Date Received: 2023-05-14
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/2023, I discovered at least {$650.00} in fraudulent transactions on my PayPal account, all from XXXX merchants, XXXX and XXXX. I rarely use PayPal anymore because I have had thousands of dollars stolen from me in this due to fraudulent XXXX charges for purchases " in-game. '' They have never refunded me a dollar of money from XXXX. I was shocked to receive {$460.00} in provisional credit from them. PayPal was not the only XXXX of my financial institutions where there was fraud. It was spread across every credit and debit card I owned starting in XX/XX/2023. I received a phone call last week from Paypal or a Paypal collection agency trying to collect a " debt '' of {$170.00} that I owed on my account. I was reasonably shocked since all of my fraudulent charges came via my PayPal debit card, and I had not even received a new card until XXXX and a XXXX weeks ago. I have not involved Paypal in any financial dealings since the massive fraud was committed. I went online and found that of the {$460.00} in provisional credit I was given, they had " reversed '' the refund of {$200.00}. No reason was given, and there is no way to appeal. I have attached a page showing that PayPal states " Refund Reversal '' and an amount. No other information, including the transaction date, company name, etc., is listed. After doing independent research, I realized all these charges were from XXXX. More alarming is that they still have XXXX XXXX cases OPEN, for which I was given provisional credit of {$250.00}. I have a funny feeling things are not going my way. Upon checking every dispute, I found {$55.00} ( all XXXX fraud ) that were summarily dismissed as " authorized transactions. '' I never received any credit for these items. I have received permanent acclaim for {$130.00}. {$82.00} of that amount comes from XXXX, where all transactions were taken to be fraudulent. Another {$48.00} comes from XXXX. Every claim, except for XXXX, is for amounts under {$4.00}. Strangely, many days are in common between the XXXX items that were dismissed, those initially given credit and then found to be authorized, and the outstanding matters. For example, on XX/XX/2023, an XXXX charge for {$2.00} was found unauthorized and refunded. And on XX/XX/2023, another XXXX charge for {$4.00} was similarly refunded. On XX/XX/2023, another fraudulent XXXX claim for {$16.00} was first reimbursed and then reversed on XX/XX/2023. Notice anything funny about this transaction besides, oh, maybe the amount of money in dispute. Also, all summarily dismissed claims happened on XX/XX/2023, and XX/XX/2023. I'm not sure how one can dismiss claims the day before and the day of my reporting of fraud. I have attached examples of the different types of emails received.
Company Response:
State: AZ
Zip: 85254
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-14
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: PayPal regularly commits purposeful theft of 100 % of all currency earned at all jobs done by all homeless people, as well as 100 % of all money earned online by all people who are XXXX, XXXX, or have XXXX, as well as some XXXX people and some people with XXXX, by illegally demanding " text message verification code '' before I can be paid for any job because PayPal has decided to steal and keep all of the currency I own forever, unless I somehow magically one day obtain access to " phone number '' that I " personally own '', in order to receive " text message verification code '', even though it is literally physically impossible for me to hold any cell phone that is connected to 5G service ( which appears to be the only type of cell phone service that currently exists for new cellular accounts ), even though it is impossible to pay for any " phone number '' of any kind because I am homeless, even though it is impossible to use " phone call '' at any point in time from any location because I am nonspeaking and therefore would never have any " phone number that I personally own '' even if I was a billionaire and also had the ability to physically hold a cell phone that is connected to 5G service, and even though it is literally impossible for me to be paid any of the currency that is currently in my PayPal account or any currency earned from the jobs that I typically do nonstop nearly 24/7 because the vast majority of websites that pay do not pay via any other place besides PayPal, and because no other possible method of obtaining payment, such as " check '' or " bank account '' is available to me. Additionally, it is LITERALLY ILLEGAL to prevent homeless people, nonspeaking people, people with XXXX, and also the several other Protected Classes that I am not a member of such as XXXX people and people with XXXX who can not hold 5G phone, from logging into or accessing PayPal account or spending the currency directly from the PayPal account, unless all hearing, speaking, nonhomeless people with no medical condition are also prevented from using any currency, in which case PayPal would of course be quickly shut down by government and all top executives arrested for their theft. Currently, PayPal is committing theft from me personally, and is also committing theft from all other homeless people, all other people with XXXX who can't hold 5G phones ( which is, of course, almost all of them ), and even all married people and all people who live with parents etc., since in addition to the illegal discrimination against me and thousands or more of other human beings, PayPal also even demands that you live alone otherwise you can not log in because " verification phone number '' also just be a phone number that " isn't not leeway used on another account '' even though there is generally one phone number for 5+ people who live in a house together unless you live alone!
Company Response:
State: IL
Zip: 60193
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-15
Issue: Communication tactics
Subissue: Called before 8am or after 9pm
Consumer Complaint: XXXX called me on two separate dates after XXXX. I work XXXX XXXX and both times I was already asleep and was woken up from their calls after reasonable hours. First on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX and second occasion on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 150XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-15
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-13
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Venmo has frozen my account. They insist that i send them bank statements including the bank linked to my account. I have done that and they continue to freeze the account asking for " A statement for the BANK that you were attempting to add on XX/XX/23. '' I frankly do not know what they are talking about but they claim for security. Since they didn't add this account and i have validated my identity and the correct funding account it is also irrelevant. Meantime, there is XXXX locked in the accoutn and it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to get a human on the phone to resolve this problem. Frankly, i would close the account and never do business with them again, but there are payments recipients that will only accept venmo. I am trying to get them to XXXX which at least has some customer service Anyway, it is fine that they want to validate my identity and my linked account - great - but now that's done and we are still going in circles related to a mysterious bank account which is not even linked to the venmo account anyway! there's no point other than to be difficult while they sit on the cash ( my mistake for not withdrawing every cent immediately which is my normal practice ).
