Date Received: 2022-06-12
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: This about Paypal, i was sent a email that XX/XX/2022 from them that i can no longer do business with Paypal because of a violation of paypal acceptable use policy. I called them immediately and the person on the phone could not tell me why but i can not use the service. I told them you should be able to tell me and at this point i had no idea what happen. Then i get a 2nd email on XXXX XXXX that the services are limited temporary so i called again and really could not get any where. On XX/XX/XXXX i get a email of a open case because of a delay in my response to a buyer. Finally, they started saying i have a businss and selling stuff. I told them I have never owned a businsess and do not sell anything on paypal. Somebody was requesting a {$6.00} refund for something i have no idea what it was for. I told paypal that is fruad, but they do not listen or pay attention. They started sending me emails to restore my account so they wanted me to give them a temp username and password for my business and remove paypal from the site. I do not have a temp user name or password to give, cause i dont have a business. i am frustrued and angry that NO one will listen to me. I told them if some one is requesting money from me or a service prroduct that is FRAUD. So to help this ther operson that is doing FRAUD they refurnd their {$6.00}. I did tell Paypay that on XXXX XXXX that i purchsed a movie service with XXXX and I used my payplay account to pay, I inadversly submitted the payment twice because I thougth it did not go thru. That money has been refunded to my paypal balance but they will not let me get it. I asked could this be maybe the reason by account is limited but they NEVER could help at all. I keep getting a email to restore account and I keep giving the same info and nothing ever happens. I need my paypal account restored and my refund to, There are several XXXX transactions that i have no idea what that is far. No one knows anything, I did speak to a person about 2 weeks ago that was all eager to help and i did what they said and nothing happen. {$14.00} refund is for me
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 75068
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-12
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-12
Issue: Problem adding money
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I am having issues depositing money from XXXX XXXX an online tutoring website because my pay pal has limited my account without any issue or me having any violation of the policy. PayPal only indicated that there is a potential risk involve with my account without specifically stating which risk it is. I have tried contacting PayPal in vain and that is the reason I am contacting you regarding the issue. Please raise a complain with Pay pal to remove limitation with my PayPal account so that I continue receiving payments from XXXX XXXX. My PayPal email address is XXXX.
Company Response:
State:
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-12
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-12
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I filed a CFPB complaint. YOU closed it when PayPal lied by omission. PayPal continues to harass me. PayPal has blocked my online access and I can not pay my PayPal branded XXXX Bank credit card. Nothing in my profile has changed. My phone numbers have not changed. To access my account, PayPal is forcing me to enter a new phone number and PayPal will not accept my working landline number. I have XXXX phone. I do not use cell phones. I can not login to PayPal to access a hyperlink to XXXX XXXX PayPal is actively interfering with my ability to conduct business with a third party. PayPal continues to refuse to answer the original question. Through a process that PayPal designed and controls, PayPal gave me {$1500.00} without any terms, the only requirement being repayment. I continue to demand to know the payment terms. I will accept published tariffs only. There is a giant hole in the internet and you can pull thousands of dollars out of it and it does not seem to be a crime. PayPal made it. I demand immediate access to my PayPal branded XXXX XXXX credit account.
