[qdog]

I've had this type of request for certain online things before. I've always assumed it was for the company's security, not mine. While it might be unreasonable for a purchase, if you want secure shell or something on a hosted server, I can see where verifying you are who you say you are would be valuable. I certainly wouldn't hand out shells to random people on my own servers.

Of course, you might use a different method than email to deliver the required documents a little more securely.