We have partnered with a 3rd Party Age Verification Service to validate customers' ages and verify identity, thus fulfilling legal requirements for tobacco sales. The 3rd Party service completes an age validation by using the customer provided personal information to search trusted data sources of public records. The 3rd Party's access to public records allows them to validate the information you provide and in some cases, depending on the nature of your purchase, present a series of multiple choice questions based on non-credit related ("out-of-wallet") historical facts about you as an individual. These facts are obtained by instantaneously scanning billions of public records from trusted data sources containing information that would not generally be found in your wallet if lost or stolen.

Is the information I provide secure?

Absolutely, the 3rd Party's secure 256-bit encryption technology ensures the safe delivery of the information you provide online. In addition, 3rd Party DOES NOT store your sensitive personal information or share (or sell) any data with other third parties; this practice assures you that unauthorized parties cannot gain access to your sensitive personal information.

What happens if I cannot be verified by the Age Verification process?

A small percentage of shoppers may not be verifiable due to limited availability of publicly available information contained within Age Verification databases. If this happens, you may request "manual verification" by responding to our email and following directions to upload your proof of age which requires a copy of your driver's license or some other form of government issued ID like passport. You can also contact Iwan Ries & Company's customer service by email and phone. To do this, we typically require a copy of your driver's license or some other form of government issued ID that verifies your date of birth. Once we receive your information your order is shipped. Of course, all your information is confidential and once your age is verified, we'll never request it again.

I live outside of the U.S., can I be verified?

Iwan Ries & Company's use of the 3rd Party's Age Verification is based solely on U.S. record information and therefore verification of individuals residing outside the U.S. is unavailable. [Military Addresses outside of the US are acceptable]