Hi @Al_Masters,
Thank you for making your first post in the Community Forum, and welcome! I'm sorry to hear of the frustration you're experiencing. I may not have the answer that you're specifically looking to hear, but I do have some information to help clarify the situation.
A name on a PayPal account may not be changed from a fictitious name to a real name. This is because an account may not change hands between one person and another, and PayPal has no way to know whether the original name is fictitious or real. Accounts made under a fictitious name are typically limited, as all information used to open an account must be accurate and representative of the person opening the account. False information will result in a limitation, due to the violation of the User Agreement and the inability to confirm identity. If there are funds on a limited account under a fictitious name, they may be difficult to retrieve, as there would not be a withdrawal method that matches that name. If you can contact Customer service to explain the situation and authorize some refunds to people who've sent you payments, they may be able to pay you again through other means, but this may not be possible if the account is not recent.
An owner of a limited account may not open or use another PayPal account without the authorization of PayPal. If you have a limited account and you open another account, you risk permanent limitation of both accounts due to circumvention of the original limitation. For more information about restricted activities, please review the PayPal User Agreement, which can be found by clicking Legal at the bottom of the PayPal website.
I recommend contacting Customer Service and explaining the situation, and requesting guidance. Given the violations, the pool of solutions will be limited, but if there are any to be had, they will involve account-specific assistance, which is not possible through the Community Forum. You can find your contact options by clicking Contact at the bottom of the PayPal website. Alternatively, you can PM on Facebook or DM on Twitter instead of those options. If you have already contacted Customer Service and they have exhausted the options for you, there would be no further recourse for you through PayPal.
I hope there's a resolution for you!
Olivia
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