Company Response:
State: VA
Zip: 20165
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-12
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-11
Issue: Fraud or scam
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/2022 - I inadvertently paid {$100.00} to the wrong individual. XX/XX/2022 - I called XXXX XXXX to stop the payment. They marked it as a fraudulent payment which was helpful of them. I called Venmo to explain the issue. They said they'd give me a one-time courtesy and cancel the payment if I went back to XXXX and cancel the fraudulent payment. I immediately called XXXX XXXX and stopped the fraudulent payment claim. XXXX Bank confirmed this was done. However, Venmo then froze my entire account and required me to provide quite a bit of information to authenticate myself. It was a case of their " helping me '' but also simultaneously harming me ( something they did not warn me would occur if I took the {$100.00} courtesy ). XX/XX/2022 - I called Venmo to discuss the issue. They refused to discuss via telephone and said I must discuss via email instead. I emailed them and had lengthy back and forth emails with someone employed with Venmo named XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX kept insisting that I profited {$100.00} by virtue of the refund issued by Venmo, together with the fraud claim I submitted to XXXX XXXX Either he, or the individual I spoke with over the phone with Venmo ( I do not remember which individual anymore ) indicated that XXXX XXXX must not have cancelled the fraud claim. I called XXXX XXXX and confirmed with them that Venmo was incorrect. XXXX XXXX even offered to issue proof that they did via USPS postal mail. I called back Venmo to explain all of this. The customer service representative indicated she could not help me and that I'd need to continue working with XXXX XXXX via email, even though I indicated to her that he is unhelpful. I went back to emailing XXXX XXXX, and required multiple times to have a telephone conversation so that we could iron this out quickly ( as I had spent roughly 1.5 hours on the phone by this point ). XXXX XXXX would not oblige. I provided him screenshots of my TD account among other items he requested. None of this resulted in an amicable solution. XXXX XXXX kept insisting I add {$100.00} into my account to resolve the issue, as he would take the {$100.00} and pay it back to Venmo. I only had {$44.00} at the time. I finally gave up and tried to add the extra {$56.00}. Note that this is {$100.00} that Venmo was not owed, and it would have put me at negative {$100.00}. Despite this, I was willing to pay it back to Venmo just to get things back to normal. I kept receiving an error message. I called Venmo back about the issue. I went through the steps with XXXX XXXX XXXX were on the phone for just over 2 hours because she was trying to get technical support to help her. Per XXXX XXXX, the only fix I had was to add the {$56.00}, but their system wouldn't allow for it. And this was money that was not owed to them and would have resulted in my losing their {$100.00} " courtesy ''. I even offered to pay someone at Venmo the {$100.00}. XXXX XXXX indicated that she could not take the {$100.00} payment, and that my only recourse was to add the extra {$56.00} ( which their system was declining due to a technical error ). After a 2 hour call, I told XXXX P. I would just report the issue to the appropriate regulatory agencies. After we ended the 2 hour call, XXXX XXXX sent me a message indicating that he would unfreeze the account, but made sure to add the passive-aggressive message " Please note that if we find that you are engaging in activity that is restricted by our User Agreement we may take further action to deactivate your account in the future. '' I had undertaken no restricted activity, and their User Agreement terms were not within the scope of this discussion. Despite this, XXXX XXXX felt the need to send that passive message to me. XXXX XXXX sent me a message indicating the issue had been resolved. I told them both that I'd like a Venmo account that I can send the {$100.00} to because the entire mess wasn't worth {$100.00} and I'd like to undo the " courtesy '' that they gave to me. In short, I wanted to give them the {$100.00} back. It wasn't worth it as it made my situation a nightmare. They never responded. XX/XX/2022 - I wanted to use Venmo as my account is now " unfrozen ''. I tried to use it, but my payment was declined. I called TD Bank and confirmed it was not on their end. I called Venmo. I spoke with XXXX. XXXX indicated that it was due to " security reasons ''. That was all she said. I asked why. Her answer was " security reasons. '' I asked for the reasons. Her answer was " security reasons. '' I asked who can help me to fix this issue. She said " no one due to security reasons. '' I asked if the CEO of Venmo could fix the issue. She said " no, not even the CEO because of security reasons. '' I asked about removing my checking account, closing my Venmo account, and making a new one. She agreed it was worth a shot. We tried it, but I still received the same declined message because of " security reasons. '' I said that surely someone at all of Venmo could override and/or help me to fix this issue. She said that no one in all of Venmo could override this issue. That it's something we'll simply have to live with because of " security reasons. '' Their security system apparently overrides all humans employed at Venmo, and there are XXXX overrides available ( a terrifying thought should they ever need to override something significant ). I asked what state Venmo is incorporated with ( to determine which state attorney general is relevant here ). XXXX told me that she could not tell me that information but I can submit a complaint to their internal complaint team. I told her I'd submit a complaint to the CFPB. Summary : -Venmo granted me a {$100.00} " courtesy '' for my error ( yes, the initial error was mine and not with Venmo ). -The " courtesy '' came with the price of freezing my account. -The only way to unfreeze it was to pay the {$100.00} back to Venmo by adding enough funds to my account for them to take it. -Their system would not even let me add the money necessary to accomplish this due to a technical error. -I offered to pay them their {$100.00} to an account but they wouldn't take it. -Those who freeze accounts refused to speak to me via telephone. -After 3-4 hours worth of phone calls, and threats of regulatory complaints, they finally unfroze it ( and sent an unprofessional/passive aggressive message ). -I still can't send payments due to " security reasons ''. No other explanation would be provided. -Per their customer service, no one, including the CEO, can override their security. Apparently their security defeats all human interaction, even if there is a legitimate reason to override it. XXXXThey proclaimed they could not tell me what state they're incorporated in. Note : I can provide any proof that is in tangible form upon request ( ex : telephone time records and dates, email chains, bank records, etc ).
