Account Limited. Then PayPal says it's closed and is holding my money for 180 days!

[mreentalsperu]

I made the mistake of opening an account while I was in Peru.  I technically live in three countries at various times throughout the year - so, on a trip to Peru I decided why not.  They have Interbank and apparently I can connect this new PayPal account to Interbank.  Fast forward a year, and I have accepted some payments for good sold.  I have a balance of $3800 and change.   I went to link the PayPal account to Interbank (on PayPal) and it redirects to a broken link.  Awesome.  I then noticed that it says I can link to a US account.  So I try and link to the US account and I get "Can't complete request.  Please try again later".  Awesome.  I then tried to xfer 3000 out of the account to another PayPal account and saw that PayPal was going to take $140, so I canceled that.  Since that point, PayPal has asked for Passport, Bank Statement, etc.  Numerous times.  I added a credit card.  Still can't access my funds.

Now they send me an email telling me that they are closing my account and will hold my money for 180 days!!

I have had a four day email thread, calls to PayPal and now I'm told to email <removed>

I have never experienced such a broken financial services organization.  I'm a customer, and I cannot access my funds.  This is not a good thing.

HOW DO I GET MY MONEY???

[sharpiemarker]

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@mreentalsperu wrote:

I made the mistake of opening an account while I was in Peru.  I technically live in three countries at various times throughout the year - so, on a trip to Peru I decided why not.  They have Interbank and apparently I can connect this new PayPal account to Interbank.  Fast forward a year, and I have accepted some payments for good sold.  I have a balance of $3800 and change.   I went to link the PayPal account to Interbank (on PayPal) and it redirects to a broken link.  Awesome.  I then noticed that it says I can link to a US account.  So I try and link to the US account and I get "Can't complete request.  Please try again later".  Awesome.  I then tried to xfer 3000 out of the account to another PayPal account and saw that PayPal was going to take $140, so I canceled that.  Since that point, PayPal has asked for Passport, Bank Statement, etc.  Numerous times.  I added a credit card.  Still can't access my funds.

Now they send me an email telling me that they are closing my account and will hold my money for 180 days!!

I have had a four day email thread, calls to PayPal and now I'm told to email <removed>

I have never experienced such a broken financial services organization.  I'm a customer, and I cannot access my funds.  This is not a good thing.

HOW DO I GET MY MONEY???

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The actions you took with your Peru account is suspicious and highly risky to PayPal's security system. It is advisable not to transfer money between different intl accounts you have. PayPal is country specific. I can see why they decided to close your account. You have to wait 180 days in order to withdraw and even then you have to add a local bank account to it to do so. You knew you can link Interbank with this PayPal Account but you didn't and so a year later it no longer worked to link with Interbank so all you needed to link with a different local bank that PayPal accepts, even if you have to open a new bank account.

I don't know how some users can walk around with a PayPal Account sometimes, heheh. Seriously, there are banking laws, money laundering laws and certain behavior that gets programmed into security systems and people think they can just do whatever to and with their PayPal account. PayPal accounts are no joke and are a real financial tool, you can't just do whatever with it. If you louse up your record, forgettaboutit.

Trying to link with US bank and if that don't work, then local bank, if that fails, try to transfer internationally between accounts. No way. No tgoing to happen. This is nothing personal you understand. I just see so much behavior like this and people get mad at PayPal and it exasperates me and I'm sure other advisors on here as well. So yes, your money will be there to cover any disputes/refunds as a result of the money on hold until 180 days. Any left over you can withdraw at that time.

[mreentalsperu]

Unfortunately that's not a great answer. Security for a financial platform like PayPal cannot be based solely on assumptions. Security needs to be validated based on facts. There is no documentation anywhere that says "a paypal user cannot xfer between international accounts". Nor does it state anywhere that PayPal has the right to hold MY money for 180 days. Given I have verified my identity and address, your response and reasons (whether true or assumptions) are illogical. Look, PayPal needs to investigate and identify what specifically causes them concern and convey it and help their CUSTOMER access their funds. Banks would not be able to get away with holding funds for 6 months. I'm a law abiding citizen who is simply trying to access my money. Also, it should be pointed out that there are problems with PayPal's platform. Specifically: 1) It states LINK US BANK ACCOUNT. This is not possible. I have tried. 2) Link Interbank account. Well, the link (on PayPal's) site is not valid. And I'm told from Interbank that this is no longer an option. Where is my option to have a CHEQUE mailed to me?????? Or is this simply a ploy for PayPal to earn interest on my funds. Technically they should be paying me interest in my money if they are not willing to release it for 6 months. Unacceptable.

