I've been using Paypal since 2012 and recently I purchased two products online that both needed to be refunded/returned due to being defective. Paypal automatically marked my account as suspicious and forced a Security Check on my payments. This would be fine, except there's a technical error when I try to enter my phone number. I enter the number and get the green checkmark, then when clicking Save to continue, it says "That phone number is not supported". It's the same phone number on my account for years, the same one I can login with, etc. I even updated the number using different formats in my account to match the exact format they use when entering the number - no luck.
I contacted support 3 times over phone and once over chat, and each gave me irrelevant solutions, such as forcing me to change my password, as well as three different responses:
a. Wait 24 hours and hope for the best, there's nothing I can do for you. I've reset your password and sent you a phone verification link (to the phone number that isn't supported, yet I got the link).
b. I see there's a risk on your account, I can't override it. Wait 72 hours and it might fix itself. I've reset your password and sent you a phone verification link (to the phone number that isn't supported, yet I got the link).
c. I see there's a risk on your account, I can override it. Wait 72 hours and it might fix itself, if it doesn't you'll need to stop using Paypal. I've reset your password and sent you a phone verification link (to the phone number that isn't supported, yet I got the link).
After waiting 72 hours, I still get the same error when trying to use my account. I saw online that there are supposed to be other options for the security check, such as e-mail verification, but the only option I'm ever presented with is phone. Then get the error message and can't continue.
I kept trying to explain to them the issue, including providing images in the chat - which they refused to review, but no one could understand that there was a technical issue with the security check not recognizing my phone number. Instead, they told me that I'll likely just need to move to Venmo or another payment delivery method. This is extremely frustrating, as I've been using Paypal frequently for the last ~10 years with no issues, until buying two products that arrived defective and had to be refunded.
If anyone has any clues as to how to get Paypal to actually assist, that'd be awesome.
I can log into my account from trusted devices, but not from Incognito browsers (they require the Security Check). Once logged in, I can see everything, but if I try to send a payment, I'm met with the Security Check that asks for my phone number and cannot continue due to the error message. I even tried downloading the App - to that phone that's not supported - and still get the Security Check asking for that phone number, which doesn't work.
(Phone number redacted for privacy)
I just tried to send a payment of $1.00, which worked. However, I can't send the full amount I'd like to send. I don't want to send the payment in numerous small payments, as that would likely further flag my account for suspicious activity. Additionally, I've researched my specific phone provider (Republic Wireless), which is apparently no longer a support provider for Paypal to allow. This is because there's a hidden primary number. I've found that, but the issue is that the hidden primary number can only receive calls and not texts. And my Security Check doesn't allow me to select an option to call, only text. So I still can't continue, even though I've found the source of the issue. And now because I've tried to send this payment 5+ times this morning, I'm locked out and can't attempt again.
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