Company Response:
State: MD
Zip: 21218
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-14
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX I paid {$40.00} via PayPal for 2 tickets to be sent to me via email. The seller said that a name change needed to be done on the tickets that would be {$10.00}. I asked for a screenshot for proof and they blocked my contact so that I cant contact them again. I have screenshots for proof.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28752
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-14
Issue: Wrong amount charged or received
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Consumer Financial Protection Bureau XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX Subject : Complaint Regarding PayPal Business Virtual Terminal Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing this letter to bring to your attention a significant issue I have encountered with PayPal Business Virtual Terminal. I believe that my recent experience with their service has been unfair and detrimental to my business operations, and I hope that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) can assist in addressing this matter. I opened an account with PayPal in XX/XX/XXXX, and prior to the XXXX pandemic, I had successfully utilized PayPal for numerous transactions without any complications. However, since setting up my company post-XXXX, I have encountered a series of problems that have severely impacted my ability to conduct business smoothly. As a seasonal company, we experience high transaction volumes during a specific period, spanning XXXX days from XXXX to XXXX each year. In order to accommodate this seasonality, I set my monthly transaction limit to {$50000.00}. To my dismay, after the first successful transaction in XX/XX/XXXX, my account has been repeatedly frozen for the past XXXX transactions. Despite providing all the necessary corporate credentials, including my XXXX number and banking information, I was informed by PayPal on XX/XX/XXXX, that " Once a client pays through Virtual Terminal, the merchant 's money would be held for up to XXXX business days. '' This sudden change in policy has placed an immense burden on my business operations. I have been unable to pay my drivers, and I currently have a line of clients eagerly awaiting my services for upcoming weddings and proms. The lack of a reliable payment processor has caused substantial inconvenience and financial loss to my business. What is particularly concerning is the lack of transparency on the Virtual Terminal itself regarding this policy change. Nowhere in the platform did I find any mention of each transaction being held for XXXX business days. Furthermore, PayPal continues to freeze transactions even when they are significantly below my designated monthly limit of {$50000.00}. In fact, the frozen transactions have amounted to less than 10 % of my maximum monthly transactions, which further highlights the arbitrary nature of their actions. I kindly request that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau thoroughly investigates this matter and takes appropriate action against PayPal. It is crucial to make other businesses aware of these unfair practices and the potential risks associated with using PayPal Business Virtual Terminal. I strongly urge the CFPB to publish my complaint to ensure that other merchants are informed about the hidden policies and potential disruptions that they may face when using PayPal. Moreover, I intend to report this issue to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ) to ensure that this matter is investigated from multiple angles and appropriate measures are taken to rectify the situation. There are no evidence as the transactions were either held and show completed, and a XXXX time courtesy release was granted. I kindly request that you acknowledge the receipt of this complaint and provide me with updates on the progress of your investigation. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I trust that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will take the necessary actions to address this issue and protect the interests of small businesses like mine. Yours sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX [
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 30078
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-14
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-13
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Problem making or receiving payments
Consumer Complaint: Date : XX/XX/2023 Issue : Account Limitation My account in Paypal is new but When I received 1 transaction my account was permanently limited.
Company Response:
State:
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-13
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Hello, My paypal business account has been permanently blocked without notice or justification. While my company is working seriously and I have provided the necessary evidence, including my bank statement ( attached ). I had a conversation just before the blocking with the customer service who told me that my request should be received favorably by XXXX. I hope to have a positive return concerning my request that I find legitimate considering the fact that my activity does not carry any risk. We deliver our customers as agreed in our XXXX and respect the conditions of use of the paypal platform. kind regards. Business information : XXXX XXXX PayPal Merchant ID : XXXX Name : XXXX XXXX phone number : XXXX XXXX mail : XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State:
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-13
Issue: Problem adding money
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX from my XXXX XXXX XXXX account ending in XXXX I transferred {$42.00} to my Venmo account XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ) The automated systems of XXXX provided me a transaction confirmation of XXXX I never received my funds, When I submitted a support incident I was advised that this was not their issue and that I needed to go back to XXXX which I did and XXXX confirmed that the transaction was XXXX and XXXX asked me to go back to Venmo Support again . This time they they said there was no way to trace their payments and kept pushing me to a FAQ where they confirmed that I would need to get the police involved. I questioned them about that action because I was the sender and the recipient and that would be filing a false report which is against the law in most states. They stated that I could do that or go back to my bank ( XXXX ) which I did but I pressed them for information about a full audit of my account to be sent to the account on record. They have yet to action that. They also stopped communicating with me regarding my lost money. I use this service too much to just not trust that my transactions are not safe and I have some recourse when THEIR SYSTEMS aren't safe and they are following the guidelines that financial organizations are required to follow. they refused to tell me what financial organization they report to in regards t financial regulations. The closet I got was The government. I laughed as I pressed what specific organization. They refused to provide that information to me. They did say file a complaint with Consumer Finance Protection if I was unsatisfied though. Attached is the full communications between myself and Venmo.
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 78665
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-05-13
Issue: Unexpected or other fees
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I was using Venmo buy and sell goods..i wasn't doing anything wrong that i know of all the sudden they froze my account with no reason why i still have XXXX in the Venmo account they will not unfreeze it so i can get the money out..i am a XXXX mother of XXXX boys i don't have a job and i depend on that money to pay my bills and buy food for my kids..i wasn't doing anything that went against their rules..i have emailed them spoken to them chated with them and they will not give me a reason why..the permitly desactived my account with my money still there.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28212
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-05-13
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A