[sharpiemarker · Accepted solution]

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@mreentalsperu wrote:
Unfortunately that's not a great answer. Security for a financial platform like PayPal cannot be based solely on assumptions. Security needs to be validated based on facts. There is no documentation anywhere that says "a paypal user cannot xfer between international accounts". Nor does it state anywhere that PayPal has the right to hold MY money for 180 days. Given I have verified my identity and address, your response and reasons (whether true or assumptions) are illogical. Look, PayPal needs to investigate and identify what specifically causes them concern and convey it and help their CUSTOMER access their funds. Banks would not be able to get away with holding funds for 6 months. I'm a law abiding citizen who is simply trying to access my money. Also, it should be pointed out that there are problems with PayPal's platform. Specifically: 1) It states LINK US BANK ACCOUNT. This is not possible. I have tried. 2) Link Interbank account. Well, the link (on PayPal's) site is not valid. And I'm told from Interbank that this is no longer an option. Where is my option to have a CHEQUE mailed to me?????? Or is this simply a ploy for PayPal to earn interest on my funds. Technically they should be paying me interest in my money if they are not willing to release it for 6 months. Unacceptable.

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I know it's not what you want to hear but it is the truth and it's how the PayPal security system works and it is based in part of their own user agreement. The system is computerized. It has no emotion or a way to decipher the intentions in your mind but the actions you took tripped PayPal's security system. They made the decision to close your account and to withdraw your money in 180 days if the senders haven't disputed any of the money and refunded; that is why PayPal holds the money for so long, in case your senders file disputes to get their money back. I think they already made the investigation. You are free to call customer service and discuss it with them. Click "Help" at the top menu, then scroll down and click "Contact Us" and then select the phone option.  No one here has access to your account to assist in fixing it as we are all PayPal users here. No customer service agents lurk here. And the 180 days wait when you violate their acceptable use policy is in accordance to that policy when you signed up. Not all features are available in all territories. What you see available in your Peru account is what's is available. Not all PayPal accounts are equal. They are country specific and certain services, features and options may not be available because of different banking laws or regulations, agreements. 

[mreentalsperu]

I have called PayPal and how now wasted hours on this issue. After 64 minutes talking with people that clearly have no idea or connections to resolve this, I was told to send a message to complianceverifications. It's hard for me to believe that a multi billion dollar company like PayPal forces someone to use email. But given how atrocious their automated security systems are, why should I be surprised. Sorry this is a prime example of how AI is not enough. I will not let this go and I will not wait 180 days to access my funds. If I need to bring this to the attention of the media and put some focus on the RISKS of using PayPal; or file a lawsuit I will do so.

[SSSSSS1]

Hi there, and I hope all are well,

I have a limited account with PayPal and they told me that I will be able to withdrawal the balance after 180 days. My question is :

I do not have a US Bank account; however, my friend has a US Bank account. Can PayPal allow me to withdraw my PayPal  to his a US Bank account after 180 days?

Please note that the name and the address of the US Bank account holder (my friend) is totally different from the name and address  of the PayPal account holder (which is me).

I hope someone who is good in these matters can answer my question.

[lisanicola87]

I have sold my old phone on eBay, the buyer has received the phone and is very happy with it and has even left me a review.

PayPal have terminated my account and told me that my money will be available in 180 days!!

They have no legal basis to keep my money as it is not theirs. I sold my property, the buyer paid the money into my PayPal account and the money was put on hold until the purchase had been confirmed, which is fine.

However, the buyer has confirmed the purchase and therefore the money that PayPal is holding is now legally mine but they are saying I cannot have it for 180 days.

They have closed my account due to what they say is risk, however, there is absolutely no risk whatsoever as the buyer has received the phone and confirmed everything is ok and has even left me a positive review on my eBay account.

I have contacted them twice and they have failed to respond to me.

PayPal are nothing but criminals and they need to be stopped!!

