A few days ago, PayPal “limited” my account.
They sent me a vague email telling me that I might have violated their terms of service and that I should refer to their policies to try to figure out what’s going on.
Then they let me know that they’d be holding on to my $18 for 45 days, and until then I will not be able to use the account for anything.
So, I inquired. I specifically asked why this happened. Their computer told me I could expect a response within 5 days.
Here is the reply I just received. Apparently their processes and the information they used to determine that they should hold on to my $18 is super private — if I want to see it, then I need a court order or subpoena.
** AND NOW THEIR SYSTEM IS TELLING ME THIS:
Why is my account access limited?
Your account access has been limited for the following reason(s):
Oct 20, 2011: Our system detected that multiple PayPal accounts contain registration information similar to yours. Our User Agreementallows PayPal users to have one Personal account and one Premier or Business account. To return your account to regular standing, we will need to confirm some of the information on your account.
(Your case ID for this reason is PP****.)
** PAYPAL!?!?! WTF!?!?!?
Hello, Joseph. My name is Tasha Krista from PayPal Resolution Services.
I understand that you are concerned about the limitation on your account. When we limited your account, we looked at different factors including:
- Information we collect internally and sometimes from other users.
- PayPal’s tools, processes and information that monitor our payment network are confidential and proprietary.
To help you understand our limitation process, there are a few things you should know:
- When you signed up for our services, you agreed to our User Agreement, Privacy, Acceptable Use Policies and others.
- The decision to place a limitation on your account was based on terms outlined in these agreements.
- Generally, we place limitations on an account to learn more about you, your account activity or your transactions. To appeal an account limitation, we might ask you to take various steps, provide us with information, or supply us with certain documents.
- In some cases, we may decide that we can no longer offer our services to you.
If you would like to obtain copies of the information we reviewed in deciding to place a limitation on your account, you will need to obtain a court order or subpoena. To do so, you may want to consider speaking with an attorney who should be able to explain the subpoena process to you. If you choose to subpoena the information, you’ll need to submit it to us using National Registered Agents, Inc.
We value you as a part of our PayPal family, and it is important for me to resolve your concern. If you feel the information provided is not enough, please do not hesitate to email us back.
Sincerely,
Tasha Krista
PayPal Resolution Services
PayPal, an eBay Company
Check out our Community Help Forums at www.paypal-community.com. You can also follow us on Twitter to find answers, help other members, and learn more about PayPal. Go to www.Twitter.com/askpaypal.
** SO, I FAXED THEM A BUNCH OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION ON OCTOBER 24TH.
** AND ON NOVEMBER 11TH, THEY DECIDED TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE MY ACCOUNT:
Dear Joseph Winett,
What’s the problem?
To help protect our members’ accounts, we routinely review account
activity. When we reviewed your activity, we noticed that you have more
than one Personal account or more than one Premier or Business account. In
addition, we noticed one or more of the following other reasons to limit
your account and terminate our services:
• You provided us with information that we believe was false, inaccurate or
misleading information; or
• You sent or received funds that were potentially fraudulent; or
• You have more than one account with a negative balance; or
• You are in violation of the User Agreement, the Commercial Entity
Agreement, the Acceptable Use Policy or another agreement you have with
PayPal.
Our decision was based on terms outlined in these agreements.
What to do next
Because of these issues, your account(s) has been permanently limited and
we can no longer offer our services to you. You will still be able to
log-in to see your transaction history for a limited time.
If you believe you’ve received this message in error you may appeal the
decision by contacting PayPal at the Help Center and clicking “Contact Us”.
Please be prepared to provide one or all of the following pieces of
information; drivers’ license, social security or tax ID card, current
utility bill, business license, articles of incorporation or other
identifying documentation.
If you don’t appeal this decision within 14 days, we will use any positive
balance in your PayPal accounts to resolve any negative balance you have.
To protect against the risk of reversals like buyer complaints or
chargebacks, we will hold the funds in your account for up to 45 days. We
will use your account balance to pay for any reversals we receive against
your account. You’ll receive an email within this time period advising you
that any balance in your account is available for withdrawal. Once you
receive this email, you can log into your account and click “Withdraw” at
the top of the page to receive your funds.
Thanks,
PayPal
Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you
will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account
and click the Help link in the top right corner of any PayPal page.
** I CALLED AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO APPEALING… AFTER MORE THAN 10 YEARS, WE WERE DONE DOING BUSINESS. THE CSR TOLD ME THAT SHE COULD NOT REVEAL THE INFORMATION USED TO MAKE THE DECISION BECAUSE THEIR POLICY IS NOT TO DO SO IN ORDER TO KEEP FRAUDS FROM LEARNING HOW TO CIRCUMVENT THEIR SECURITY.
Well, fine. Fuck you, Paypal. I do not have more than one account and I have not engaged in fraud.
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