No Mobile Phone

Choreo
New Community Member

I keep getting emails from PayPal asking me to add/verify my Mobile Phone Number (sending me a code). I do not own a Mobile Phone. I have had the same land-line phone number for over 45 years, but I guess they "assume" that everyone now has a digital ball & chain connected to them.

 

Do I really need to go out and buy a mobile phone and sign a service contract to have a PayPal account now???

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139 REPLIES 139

Anonymous_User
Not applicable

I don't have a mobile phone either (anymore - I had one from 1998 to 2005). I quit out of disgust and on principle.

I refuse to yield my though processes to interruptions (I don't want to be reachable!), and my movements to scrutiny, and my cells to modulated microwaves. I consider having that right. There is no legal requirement for anyone to have a mobile phone.

So far, there are landlines (VoIP and POTS) everywhere I ever go so whatever.

 

What I'll probably do is mount a FONA https://www.adafruit.com/product/2691 with external antenna to the side of my workshop, access it

over our LAN and power it up whenever I need to receive an SMS, like the ones PayPal sends. I think that beats their data-gathering goals and still does not cut me off from the service. And if that doesn't work, well most places will take my credit card directly.. A little less convencience never killed anyone. ;_)

 

 

 

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llizzie
Contributor
Contributor

I have no mobile phone: never have one.  I am disabled and housebound and using a mobile phone would create difficulties but pay pal kept insisting I put a mobile phone number so I could log on.  I pay my carer via pay pal.  My daughter agreed for me to use her mobile number, which I did and was able to log on for a while, but now they are asking for the code which they sent to my daughter's phone.  They will not accept the code and today sent my daughter another one and they won't accept that number either.  I was desperate because I could not pay my carer and I have no other means of paying except by cheque.  In desperation I opened up another tab for pay pal and I got to my account right away and was able to send money.  I am registered disabled and received DLA since 1992.  I come under the umbrella of the Disability Discrimination Act and it is illegal for any company to refuse to give me the same service they give able bodied people.  

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mikeeminnows
Member
Member

Same here. I'm disabled and cannot use a mobile.  PayPal is discriminating against people who cannot use a mobile.  So it's bye bye PayPal.

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llizzie
Contributor
Contributor

I sympathise with you. I cannot go out and all the things I need have to be delivered or posted. I can only buy online and although I can use my credit card with Amazon etc., it is convenient for me to pay my carer by paypal which is very convenient for me.

 

What I cannot work out with pay pal is that they  kept on at me so long to provide a mobile number.  Everyone else is content with a land line, so I asked my daughter if I could use her mobile.  I have my daughter's mobile number on patient access to repeat prescriptions and there has never been a problem.  She said I could use her number on paypal but the code they send her I cannot use, for some reason.  Perhaps the code is attached to her email and cannot be used for mine, because each time I try it is denied.  They send a new code number to her, she passes it to me but I still cannot use it to log in.  I do not believe the box which says something about new regulations requiring it.  Those regulations must have been cooked up by  pay pal.  I have had my pay pal account since 2006.  The bank account and credit card is the same, and has been since 1985 and at this address since 1986 so they know everything about me.  I can shop on Amazon with my credit card, but if I cannot use pay pal then I cannot shop on ebay or facebook, so I suppose my choice of place to spend my pension is diminished, and it should not be right that disabled people do not have a choice.

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wise_fun_civili
Contributor
Contributor
paypal can use landline and email to confirm identity no reason to exclude ppl who do not have a cellphone ppl could just use paypal for an online business from home and dont want or need or maybe have extra money for another phone but are trying to setup an online business payment while only having a landline
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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

HBone
New Community Member

I too don't own a mobile.   People don't for all sorts of reasons.   I don't want to buy one just to please PP.   There are ways around having to enter a mobile number on most sites.   Even if I owned a mobile I wouldn't trust PP enough to give it them.   After weeks of trying to find out how to get around this two step verification problem I have finally had an answer that appears to work.  I am sure previously they told me to download the VIP app and then log into PP and go to "settings" and then into "security" and then into "two step set up" which did not work as it brought up a QR code and there is nowhere on the VIP app to put that or on PP.  I sent dozens of screen shots to prove this and was repeatedly told to do the same thing!   I even had an IT expert try to do it for me to no avail.   Anyway, tonight they have sent me different instructions.  I suggest copying and pasting into a word doc and following to the letter using the links.  I think step 3 is the crucial step.  You don't need to go into Settings, Security, Two step, you need to just click on that link after downloading VIP.  I then logged off PP and back on again and just had to enter the six figure code that was currently shown on the VIP box.   Note the code only stays there for 30 seconds. Hope this helps any other dinosaurs who don't want to be bullied into buying a mobile.   

  1. Go to vip.symantec.com and click Download.
  2. Select 'Windows' or 'Mac' / iOS or Android and install the VIP Access app on your computer.

3.Go to www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_setup-security-key and login to your PayPal account.

  1. Click Activate under 'Security Key'.
  2. Open the Symantec VIP Access app on your desktop and obtain the Credential ID and Security Code*.
  3. Enter the credential ID from the Symantec app into the 'Serial number' box in your PayPal account.
  4. Enter the security code from the app into the '6-digit code' top box in your PayPal account.
  5. Wait 30 seconds and enter the new security code from the app into the '6-digit code' lower box in your PayPal account.
  6. Click Activate.

 

If successful, the next time you'll log in to your PayPal account, we'll ask you for the Symantec VIP Security Code after you'll enter your PayPal password.

 

The Symantec VIP Access Security Code changes every 30 seconds (you can see a 30-second countdown timer next to the Security Code).

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JAJ47
Contributor
Contributor

PayPal has verified my existence just fine for years without me having a mobile phone.  At a distance, email works just fine.  Most security problems I hear about have to do with mobile phones.  I have never needed immediate contact directly with PayPal.  Twice over the years they called about odd account usage - live, a human person, quick call, instantly taken care of, on a landline.  That, I believe, is the problem.  They want no personal contact - that costs money.  Suddently, I can't get into my account online.  They do not want my business.

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jimiL
Contributor
Contributor

It certainly seems that way, your not alone, there's many people in the same boat https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/My-Account/Don-t-have-a-mobile-phone/td-p/1793956/page/3

 

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Even_Steven
Contributor
Contributor

I don't own a mobile phone. Paypal can email me if they need to verify my identity, phone my landline or send me a letter in the mail. That is 3 forms of verification, if that is not enough they can take a hike.

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