Date Received: 2023-02-22
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/2023- Large transactions were made to various individuals I do not know or have any relationship to. Completely inconsistent with previous history of using the Paypal service. XXXX XXXX, 2023 - I file a dispute against the scammers to recover funds taken from my credit cards under the guise of " friends and family transactions '' in excess of {$20000.00} USD XXXX XXXX, 2023 - No contact is provided to me other than a notice that the charges were not unauthorized and consistent with my " transaction history. '' Note attached transaction history is provided to show how absurd that claim is, nonetheless to make against a victim of fraud.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28205
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-22
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I am writing to file a complaint against PayPal for wrongfully closing my account. I have been a loyal customer of PayPal for over 20 years and was recently informed that my account has been permanently limited. This has left me unable to use my account, which is a significant inconvenience. I started an online record store on XXXX marketplace in XX/XX/2022, and the only payment provider available to me was PayPal. I have been doing relatively well with sales, and every time there is a change in sales for the better, PayPal has issued a long hold on the funds, slowing down my business. Recently, PayPal requested proof of purchase, proof of fulfillment for six different orders, as well as a description of what my business does, which I willingly provided. However, to my surprise, I received a letter from PayPal stating that my account had been permanently limited due to potential risks associated with it. This decision does not make sense as I have a great reputation in the marketplace with my customers, which I gained quickly. I have 92 customer feedback ratings with a 100 % positive score, with many customers noting fast shipping, carefully packed orders, and records exactly as described. Moreover, I finally got back on my feet after being without steady work for almost 2 years due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am now forced to completely close my XXXX store as PayPal is their only payment provider. I was on the way to opening a second store, but now my income has been cut. I have carefully read through all of PayPal 's documentation and could not find a single thing that I violated. Furthermore, all the orders that PayPal requested information on were fulfilled and delivered. I strongly believe that PayPal 's decision to permanently limit my account is unjustified and based on erroneous information. I request that you investigate this matter and take appropriate action against PayPal. I hope that my account will be reinstated, and I can continue doing business with PayPal in the future
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 94124
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-22
Issue: Money was not available when promised
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/2023 I did an instant transfer of {$270.00} from my Venmo account to my bank. This type of transfer typically shows up with 30 min. It has been 10 days and I still do not have my money and neither Venmo nor my bank can tell me where it is. Both are pointing the finger at the other party and no one will help me.
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 30680
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-22
Issue: Wrong amount charged or received
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Hi my name is XXXX XXXX, Im XXXX and Im from XXXX XXXX. Im sending this email with hopes of getting some assistance as I feel I have been taken advantage of by PayPal. They are requiring me to pay a fee of {$920.00} which I believe is unfair and unethical. They have also expressed that they will send this to collections which will damage my credit that I have worked hard to build and maintain. On XX/XX/2022, a friend of mine was attempting to send me money to purchase something from me and without us agreeing how he would pay me he found my PayPal account and accidentally sent me money via PayPal. When I saw he sent me the money on PayPal I let him know that he used the wrong payment method and we agreed that we would both contact PayPal to reverse the payment and use different means for him to get me the money that dont have such hefty fees. We both made phone calls and I was told by PayPal customer service that it would be handled ( they should have record of this phone call ). They ended up giving my friend a lot of grief and for some reason didnt want to send it back but he let me know he was working on it. XXXX months later he let me know he was able to successfully get his money returned and I didnt think much of it until I got an email from PayPal on the XXXX of XXXX stating that I had been given a fee of {$920.00} and that I needed to pay it asap. I contacted PayPal to find out what the issue was. They told me there is nothing they can do because someone that sent me money made a charge back dispute to get his money back and they are making me pay a fee for that. I was surprised that I could be so heavily punished for other peoples mistakes on their platform and their own customer services lack of effort to fix an issue all because I happen to have an account on their platform ( that I dont even use due to their hefty fees they impose on their users ). I never wanted the money sent to my PayPal in the first place, I never accepted it and definitely never even attempted to transfer to my bank account. Me and the other individual made attempts to reverse it through PayPal, their customer support wouldnt cooperate, and I was unaware the other individual was left with the only option to make a charge back against PayPal to get his money back. I am confused how I am being made responsible to pay fees to PayPal because another user accidentally sent me money when PayPal didnt do their part to reverse the payment. Please work on my behalf to resolve this matter & remove the fee in order to prevent damage to my credit. Thank you for your time and for your assistance. Let me know what other details you need from me. Respectfully, XXXX XXXX. XXXX
Company Response:
State: AZ
Zip: 85233
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-22
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: I need help it's been 2 years now and Venmo has held my balance of {$750.00} from me will not release it will not let me transfer it nothing. There terms of service state after 180 days they will send a check in the mail of the funds in the account. Well now it's been so long I have no longer live at the address on the account and I just want the account to be closed and my funds sent to an updated address please.
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 344XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-23
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Money was taken from your account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount
Consumer Complaint: Hi CFPB member, This is XXXX XXXX, we got a XXXX Paypal Payment from XXXX XXXX, the boss of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX company on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. We delivered the packages on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, the XXXX tracking number is XXXX, XXXX. Due to the shipping problem, XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX open a case on Paypal, we keep contacting with shipper and buyer. A month later, they got the packages finally on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. But Paypal refund XXXX payment to that company XXXX XX/XX/XXXX. We usually use XXXX to contact XXXX, when he made the payment we noticed that the address provided on Paypal did not match the address of the invoice we had made, so we asked XXXX about it and he clearly stated that he was going to send it to the address of the invoice, and we also confirmed with him his PayPal account, so that one could not be a false message. Even though we provided favorable evidence, PayPal still refunded him. We contact Paypal Many times, we can't believe that Paypal would impose a penalty like this and the way they handled it was really poor, they hung up on us before we finished speaking, that's very disrespectful for us. We hope CFPB can help us to defend our rights. Thanks.
