Unrecognised account - received inactivity fee letter

[classicmachine]

Hi,

I received a hard copy letter from PayPal today (dated 23rd November, received 5th December) giving me notice that a PayPal account apparently registered to me has been inactive for the last 12 months and is now subject to a service fee. Although I cannot see the full email address I certainly have never had one starting with those letters, nor an account with an email provider beginning with gmx. Also, I know for an absolute fact that I have only ever had one PayPal account, which is still very much active and used almost daily.

Although it says the account is inactive I am now concerned that someone has fraudulently set up an account using my credentials. I am not worried about the inactive service fee. What advice would you give me to have this investigated? Clearly I cannot login to the account as I don't have the full credentials.

I welcome all suggestions.

Thanks.

[linz550]

I have also received this letter and although I do have an account starting with the initial letters of the hidden e-mail address it is in frequent use.  The second part of the e-mail address however (after the @) is not one that I have ever used, so I am also concerned that someone is using my details as the letter has been addressed correctly.

[classicmachine]

Frustratingly, PayPal can't help me. Their advice is to go to the police and report it as a case of identity fraud. 

This was their first response: "we would advice you to contact the police and report identity fraud. If this letter has come in your name regarding a PayPal account with a negative balance and it is not you you will have to report it to the police. To set up a PayPal account the user must link and confirm a bank in your name so you would also need to contact your bank as whoever set up the account has access to your banking information".  

But having raised my blood pressure even higher by mentioning it being linked to my bank account, the advice dried up. They are unable to access the account if I don't know the login details, therefore are unable to tell me details of any transactions, or whether the account is in credit, or when it was last used, or even the last four digits of the linked bank account. Yet they managed to write me a letter saying they will charge £9 if it remains inactive.

I really do have my doubts that the police will take any interest in this, besides which the nearest station is manned part time by a teenager. Unimpressed, to say the least.

[classicmachine]

To confuse the issue further I just received this message from the PayPal Message Centre. I was asked to take a photo of the letter and post it.

"Thank you - that's the letter I was talking about -- no concerns - there's nothing wrong with these accounts, it's only dormant.

If you don't recognize the email, please disregard."

So, having been told I am a victim of identity theft and must go to the police, I am now being told (in the same chat, but by a different rep) that there's nothing to worry about.

I'm feeling less than confident about their advice . . .

[linz550]

I've had various replies, ranging from I must have set it up and forgot about it to it's OK if it's not you then you won't get charged.  I have asked them to close the account but they say they can't without the e-mail details can I give them those to which I point out yet again that it's not my e-mail and never has been.  I have told them that they are allowing fraud to happen by letting someone have an account with my address details but that doesn't seem to compute or matter.

[classicmachine]

How frustrating! I'm a filmmaker by profession - I'm very tempted to put something together for YouTube (or Watchdog!)

While writing this I have received another support message from PayPal (again, a different person):

"If for any reason at all you believe your bank or cards have been compromised then yes report it right away to the concerned party Ian. These letters are sent out in relation to account that may even have been created over 20 years ago even if only by mistake or even if only just used that very one time."

More conflicting advice. As I explained to them before, I am not aware of any fraudulent transactions. But that's not the point! The fact that someone has had access to my bank details in order to create an account is surely fraud in itself! Having taken advice from a friend who recently retired from banking, it seems that if I report this to the police and my bank as potential identity theft, it will mean all my bank accounts will be frozen, as will my PP account (which I use for my online business).