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 11746
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-11
Issue: Confusing or missing disclosures
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Venmo froze My account on XX/XX/2022. It is a business account and on Friday, XX/XX/2022 I had use my business account with several people sending me money for products from my business that included note stating what the product was for and it aligns with what my business is listed as on Venmo. The amount frozen is {$2300.00}. They did send me an email asking for my ID even though they already had my XXXX number. I went ahead and took a picture and uploaded it and emailed back. They said it would take 3 to 5 business days when the ID was received for them to look it over and sure that it was me and unfreeze my account. However it has been over seven business days I have called them every day they can not tell me how I have violated their terms. Ive asked for a specific rule that I violated and they just give me the senates we dont want to speculate on what you did. I have told them that I am a business I have a XXXX number. I have been in business for over 10 years I have a website and still they just kept repeating the same thing over and over again. Ive had two people tell me they escalated the problem and it should be done within a few hours and it still is not. They said the only way To speak to those representatives is via email but nobody responds to the emails that Ive sent daily. I have orders do that I can not fulfill Because of my account being frozen for no reason. As of right now Im still waiting on the money Im not sure I will ever see it. They also froze my personal account which has {$160.00}. My business account is fairly new within the last 6 months. However my personal account have been opened for a few years.
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 77429
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-11
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/XXXX paypal paid XXXX XXXX {$39.00} I filed a dispute on this under item not received. PayPal has not fully processed the dispute and they keep trying to pull this amount from my Checking account.
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 34482
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-10
Issue: Other service problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: Paypal is discriminating against poor people and the elderly by no longer letting you access your account without disclosing a cell phone number. This policy is being applied to existing accounts. The government is tasked to ensure that business practices are fair and necessary and do not cause a disparate impact to protected groups. I can live without doing business with Paypal. I am heartbroken that they have decided to mistreat their customers and not accept land line phone numbers.
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 30066
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-10
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: This complaint concerns PayPal , Inc. and its policy of impounding and sequestering customer funds and converting the funds to its own use without advance notice to or permission from the customer. I have been a PayPal user for XXXX years, signing up for the service in XXXX, a mere XXXX years after PayPal was founded in XXXX on the advice of a friend who was then working for PayPal. During that XXXX yearshundreds of transaction have passed through my account, including receipt of funds in amounts as large as {$20000.00} and more from my customers. In XX/XX/XXXX PayPal instituted a policy of impounding and sequestering money from user accounts if it " suspects '' that that a transaction may involve some sort of risk to PayPal. How it assesses that risk is a mystery. In its User Agreement under " Holds, Limitations, and Reserves '', PayPal states : " We may place a hold on payments sent to your PayPal account if, in our sole discretion, we believe that there may be a high level of risk associated with you, your PayPal account, or your transactions .... We make decisions about whether to place a payment hold based on a number of factors, including information available to us from both internal sources and third parties. '' Here is how it is done : Based on its risk assessment, PayPal decides on a maximum amount that may be paid into an account by an account-owner 's customer. Any amount over this maximum is seized and impounded for 21 days. While it is impounded, Paypal uses the money for its own account, as it admits in its User Agreement : " PayPal ... combines your PayPal funds with the PayPal funds of other PayPal users and invests those funds in liquid investments .... PayPal owns the interest or other earnings on these investments. '' How is the risk determined? We don't know. PayPal indicates three factors it considers : - New sellers or sellers who have limited selling activity. - Payments for higher-risk categories like electronics or tickets. - Sellers who have performance issues, or a high rate of buyer dissatisfaction or disputes. But other factors play a part. PayPal identifies these factors only as " ... confidential criteria that are essential to our management of risk and the protection of PayPal, our customers and/or service providers. We may use proprietary fraud and risk modeling when assessing the risk associated with your PayPal