concerned about giving out info

[UsukiDoll]

Hi. I wanted to add funds from my bank account, but I can't because it requires additional verification. First of all, there is no way that I will give out my personal information due to all the crazy internet things out there. I don't want to give out sensitive info due to security reasons. Although adding funds from a bank account takes 3-5 days, I prefer this method because I don't know any store that sells a Moneypak card. I'm steamed that this is happening! I never had any problems before this. -___-*
I want this fixed.

[HZS]

Hi guys,

I guess I should update my current status after a while.

In sum, there's two words can describe my current feeling: disappointed, and unsatisfied.

I called them several days before, explain my situation and why I couldn't provide my SSN or TAXID to them because I am not an US citizen.

The first question they ask me is: "Then how could you have an US bank account?"

Well, because I send my I-20 and Visa to those bank. I don't know a global, especially financial related company knows nothing about other bank's policy.

After that, their represents promise me to deliver the documents I faxed before (Again, I-20, VISA) to their verification team, and asks me to wait for few business days.

The representive who answers my call is polite, and listens to my complains, at least I am not being responded by an automatical telling machine. But it does not really help me to get rid of the limitation.

I got another mail 4 days before from their system again, telling me

"At this time, we are unable to lift the limitation as we still require the following: A copy of your social security card."

W T F, after their "veryfication," they are sending me exact the same answer?

Just couldn't believe how stupid the service is. From that automatically generated mail,
I  address none of the signs that they really know that my problems IS not "I am not willing to give my SSN",
but "I could not have them" because my VISA status.

Or maybe should I consider this as a policy discrimination for non-US citizen people who stay in USA, by limits their rights to use full function of their account? However PayPal agree people can have multiple accounts in different regions in their FAQ.

Even banks like Chase, BOA, Citibank could accept the combination of Passport, VISA, and I20 for foreign visitors who have to stay in the states and needs a normal checking/saving accounts. How could a global company like Paypal/eBay have such limited view on account verification policy?

Btw I keep receiving PayPal's auto-mail with "kindly notification" that asks me to offer my "SSN" over and over again.

They never know how well it hurts my feeings 🙂

[Pergolesi]

Same thing happened to me! I wanted to resolve this problem without giving my SSN so I sent e-mails. Either PayPal never replied or the emails were sequestered at my server as spam and at my email client as spam. So I called the help number. They told me that the law had changed and they COULD demand SSN. I refused to give it, but the helper said I could provide a Credit Card # or a Debit Card# and that would solve the problem. I am unble to find anywhere on the PP website where I can inpute a card number. At the same time they want a mailed bank statement as proof of address. Ever since I signed up for online banking the bank no longer sends me a bank statement in the mail. Since that is the only kind of mailing address proof they accept that is another unsurmountable problem right there. PayPal has just made it too hard to use as I once did and harder to get answers. I hoping some users will be able to help. 

If anyone knows how to input a card # into the PayPal account info, please tell me. Thanx. 

[perturbed]

This is way to intrusive for me. I will not be using PayPal if they must have SSN, driver's license, and proof of residence.

I have been using PayPal for years and only as a buyer. Now I can't add funds to my accout which makes it useless.

ebay will suffer as well as many sellers require the use of PayPal.

Good bye Pay Pal ...

[bbcpdx]

Has anyone who only uses Paypal to buy things gotten a straight answer to their new demands for verification?  I can see that they may have issues with sellers and reporting but why not limit receiving money and allow those of us who only want to buy to go on with the regular accounts?

[UsukiDoll]

Blame Congress, not paypal. I was on the phone with a guy yesterday and he said that the Patroit Act was revised last year and it required all sites like paypal to demand this type of sensitive information. 

[UsukiDoll]

OH! I forgot one more thing. Apparently, if you use a MoneyPak Debit Card or a Credit Card, you don't have to provide that information. However, MoneyPak Debit Cards require a person to have a credit history. Isn't that messed up. 

[bbcpdx]

In response to Andy's post about PayPal being required to collect massive amounts of information due to anti-terrorist and anti-moneylaundering laws, I agree that they're using those laws a the justification for collecting information from a lot of people they don't really need it from.

Those laws give organizations a great deal of leeway in determining what to do about accounts -- and they are particularly focused on accounts with large balances or large numbers of transactions. In reality, who could be laundering money with fewer than 20 transactions a year and less than a couple hundred dollars? That doesn't make sense.

PayPal may not care about the smaller customers who only wanted to be able to transfer a few dollars here and there without jumping through multiple hoops or paying a fortune to do it. We're not selling things or laundering money. And in a high percentage of cases the accounts are of long standing and already verified by a U.S. financial institution which did all of that verification and in most cases actually met us and got physical signatures from us.

It would be perfectly possible for PayPal to set some kind of transaction limit on these low level accounts and leave us alone unless we became a business (which I'll bet most of us are not) or started spending more money. If they're at all interested in keeping our business (on the theory that we might someday have more money), they should do that instead of demanding a lot of information which isn't strictly speaking necessary.  They have the power to decide.

When their competitors are looking for ways to make transactions easier, PayPal seems to be going out of its way to alienate a large section of its existing customer base.  And just by they way, the fact that the never seem to answer emails just adds fuel to the argument that they don't really care about these customers.

[dkolins]

My profile says "You haven't provided a tax ID number". Why do I need to supply a Tax ID Number? I don't sell that much on eBay. I am afraid to supply my Social Security Number.

[blsmtfm1955]

I have the same message on my account now and I don't know why I would have to provide a tax ID number when I live in a state that doesn't even collect sales tax, and I only made one sale of $10.50 and haven't even received any payment for it yet - thinking the person isn't following through with the purchase.

[us-atbay]

SO? WHERE IS THE ANSWER FROM PAYPAL ?  THIS STUFF STINKS.