Date Received: 2022-11-24
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I fell victim to a rental scam earlier this year. I made two transactions to an individual named XXXX XXXX, paid through Venmo : XX/XX/2022 {$1400.00} XX/XX/2022 {$600.00} totalling {$2000.00}. shortly after that 2nd transaction is when i discovered he nor anyone else in the home were the authorized occupants. I first demanded my money back directly from the individual and was denied. I then contacted the property managers, who washed their hands of the situation and just told everyone to get out. However, without that money back, I could not afford to move. This resulted in an eviction and temporary homelessness. After the property managers chose not to do anything, I filed a complaint with my local police department ( XXXX Police XXXX XXXX ) on XX/XX/2022. This also proved useless, as the matter was ignored. The only other options were to file a civil suit ( didn't have the money ), or dispute the transaction. I disputed the transaction on XX/XX/2022 with Venmo. I had the payment protection on one transaction, and on the other I was never even given the option. I called Venmo and asked what could be done since it was two transactions to the same person for the same thingif payment protection was available for one transaction, it should be available for both. The woman I spoke to reassured me that i could still file a chargeback/dispute, but that it would have to be done a different way. So that same day I sent over all the documentation i had, the details of what was transacted, dates, etc. I was told it would take two weeks. Three weeks later on XX/XX/2022, i called back, as it was beyond the two weeks and I had not heard anything. Apparently, that agent I spoke to completely ignored all the requested information i sent back, and never began the dispute. So now, I had to go back and resend it all, but this time they tell me it will take 30 days. On XX/XX/2022 i received an email about my dispute : It said that I was denied. The only reason it gave was : " This decision was made because the Venmo Purchase Program only covers goods or services that weren't delivered or are not as described. '' But that's exactly what I gota rental that inevitably would have led me to an eviction or removal, as the person who I paid money to never had the authorization to rent to me or anyone else, let alone live there themselves. This decision was made in spite of the emails where the property managers revealed they had no clue who the guy was, despite the copy of the lease I uncovered and sent them that noted " no subleasing '', " no more than two occupants '' ( there were five people there total, all there under XXXX XXXX 's say-so ), and two names ( plus a co-signer ) on the lease who did not live there ; XXXX XXXX XXXX name was nowhere to be found on the lease. I was in the process of being evicted during this dispute as well. I reached out for further explanation, and they gave me none. The payment protection was *charged* and paid for. So, I know this transaction qualified. Regardless though, the bottom line is that I spent {$2000.00} for an eviction, which is NOT what I paid money for. I paid through Venmo, with protection, and doubly resassured I was protected, only to be denied for no apparent reason.
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55418
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-24
Issue: Other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: My account was first frozen with no explanation after trying to transfer money to my own bank account. They requested identification i sent it to them. After it was unfrozen and the money was still not sent, i reached back out to find out when the money would be available they deactivated my account and stopped responding to emails. Im yet to receive my money from VENMO, and they refuse to speak to me
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55379
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-24
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I have been using PayPal to receive payments for Online business and also receiving donation for the charity. On XXXX XXXX, I received an email from PayPal to send documents, I sent all the required documents. But then I received another email for permanently closing my account. I contacted PayPal and they refused to give me any information about this. I feel this was not fair on my part as I can not have control over how other people use their PayPal accounts I just really want my account back. This is the Reference ID : XXXX
Company Response:
State: AZ
Zip: 85040
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-23
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Subissue: Debt is not yours
Consumer Complaint: Received email purportedly from " XXXX '' ( sender i.d . represented as " XXXX XXXX '' ) this date requesting {$690.00} to cover a payment to XXXX XXXX XXXX. The email provided a customer service number ( XXXX ) to dispute this transaction. Attempts to contact Paypal resulted in a male answering the call as " Paypal. '' As I had cross-referenced the number before calling, I knew it was registered to XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, CA XXXX. When I questioned the answering party about this disparity, the answering party, a male, quickly hung up.
