Paypal Query...important Message, Problem Over?

I guess there are a number of Stamp sellers here and am wondewring if anyone has opened their account at some point to find Paypal asking for information or the account will be restricted ?

They are telling me that because I have received a acertain amount of money in 2012, I must give them certain information like address confimation etc. Having done all they ask, it
appears not to be enough and now they are asking me to make copies of Passport,Driving Licence etc to prove identity and address...including photo !

Has this happened to anyone or should I call the cops ?

Londonbus1

Doesn't sound like Paypal to me, Michael. You should contact e-bay/paypal directly and inquire or inform them of the query. We are always told, never ever ever give out personal info over the phone or internet. And your Passport????? That's pretty personal.

Yes, it was the passport bit that had me thinking. I know I will never make a scan of it and the Passport Office in London would most likely arrest me !
But I went to Paypal and logged in, they asked me for my address and other info [which they already have] and which I gave them. They then told me the information was incorrect and would I try again.
So I did, twice more. The same.
Then they asked me to do something different.....fax those photocopies or email scans. I have so many days to do it.[About 60 if I remember correctly].
It was rather weird.

Before calling the police, you might want to call Paypal's customer service line to determine if the requests for information are legitimate and, if so, why it is needed.

EDIT: Customer Service Number added below:

1-402-935-2050 (if calling from outside the U.S.)

4:00 AM to 10:00 PM Pacific Time Monday through Friday
6:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific Time Saturday and Sunday

If you got this in an e-mail, it could easily by a phishing expedition with URL redirect.
Happens all the time. I get a couple each day, most of which land in my spam folder.
I hope you did not click on the link in the e-mail to "get to" Paypal, as you likely
got to an impostor site.
Regards.

Hi to all
It is a phishing expedition. I get them every now and then, and I just copy and paste to Paypal.
Most of them originate in Nigeria and is part of the scam. Some even say that if you do not provide the information you account will be cancelled.
There are even ones from " ebay" saying that your account has been comprimised and to follow the prompts.
Just copy and paste the address and sent to the real ebay and Paypal.
Regards
Horamakhet

It is a scam...............ignore it or forward/send it to Paypal. Have never been asked for any personal info from Paypal since I joined and I have been buying and selling for a number of years. Don't give anyone your personal info anytime no matter how legit they appear. That goes for the phone as well as the Internet.

I'm not sure whether this is a scam or not. But if the individual (or company) involved is based in the US or involves a citizen of the US, then this new Internal Revenue Service requirement may apply and may be the reason for such inquiries:

https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/m..._us/IRS6050W

Thanks everyone for your replies.
First, let me say that I never,never,never answer or even open any emails from Paypal,My Bank or any other similar institution where I have an account because I know it's not legit. They get deleted immediately.
The problem I had here was AFTER I logged in to my account. A page came up asking me to give details of my address,Date of Birth etc and I did so. But the page was not accepted. I treid again, giving the same info that is in my Paypal Profile, again it was not accepted.
The third time I tried they asked for more info, the copies of documents to prove my identity and address.
It is impossible to email Paypal, even though they say you can, because all replies are automated [like ebay] and I often wonder why they bother with it.
But I did email them..........and I got........AN AUTOMATED REPLY !

I have just opened the link from wt1 and this appears to be similar to what they were writing about after I logged in, but wt1's page is much more thoroughly explained.
My Paypal account is in Luxembourg [European Office] and the total amount one can receive in payments is tiny compared to the figure in the USA...or this may just be Great Britain. Unless I phone I have no way of finding out, and I find that rather annoying in this day and age. [I will need to spend an hour listening to music I don't like and waste a lunch break or take ½day off work....Grrrrr!].
But I will not be able to buy or sell anymore if I do nothing...and so it looks like a long process is about to begin.

Extremely frustrating and more than a little sad. I just don't understand why Paypal cannot be more open and honest instaed of leading me around the garden path with forms they were never going to accept.



Here is the page that comes up on my screen after Log-in. Once I click on 'Resolution Centre' [4th from bottom line] I get the form to fill in. That form is not accepted even though it is correct and as normal.

.......................................................

PayPal is constantly working to ensure security by regularly screening the accounts in our system. We recently reviewed your account, and we need more information to help us provide you with a secure service. We would like to return your account to regular standing as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


16 May 2012: You have received £1,650 or more in total payments to your PayPal account in this calendar year and are therefore approaching our annual receiving limit of £1,900. PayPal is required by law to comply with European Union Anti-Money Laundering regulations by collecting information from customers when they receive more than £1,900 in total payments within a calendar year. Please go to the Resolution Centre for more information on what you need to do.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



How can I return my account to regular standing?



It's usually quite straightforward to take care of these things. Most of the time, we just need some more information about your account or latest transactions.

To help us resolve this issue, please visit the Resolution Centre.

We'll review the information you provide and email you if we need more details.


Once you have completed all the checklist items, your case will be reviewed by one of our Account Specialists. We will send you an email with the outcome of the review.

..........................................................

Londonbus1

My Paypal account has now been frozen and so far there is no reply from them with answers to my questions and I can do nothing.

If anyone is in the process of sending me a payment, please hold off doing so as I cannot get to my account.

Thank you

Londonbus1

Something does not sound right...why would Paypal harass customers ? The amount you stated is not very much compared to some European dealers my wife buys from that take in thousands of Euros a week ...they are making money off us..why give us grief ???

Michael, it looks like you're not alone. Google "european union anti-money laundering regulations paypal" and you'll see a host of others who have encountered the same problem.

Not only does it look like I am not alone, it looks like I am up the creek without a paddle.
A few days ago I transferred money to my Bank Account from Paypal but they have retreived that money without permission. It is now back in my Paypal account. It means over £350 [$550] is sitting there and I can do nothing.
I have had to cancel bids at ebay and have written to ebay to tell them that my Paypal account is frozen so I cannot pay ! [That should have them scratching Their heads !]

My problem is that Paypal are asking for something I cannot give them and without it, my account will remain frozen.
So catch 22.
And all the time they are using my money for their own ends....very clever [This is being discussed eleswhere on the net and is the suggested reason for all this hassle].
But apparently, it has been going on for years.

No more buying or selling for me. Now I have to give stamps away too !

And there is nothing I can do.

The funny thing is, I can still receive money ...and I can still advertise Paypal on my auction listings

That's what they are telling me !! Why would I carry on selling or listing and receiving money when I can't use it ?
Do they think all their customers came from the Banana Boat ?
Really !

However, I can still give refunds, so if the problems are not solved, and at this point I cannot see a solution, I will refund all monies paid for sales aor auctions.

I hope it doesn't come to this.

Londonbus1

How horrible! How much of this world is left to live?

LB is it worth opening another pay pal account.

With an ebay user name more than one pay pal account can be used.
Can you open an account outside of Europe?

But only one email address can be used per user name.