Print the value of index0
Paypal waited to attack at just the right moment leaving me helpless and hijacking me and almost my money $6500!! Ocean Ridge Florida
I have been an ebay member and paypal user for many years with thousands of purchases without any problems. Until then my sales were for small items and didn't add up to be very much. Then I listed a pair of Superbowl tickets that were sure to bring in over $5,000.00. Within a few hours, paypal froze my account and said that I could accept payments but could not withdraw any monies. They expected me to sell the tickets and they would hold on to my money for however long they could.
They then proceeded to request a copy of my driver's license, a copy of my bank statement, a copy of my credit card statement, and my utility bill. This along with my social security number and other various invasive personal information. Against my better judgement I faxed them everything hoping that they would unfreeze my account prior to the auction end. That didn't happen. It is STILL frozen. When I called them the manager was very apologetic and said there was nothing he could do. He had no control over anything and that everything had to go through the resolution committee. He said this is something that just "happens".
Why do they need such personal information? They are supposed to be providing me with a service to which I pay dearly for. The tickets eventually sold for $6500.00 and the paypal fee would have been approximately $350.00. FORTUNATELY, my buyer paid cash so my money is not stuck in the account but (WARNING) is was going to be. Again, my account is still frozen and there is nothing I can do about it, even though I have given these hijackers everything they have asked for.
I feel like I have been held hostage and lucky that my money wasn't. Be warned...it may not happen right away, but it will happen. This company is way out of control.
Sick of rip offs
Ocean Ridge, Florida
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Noir
City,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Take Some Responsiblity
#7Consumer Suggestion
Sun, February 03, 2008
Paypal didn't "attack at the right moment"... waiting to leave you "helpless"....you sold something that was totally out of scope of your typical PayPal seller profile, and as a result, your account was flagged as potentially being compromised.
Your selling habits set the tone...PayPal wasn't waiting for you to "screw up."
As an eBay and PayPal member of many years you should well be aware of their efforts to identify suspicious activity.
There are other venues for reselling tickets, however you won't garner the high profits you will from eBay. The tradeoff is the increased scrutiny.
Larry
Phoenix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Just what should they have done?
#7Consumer Comment
Sun, February 03, 2008
By your own admission, you have in the past sold low dollar-amount items on eBay. Suddenly you are offering two tickets to the Super Bowl that you expected to sell for at least five grand. Your final bid was $6500.
How many of the Super Bowl tickets that were offered for sale on eBay and other venues were bogus? Tickets are a high-risk purchase and a magnet for scam artists.
Paypal was covering their butts. If your tickets were fakes (or non-existent), Paypal would would have to make good on the loss to the buyer and his credit card company. Then they would have to try to collect from you. Their best defense is to put a hold on your account until they were satisfied that the buyer would not file a dispute.
Even if the tickets were legit the buyer could file a bogus dispute with his credit card company and put Paypal in the middle. Paypal was just being sure that they were not going to get stuck giving a $6500 refund with no way to recover from you.
Sick of rip offs
Ocean Ridge,Florida,
U.S.A.
Finally got some results
#7Author of original report
Sun, February 03, 2008
Just so you know, I am not an idiot. I can tell the difference between a phishing scam and an email from paypal. I always close the email and go directly to the site. So, after many phone calls to paypal today they finally took the "limitation" off my account. I suspect since my buyer paid cash, there was no longer any reason to keep the account limited. Again they insisted that it was just a security precaution but why on earth would they require such personal information. This is very unsettling.
Why is there no accountability and why can they do what ever the hell they please leaving the innocent consumer victim to abuse. Don't tell me for one minute holding on to their customer's account funds at will doesn't make them a ton of money. Again, no warning, no reason, no negotiation. I will definately use them only when absolutely necessary for my convenience and I will be shopping for a new payment source.
Sick of rip offs
Ocean Ridge,Florida,
U.S.A.
At first I thought it was just another spoof email.
#7Author of original report
Fri, February 01, 2008
This is WAY beyond a "phisher" email. When I log on to ebay they are quick to remind me that my account has been "limited" before I can proceed to my ebay. I have been on the phone with paypal numerous times without sucess. THEY ARE IN CONTROL and you are a helpless victim. I never would have believed this and always thought that whoever complained about them was causing their own problems. Not anymore. I am an innocent victim of a corporation out of control. I would like to know why it was necessary to see my personal information. Who gets this and where does it go after it has been viewed? It can happen to you.
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Thomas is correct, you fell victim to a "phishing" scam.
#7Consumer Suggestion
Fri, February 01, 2008
If you go to the Paypal site, it will clearly tell you that Paypal will never ask for this type of information.
NEVER click on any link in an email that asks for information. This will in most cases direct you to a "spoof" site. It may look like a Paypal site, complete with logos and all, but it is fake.
ALWAYS close any emails or pop ups, and then go to your Paypal site and login. Any GENUINE messages from Paypal will be visible at that time.
File a fraud complaint with Paypal, and maybe they can help you track down and prosecute this scammer, although unlikely.
Good luck.
Thomas
Anderson,South Carolina,
U.S.A.
So you know that you were dealing with PayPal at all times, and not some "phishers"?
#7Consumer Comment
Fri, February 01, 2008
I get "dire account warnings", complete with convenient address links provided for me to "correct my problems", from phishers all the time. I simply pass these "warnings" on to the referenced company. A few days later I will get an email back confirming the intended scam.
I avoid PayPal except when I use a credit card through them to pay a seller. If someone gets clever, my bank handles the problem.