Company Response:
State: KS
Zip: 672XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-22
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, I mistakenly withdrew funds ( {$74.00} ) from my XXXX account to my closed Venmo account. When I noticed the mistake, I immediately left an email message for Venmo informing them of this mistake. On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Venmo via phone and was informed that a customer service rep is not able to help me with my issue only an account specialist. I was advised that I can only reach an account specialist via email and it would take 7-10 business for someone to reach back out. I was upset as I would have liked someone to allow me to transfer those funds to an active account or card that I had on file via Venmo
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 19132
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-22
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: The company did not provide an explanation for the limitation of my account, limiting itself to referring to the user agreement. She could not answer what actions I had taken could have caused such a decision. Therefore, I believe that this company did not respond to my claim. PayPal executive office rely to " high level of risk associated with your Account ''. However : 1. My account got only 19 completed orders on this account. 2. I got 0 complaints for all the time that I use this account. All my customers were happy. 3. On my previous account I had a hundred of completed orders. I passed all checks from PayPal and my business wasn't " high risked ''. I didn't change my business since that. 4. I consulted with PayPal support about my account and actions and there was no problem with my account or anything. I'm not sure that PayPal even tried to check the problem closely because they didn't asked me for any documents or proves of fulfilment of my orders. I am happy to contribute to PayPal, but they do not give me a single opportunity to exonerate myself. Also they don't give any reasonable explanation for blocking my account.
Company Response:
State: DE
Zip: 19709
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-22
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Subissue: Transaction was not authorized
Consumer Complaint: XXXX is debiting my bank account without permission and in what seems to me unethical at best, possibly illegal. After 12 years using Paypal, they " permanently limited '' my account for reasons they refuse to disclose. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of business transactions were done over the years. Frustrating to not even know why this happened. First complaint, they have basically seized {$43.00} left in the account for XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) and claim they will only release it after 180 days. XXXX MONTHS! The real issue though is that on the XXXX of XXXX I had transferred {$260.00} to my bank account with XXXX XXXX. This was the proceeds of sales activity, minus all Paypal fee costs. I do not owe XXXX any money. The {$260.00} cleared my bank and became available as a completed transaction on the XXXX. A few days later they terminated my account and then placed into motion an ACH debit for {$260.00} in my bank account. I called them and they basically said while I did not owe them money they could and would do this and hold the money for XXXX months, then maybe transfer it back to me. Paypal has no legal reason to do this other than their size allows them to abuse people. They claim it is to protect themselves from non-shipment of sales items or chargebacks, but they also will not allow me to remove the bank account from their site. Any chargebacks would come back to the bank account in any caser so this is a lie to simply take money from people. Further, while the {$260.00} ACH shows on my bank account, the charge does not appear on my Paypal transactions. The {$260.00} has been debited from my bank, but not reflected on my Paypal balance nor in the transaction history. They have cloaked or hidden it, which seems almost criminal to me. What would stop Paypal from placing ACH charges on my bank account at any time, in any amount? Very abusive. Why is this legal? Help me. I have already filed a claim for fraud with my bank, but as of yet they have not replied to me.
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 77346
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-21
Issue: Other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: timeline of events : -XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX a transaction was processed at XXXX on my Venmo account to send {$2000.00} to an individual named XXXX XXXX publicly for `` wedding '' -XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX CT when I woke up and saw the requested debit and knew I didn't authorize nor process this transaction, I immediately began steps to report the issue to Venmo agents. -XXXX XXXX XXXX - Venmo chat representative restricted my account and escalated the case to another department for review and said there was no way to stop the request as the recipient would have already received the money and there was no immediate recourse to stop the transaction. -XXXX XXXX XXXX Since the money had not debited my bank account yet, I called my bank and reported that unauthorized transactions were taking place and I closed that account out and informed my bank not to process any outgoing money transfer requests. -XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX CT I received an email from Venmo denying my claim that this transaction was unauthorized so I spoke with another chat representative to dispute and appeal this decision asking for what proof they used to determine this outcome. They asked me to email ( XXXX ) and request this information which I did that same day. -XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Venmo started sending me emails requesting that I pay the negative balance on my account and I emailed back informing them that I would not pay it back because I reported this transaction as unauthorized and they still had not provided any information as to why they denied my claim. -XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX CT I sent another follow up email to XXXX asking for the information I requested two weeks prior and still received no response from any Venmo representatives. XXXX XXXX XXXX- I finally receive an email from Venmo providing documentation that they used to determine my case and they informed if of the following : Claim ID : XXXX Claim Date : XXXX The device used to make the payment ( s ) in question ending in XXXX was first added to the account on XXXX and used to complete authorized payments on the account through XXXX The location used to make the payment ( s ) in question is consistent with the location used to complete authorized payments on the account. The login for the Venmo session used to make the payment ( s ) in question began on XXXX and was used in authorized payments on the account through XX/XX/XXXX, such asXXXX for {$2500.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX There was no report by user of loss of control of device when the dispute was filed. - XX/XX/XXXX - I emailed them back and informed them that this still does NOT prove that this transaction was NOT unauthorized. I informed them that I did speak with XXXX about the issue and they suggested that it's possible that someone hacked into my XXXX XXXX and was able to process this request appearing to come from my phone. And I also provided screenshots of my communication with another individual who reached out to me via XXXX and Venmo asking me if I knew XXXX XXXX because they saw my activity on venmo with this person and they were also hacked by the same individual for {$2000.00} and were also experiencing fraudulent activity. XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX a friend of mine didn't know my Venmo account was not in good standing and sent me {$300.00} which Venmo deducted to satisfy my negative balance so I called and complained again for them to appeal this decision and look into the account of XXXX XXXX and see that the account is likely full of fraudulent activity. They asked me to email them again with supporting evidence so I sent them all the of the information that I had previously sent on XXXX I am not confident that I'll receive a satisfactory response from the company, hence why I'm pursuing these channels for resolution.
