Phone Verification - dumbest thing I've seen in a while

[tdietrich67]

So I've read some threads about being international and trying to use paypal.  Although I think Paypal needs to update their ability to service citizens of the world my situation is so dumb that it boggles the mind.

I have a home in the US, I have a bank account in the US.  I also live in Spain and my cell phone has a Spanish phone number.  I'm simply on Ebay trying to purchase something for my house there in the US.  Use my bank in the US and send to my house in the US.  However when I go to purchase paypal brings up a verification box (why?  I'm logged on with my user and password why the **bleep** do you need my phone?) and in that box I can't put my number in Spain there.  Why not just "send a verification code to email address"?   What if I'm a person that doesn't like phones and literally don't have a phone?  Or what if I only have a landline but am trying to work away from home and I'm not there to receive their calls? (that apparently go through a third party who doesn't claim to do calls to landlines.. smh) 

This is so dumb it's painful. 

[kernowlass]

@tdietrich67

Paypal is country specific so if you move country you have to open another paypal account in that country and add an address / phone number / and bank accounts from within that country.

If you are returning to your orginal country then you are allowed to keep a separate paypal account in that country as well. So you can have one in Spain and U.S

The only exception is U.S users can add their bank accounts to other countries paypal accounts.

[tdietrich67]

Ah but here's the thing.  I haven't moved.  As far as anyone is concerned I live in the states... have a US address...  I have a US bank account (a few actually)...  My phone at the moment is just a number in Spain.  One does not MOVE ABROAD just because one does not have a US phone number that is accessible.  My land line is back at the house in the US and the phone I have here is a cell of Spanish origin.  So although I get your argument that you have to live in the country you are using it in, I AM technically trying to use it in the country that it is in.  I'm even having the item on ebay sent to a US address.  The only thing that is not US is my cell phone.  Again... this is extremely stupid.  It's like I don't exist unless I have a cell phone. 

[kernowlass]

@tdietrich67

Well can't say its an argument, i am just giving you the facts.

Its no different than someone going away on holiday and using their paypal account in another country, paypal often limits the account as their security indicators are presuming that persons paypal account has been hijacked and used in another country. Then they have the hassle of trying to prove its them to get the account unlimited.

The fact is you can't use a country specific paypal account in another country.

[Jennifer68Mary]

Hello Mr.confused and discouraged,I think I am going through something similar! I just set up my PayPal account 2days ago so I am setting everything up and when it came to confirm and verify your primary phone #  so I enter to confirm and they were sending me a code to verify,I waited &waited,NO CODE! I decide to give them a call,(keep in mind I am calling on the same device as my PayPal account). I tell her what happened and then she asked me for my service provider and I said"excuse me"?

She says that maybe my mobile #isnt working or its not on a plan that accepts text messages(this is because they send the code via text. I am confused and insulted because I had just finished telling her that I was on the same device as my account and my mobile service for texts and calls arerecieved and sent! Huh???? What's wrong with the representatives over there?

Then she ends conversation leaving me dazed and confused because her last guess was that they send the code from a mobile # with just 6 digits!!! I always thought mobile has 10 digits She said she put in a request as to what's going on! Last but not least,she said without confirming a mobile # the limit of withdrawel is $1000.00

So how confused are you now? Reply to me if you like.

[PayPal_Donna]

Hi Jennifer68Mary,

Welcome to the PayPal community. I am sorry for the negative experience you are having confirming your PayPal account. Are you setting up the account in the same country you are residing in? If so, can you try completing the steps in the following link to see if this is successful: goo.gl/LznBXa ?

Donna

[tdietrich67]

Well that's annoying too Jennifer68Mary.  Although your situation just sounds like they are having a glitch in their system and it's not sending you the code.  I'm not having an issue with their system not sending it.  I am just trying to use my US paypal account that's connected to a US bank account to purchase an item in the US, and have it sent to a US address.  The only thing that isn't in their scenario is that I am not at my landline in the US to receive a call and the cell phone I'm using is registered in Spain.  The only thing in this scenario that isn't US is my cell phone and this deems me a risk for purchasing.  Not impressed in the slightest.  I have found a way around them and will continue to do things without their product. 

[PayPal_Donna]

Hi Tdietrich67,

Thank you for sharing that. I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused you. PayPal is designed to work specifically from the country the account is registered in. This may be why you are running into this problem. 

You can also call our customer care department. You can do this by clicking on the Contact Us link at the bottom of every PayPal page, and follow the on-screen instructions. We can check some account details with you and help you further  –Donna

[tdietrich67]

Paypal_Donna,

Thanks for the same reply over and over again.  However let me break it down once again.

I have a house in the United States.

I pay taxes in the United States.
I am a citizen of the United States.

I get mail in a mailbox in the United States.
I have a bank account in the United States.
I have a LANDLINE in the United States.
I am currently in Spain and therefore have a cell phone in Spain.

I was ordering an item online that is located in the United States.

To be sent to an address in the United States.
Using a bank account in the United States.

Because of your antiquated way of "verifying" I was unable to do this because I am not at my house in the United States to receive a phone call on my landline.

That's it.  That is the only thing stopping me.  Maybe you can update other ways of verifying people that do not ALWAYS include a telephone.  There are other options.  Just suggesting you get your IT department out of the dark ages and maybe people like me won't find other ways to do business. 

[pelian]

These are those moments where we all realize how **bleep** this company is. Paypal's antiquated method of verification and e-mail payment will likely make them completely irrelevant within a decade as better things arrive (*ahem* cryptocurrencies + TEE + biometrics). @tdietrich67 I am in a similar situation as you, it appears that Paypal still does NOT comprehend the difference between being a "resident" domiciled in a foreign country vs traveling frequently and needing to "verify" ones identity for security purposes (easily) to access your [local] account. SEPARATE ISSUES! Why that is the case is beyond me...? For those Paypal partners @PayPal_Donna who still [hopefully] care about making this service better ... please escalate this issue to your software engineers and whoever can actually make a decision around there. This problem has been around for A VERY LONG TIME.

So here is the long annoying workaround to "verify" that you are who you are when you are traveling and need to check or manage your account:

Step 1) Setup Google Voice and get a local number there.

Step 2) Add the Google Voice number to your phone numbers in your Paypal account.

Step 3) Open a Skype account and purchase a Skype number (no need for a plan but you need that number)

Step 4) Add Skype Number to your phone numbers in Paypal account.

Step 4) Forward your Google Number to Skype Number (more on why below)

Step 5) Forward your Skype Number to your International Number you are currently using abroad (changes frequently aka SIM swapper)

OK, why do you need all that hassle just to verify yourself?

1) Why a Google Number? Here you will be able to receive voicemail (transcripts to your email) and most importantly RECEIVE SMS texts on a single number! (Skype does not) This doesn't directly apply to Paypal (they ask to punch in a 4-digit number now) but a lot of other services will send SMS verification codes and it is a lifesaver.

2) Why the Skype Number? Skype allows you to forward calls to an international number while Google Voice does not. As mentioned Skype also does not allow for receiving SMS (you can send but not receive).

@tdietrich67 hopefully that helps as a workaround for the time being. Honestly, I truly wish there was a better way. Unfortunately, having watched this issue float around here for years I firmly believe this will never properly be brought to the attention of anyone @PayPal_Donna (please do something!). On the bright side, I'm very much looking forward to the expansion of cryptocurrencies + trusted execution environments + biometrics which will all be ubiquitous on mobile devices within the next few years so we don't have to deal with these issues in the future.