Company Response:
State: OH
Zip: 43147
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-23
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: To whom this may concern, Both my PayPal and Venmo accounts have been permanently limited for no apparent reason. Despite countless attempts to reach out to customer support, I've been told that the decision is final although I know that's not the case as I have read from other people that they have gotten their accounts back due to an error in reviewing. After numerous phone calls with both PayPal AND Venmo 's support phone numbers, I was not able to be helped or told what my violations were and why my accounts were closed due to security reasons. I then escalated a case to the Executive Office on XX/XX/XXXX and received a reply. In the email I received, the representative XXXX told me : Venmo ( and PayPal ) utilizes automated tools to scan transactions and review accounts for potential fraudulent or high-risk activity. On XX/XX/2023, we carefully considered a number of factors that, when viewed together, indicated there was a high level of risk associated with your Venmo account. As stated above, it was AUTOMATED thus I believe that several errors were made. I have reviewed the Acceptable Use Policies of both PayPal AND Venmo extensively since my accounts were limited and I am absolutely certain that I did not ever violate anything and nothing I did was against the policies. I would liketo request a thorough review through non-automated means. My PayPal and Venmo accounts are fully authenticated and have never had any issues up until now. As I stated before, I mainly use these services to pay back my friends/family, and even occasionally make purchases online that would otherwise not go through on my debit card. As a college student, using these services was essential for me since people often donated to me since I struggle financially and this permanent limitation has caused a severe impact on my life. Everything I do on both services is completely legitimate. I will happily provide context as to what my recent transactionsare to prove that they are not in violation of anything. : My last usages were on XX/XX/XXXX, with a payment sent to my friend XXXX of XXXX as a joke. The other payment I received that day was from my friend XXXX for photocards.Aside from that, everything that is written in the " memo '' section of all my transactions are either my friends ' instagram handles so I know how to keep track of everything, or a random memo that has nothing to do with anything since again, it is between FRIENDs. My most recent Goods and Services transaction was from my XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, who I actually did sell something to. Aside from that, any XXXX XXXX XXXX transactions are all legitimate and have been from people from different countries where Friends and Family is not an option. I have also read that countless usershave gotten their accounts limited forno apparent reason and were able to reinstate them by contacting the Executive Office, and I believe that I fall into this exact same category. I feel as though this is foul service on PayPal 's part as I have been a customer for many years and now my financial situation has changed drastically. This is very shady behavior on the company 's part to close down a longtime customer 's account very suddenly with both 1 ) no prior warning and 2 ) absolutely no explanation of what the violation was. They also stated that they would HOLD the funds in my account for 180 days which is an absurd amount of time. Luckily I had no funds in the account at the time, but the fact that they would hold the funds hostage is very shady. I even am a cardholder of Venmo 's credit card, which is now virtually useless to me since I can no longer receive or redeem the cashback rewards since it is through Venmo, a service of PayPal. I plan to cancel this card if my account is not restored as there is no benefit in me keeping it and I would no longer want to be associated with it. This decision would in turn negatively impact my credit score SEVERELY, especially since it is one of my longest-standing credit cards that I opened when I graduated high school.
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 30041
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-21
Issue: Other service problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, paypal permanently banned me from their site and refuse to release my balance for 180 days. They are also not allowing me to remove 2 of my payment methods, I wish to rescind their permission to store both. " You'll also be charged a High Volume Dispute fee based on your activity for all existing and future cases you receive. '' Was stated in an email sent by paypal. I do not have a business in which I sell items and receive payment via paypal. I do not have any open cases or disputes either. I received refunds which they have an issue with. I sent paypal what they asked for which included a photo of my ID twice since XXXX. I also provided them with screenshots pertaining to two transactions. My paypal balance is {$140.00} and less than {$3.00} in btc.
Company Response:
State: NV
Zip: 89117
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-21
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-21
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Transaction was not authorized
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/2022, Paypal took {$940.00} from my business checking account with XXXXXXXX XXXX It was an " ACH withdrawal, PAYPAL XXXX XXXX XXXX ''. We have no idea who or what this is. We have spoken with XXXXXXXX XXXX who said we have to go to PAYPAL, since they got the money. We have spent hours on the phone with PAYPAL and with supervisors. The supervisors have told us that Paypal does not keep records after 60 days. We are in shock to find out that a financial institution like PAYPAL does not keep records after 60 days and can not tell us why they took {$940.00} from us. We want you to verify what PayPal has said, i.e. that they are not required to keep records from XX/XX/2022. If that is not true, please tell us how we can proceed against PayPal. This is an unauthorized withdrawal from our bank account and PayPal got the money. We believe they must be able to tell us why they took it out and who they gave {$940.00} to. Please help.
Company Response:
State: CT
Zip: 06905
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-02-21
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-02-21
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Subissue: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX there was a charge put on my venmo for {$52.00} at XXXX when I had a XXXX, balance there was no money on the card and venmo authorized the unlawful transfer and now is billing me for it I have put in a dispute against the Unauthorized purchase & venmo has denied my claim.. It is a prepaid card it has nothing else hooked to it no checking account no other credit cards.. On the receipt it shows that it was supposed to be done through my XXXX pay but I have gone to my XXXX pay receipts and nothing shows up of this purchase.. With this venmo being a prepaid card and having a XXXX balance nothing should have been charged.. I remember one time I went to pay my power bill and I was XXXX cents off and the charge was denied cause I was XXXX cents off but they're gon na authorize A {$52.00} charge when there was a XXXX balance something fishy but venmo is not willing to listen..
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 484XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-03-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A