account. '' I am a XXXX XXXX, not a high risk seller of electronics or tickets. I have been with PayPal for XXXX decades, so I am not a new seller with " limited selling activity. '' I have never had a dispute with a customer that affected PayPal in any way in my entire history of dealing with PayPal. So, if PayPal identified the complainant as involved in a " high risk '' transaction, they there is an obvious problem with the criteria by which PayPal assesses risk, whatever that secret criteria may be. PayPal places the funds limit restriction of a user 's account without notice to the user or an opportunity to appeal the limit. The first time a user finds out that a funds limits has been imposed is when his funds have already been impounded. Then and only then does PayPal reveal that there is a funds limit and the amount of that limit. In my case, the funds limit was {$5000.00} received in any one month. ( The term " month '' is not defined or explained. I don't know if it measn a calendar month, an arbitrary 30-day period or some other period. ) I found out about it only after PayPal had seized and impounded nearly {$1000.00}. I use that money to pay subcontractors and vendors, so not having access to the sequestered funds can be a real burden, virtually ensuring that at least some of my payments will be late. Had I known about the {$5000.00} funds limit in advance, I would have made arrangements for payment other than PayPal. My bank uses XXXX which is cheaper than PayPal although a little more trouble to use. The only option that PayPal gives me now is to go back to my customer and ask him to confirm to PayPal that the work he paid for is done and done satisfactorily. If I do this, PayPal says it will release the Impounded funds. Of course this request would immediately suggest to my customer that sometimes my work is not done or not done satisfactorily, otherwise why would PayPal be asking for such confirmation? This is not the sort of notion I wish to suggest to my customer, so I will not do anything so incredibly stupid. I respect the fact that PayPal needs to protect itself from unscrupulous users whose actions may costs PayPal money, but the company should do it the right way. First, it should notify users when a funds limit is placed on the user 's account and explain why it is being imposed. Not some general statement like " we have determined that you may be a risk '', but the specific risk factors that lead to its decision. Second, PayPal should institute an appeals process that permits a user to dispute the funds limit and provide information possibly unknown to PayPal that would suggest there is no substantial risk. No such process now exists. The only option PayPal now offers is requesting that the funds limit be raised -- not removed -- just raised. I tried that and it does not work. I never heard back from PayPal regarding my request for a raise. Third, if PayPal is going to impound and use my money for its own account, it should be paying me interest on the impounded funds. When I asked for specifics about why a limitation was placed on my account since I have none of the risk factors identified by PayPal, a spokesperson for the company informed me that despite the absence of such factors, there was still the " possibility '' of a problem with the transaction. Of course, there is a possibility. There is always a " possibility. '' And if the true criteria is that there is may be " possibility '' of a risk, then all PayPal user accounts should be funds-limited. They all have the " possibility '' of risk. I will keep my PayPal account. It's handy for buying stuff from XXXX and the like, but I will NEVER AGAIN take a customer payment through the company. I get a better deal from XXXX with no possibility of a funds impoundment without prior notice.
Company Response:
State: NE
Zip: 68502
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-11
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-10
Issue: Other transaction problem
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/2022 at XXXX my friend accidentally sent me the wrong amount of {$1800.00} on VENMO, at XXXX I returned the money back to her and both the money sent to me and the money I sent back are listed in my Venmo transactions as completed. On XX/XX/2022, Venmo froze my account and removed all funds I had in the account due to a chargeback from my friends card issuer. My friend explained she didnt know the amount went BACK to her venmo balance and not her card used, she called her bank and canceled the dispute. I have tried to contact Venmo in multiple ways- phone, email, chat without resolving the issue and they have closed my account keeping it frozen. I am owed the money back from Venmo removed from my account balance which in total is over {$700.00}. They will not return the funds and will not give me any explanation or resolve the issue with me.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 154XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-06-10
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: The company Venmo claims that I have done something to cause them to close my account they have frozen my money almost {$400.00} nobody will give me a reason why nobody will help me find out how to get the money Ive done absolutely nothing wrong.
Company Response:
State: ME
Zip: 040XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-06-10
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A