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55427
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-21
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-21
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: PayPal Policy changes needed. I was going to make a purchase from a nail polish company XXXX XXXX XXXX on XXXX XXXX, 2022. I signed into PayPal to use them as the payment method. I ended up not going through with it. The next day when I signed in to my banking app I saw a purchase for {$30.00} from the nail polish company and then a refund of {$30.00} dollars. When I was going to make the purchase it was a little over that about $ XXXX. What was even more of an issue is a saw another XXXX PayPal purchases for {$7.00}, {$40.00} and {$36.00} from a company called Inscents Waterfalls. Since I didnt make this purchase I called PayPal to dispute it as an unauthorized transaction. They informed me they would look into it and Id have to wait until XXXX XXXX to which I said fine but my account should be credited in the process because my money was stolen. They also advised the reoccurring billing was set up. They said they dont do credits. I do not understand how you operate as a financial institution with antiquated policies. They would not credit my account during the investigation. The also advised they didnt show the nail polish purchase on their end. I said it doesnt matter that is how they gained access to the account because previous to this incident I hadnt accessed the account for anyone to be able to steal my login information to do what they did. I took screen shots and provided them of the purchase and how it showed just like any other PayPal transaction. When I explained I needed the money and it was mine they should have just told me oh well we dont care. I informed them I would be filing this complaint and it meant nothing. This meant nothing because they completely outsourced their customer service and did not equip them with the information nor tools to be successful in these situations dealing with individuals from a different country and their institutions or federal complaint systems. That is completely unfair to them and bad business. When I followed up in a attempt to speak with someone of leadership about the timeframe because I needed the money the lies started. I was told by 4-5 different employees that it would be 24-72 hours through out this experience. I continued to get the run around which was extremely upsetting after I followed up when the 72 hours was over. They again tried to tell me 24-72, which was not ok and I asked to speak to management. At this point I was told I probably wouldnt be getting my money back because there isnt unusual activity on the account. I asked what was unusual activity and was advised, password change, phone number change. I asked me calling submitting a claim calling as often as I am freaking out over about {$90.00} isnt unusual. Explaining how they gained access isnt unusual. They set up reoccurring billing on my account and I wasnt even aware and I had no way to stop the billing through the actual company. None of this is unusual. PayPal polices are so antiquated they dont even acknowledge how scammers find new ways to steal or technology advances for scammers to do what they do. They care nothing about how scams affect their customers as long as they created large dividends for investors and bonuses for senior leadership. Next, when I spoke to a manager, the same one that said I wouldnt get my money back, suggested I change the claim to services not received. I asked why she said I have a better chance of getting my money back. I asked what the process was and she advised we reach out to the merchant to confirm if they provided the service or product. I couldnt believe how tone deaf this was and lacked critical thinking. If you are successfully scamming people. You are not going to tell PayPal. In addition to that you are asking that I lie and say I set up the payment when I did not. When you XXXX search this company a popular search is inscents waterfall scam. That should say enough. PayPal did not do their due diligence in this situation, they have no consideration for their consumers. I have include screenshots of the nail polish so you can see that they are mimicking your company purchases. This should be a problem for you. I also provided this to your representative.
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 32792
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-21
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-11-22
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: My account is permanently limiting, and the account funds have been frozen for 180 days, but I still can't connect with the bank and withdraw cash, please help me
Company Response:
State: AZ
Zip: 860XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-11-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A