Interesting story. I am skeptical.
I will say since bitstamp changed hands last fall things have changed. They changed their bank or payment processor at the time which created havoc. Still ongoing as of a month ago for me. Support is super slow and almost useless. They went from hero to zero. They were previously a class act.
It might be wise to exercise caution.
I've heard this enough times from enough different users over the years. Their KYC questionnaire is fucking ridiculous let alone their demands for tax documents and every single address you've ever used. If I'm verified I expect to stay verified. I'll never put a penny in there again.
I never had to submit anything but proof of address and my id. They never did ask for anything else except for updated id. They got me to fill out a strange kyc questionaire a year ago. They made it plain things would go much smoother for me if I answered the questions. I'm outta there after 5 years.