[Nick510]

My account is closed for 180 days I do not know why I did not do nothing wrong I cannot contact customer service or live agent because Of the coronavirus everything is closed I lived you an email and emails they sent me is it automated system and not getting the correct answers I need my money I have no money and I can’t believe I’m being so missed treated for 180 days when am I supposed to do by time the 180 days expire they canceled my account I cannot withdraw I cannot transfer I cannot send money to no one I need help ASAP what can I do to contact PayPal live agent do from the coronavirus

[Temp20221222L]

Why do all of the customer service people that we speak to only talking circles that's all you're doing is talking in one big circle you're not solving anything you're not even trying to you're hiding behind a privacy policy that is ridiculous I don't understand how this can make any sense to anyone that has any kind of education. What I don't understand is how you can hold funds for 180 days and say that they're suspicious activity going on in people's accounts that is not suspicious at all it's things that they have been doing for probably years. My account was not new and it was placed on what you call limited access and I was asked to verify my identity with several documents that I did provide every single time I was asked and after my documents were received my account was closed. Due to what you said look like fraudulent activity that's crazy I had my unemployment money direct deposited into my PayPal account and I then would transfer it to my bank all of which were in my name the unemployment funds the PayPal account and the account that I was transferring it to I had been doing this for 4 months and everything was fine until one day PayPal security decided that it looked like suspicious activity and put a limited access on my account and needed me to verify my identity which I did and then my account was closed. There is no logical explanation that you can give me because none of this is logical none of this makes any sense and all you're going to do I already know is talking circles. There is no solution to this because it should not be done there is a problem with your security if it is continuing to do this and flag things that they say are suspicious activities when in all reality it's just people using PayPal instead of putting their bank accounts online where they are not secure that's what PayPal is supposed to be for. But I'm sure you're going to give me some BS about how your privacy policy states this and that but I don't give a damn about your privacy policy because I didn't violate your privacy policy and neither did these people it would be violating if it was suspicious or fraudulent activity or money laundering or something of that nature but it's not it clearly is not it obviously is not this is a way for you to collect interest on everyone's money and then probably still not release it to these people for whatever reason you have not to after the 180 day. So say whatever you will talk in your circles but I'm contacting a lawyer about this and I promise you I will get more then what you were withholding for me now it would have been a lot better for you guys just to pay us our money because I'm sure I'm not the only one. I have to use PayPal for years I have highly recommended it to a lot of people my family my friends my coworkers and I'm so disappointed because I feel like you have let a lot of people down and you should be ashamed of yourselves

[Temp20221222L]

I had my unemployment funds direct deposited to my account and my name was on the unemployment funds that were successfully deposited in the paypal account for almost 4 months. Then one day paypal says that my account has been limited due to suspicious activity on my account. I would always transfer the funds to the same account that also was in my name that was on my unemployment direct deposit and also my name that was on my PayPal account so what was so suspicious about the activity? My problem with this is the fact that for 4 months they did not find it suspicious and then all of the sudden one day they decide to freeze my account and ask me to provide identity with bank statements my driver's license also proof of my address and several other documents that I provided every single time they asked. But then after I provided said documents they decided to close my account and freeze my funds for 180 days. How is this legal? This is crazy I did everything I was asked and then they closed my account due to suspicious activity that looks like fraudulent activity how is that even making any kind of sense to these people? I am not disregarding anyone that uses accounts overseas or anyone that is using their PayPal account to buy or sell items but that is not what I was using my PayPal account for so why are they holding my funds waiting for them to clear just in case there are disputes or anything like that coming up? That doesn't make any sense because I was depositing my unemployment funds into this account this is not something that could be disputed this is not something that was unnormal irregular or suspicious at all. So I can sort of kind of understand how they could put the funds on hold for a period of time if it was for an item that I was selling or if it was some kind of Bank outside of the US because of the different banking walls or if I was transferring money to an account that wasn't in my name or I was doing activity that wasn't normal and that I hadn't been doing for 4 months already but what I don't understand is how all of a sudden they can just freeze my account for no reason and say that it's for suspicious activity that is ridiculous to me I will never use PayPal again I used to swear by it and I would recommend it to everyone I have used it for years and have loved it up until they started this bull crap this is crazy really just that's all I have to say is this is crazy and I'm so disappointed. I will contact my attorney and have something done about this. The answers and solutions from the PayPal Representatives are customer service are not acceptable because there is no acceptable answer or solution to this what they say is ridiculous and doesn't make any sense all they do is talk in circles and just tell you there's nothing you can do and they're not releasing your funds and you can withdraw your funds after 180 days which is also a lie there is no rhyme or reason as to why this is happening to so many people