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Access a limited account without phone
 

Dear All, here's the situation:
1. UK account permanently limited and frozen for 180 days with a lot of money inside;
2. recently I receive an email telling me the money is eligible for withdrawal;
3. I discover I'm unable to access the account as SMS verification is required, but the number (UK SIM) is no longer in use (deactivated forever by GiffGaff)
4. some Paypal expert tells me it is useless to call customer service to change the number, as Paypal reps will tell you they will allow.
I'd like to read your advice on this.
Thanks,
ixxx

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

You're not in a good spot. I hope you still have a bank account attached to it?

At this point, you need to call customer service and keep calling until you get one that can help you with the withdrawal

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Call and push like SaiJin stated - how much is stuck in there?

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Update: I've managed to have the number changed and accessed the account. And of course emptied the balance withdrawing to attached old bank account. Seemed a success but now the situation is as follows:
1. funds are not in the bank;
2. the SMS verification prompt still shows the old number, even though I deleted it and the main and only number in the account is the new one;
So we're back to the beginning, apparently...

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

This 'PayPal expert' is talking rubbish. Yeah you just need to calm and confirm some info and they will change it

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Update: I paid somebody to call Paypal customer service and shed light on this. He sent me the recorded conversation. What emerged is weird even for PP low standards:
1. funds were available after 180 days. When I transferred them to the attached bank account, they disappeared;
2. PP rep said the account as a result of that action is now limited for ANOTHER 180 DAYS, so it has been permanently limited twice!
3. balance is zero, funds have vanished, but the guys said in 180 days I can withdraw. But there is nothing to withdraw.
It looks like PP stole the money openly and shamelessly.
Now I suppose calling customer service again is useless. Is there a sort of higher authority to report this to? This is UK Paypal not US.
Cheers,
ixxx

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

If they suspect you of breaching there T&C's and abusing their services then they will keep your money.

It seems they are entitled to do this. They know that many do indeed abuse their services and won't pursue it through the legal channels.

Did you abuse their services?

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

ixxx, this is important ^^

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Of course I abused their services, that is why the account was permanently limited the first time

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Then your money is gone, it's been discussed at length on this forum.

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

-_-

C'mon man....

Don't do it again.

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Game over - if you want a deeper discussion, you will have to explain what you did with details

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

WAIT A week and see if your balance is restored.
Paypal software cannot anticipate all these convoluted moves you guys make,not only you vlolated its policy,you also cant get your act together and forget this ,misplace that.
contact them again if the account is still zero

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

I second this

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

people who abuse paypal usually do not hold significant balances there , paypal are not stupid , they hunt such accounts so they can freeze funds and keep them indefinitely as this money becomes their profit

in general a balance higher than $300-$500 should never be kept on paypal balance at any specific time if you want anything close to safety

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

shouldn't be abusing any one for that matter

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

from paypal's perspective anything that is not allowed is abuse , for example any stealth account

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Paypal can easily find many reasons to freeze the account claiming the owner abused the terms of use. But can they prove it? Also the accusation is never clear. I know very well that Paypal can and will pocket the money because of this: the point of my last question was not to let it go and accept it, but to fight back somehow. Legally. Or through other legal means. I recall a post somewhere, maybe on Reddit, that mentioned an email address and a department inside Paypal, a sort of higher authority, where to submit cases like this, threatening legal action. Not bbb.org, something internal. Anybody ever heard about it?

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

I heard of it yes. I think you can find that email in some of the threads in the forum, you just have to search for it.

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Have you tried uk complaints portal link below

https://www.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/complaints

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

paypal lost many court cases , in western countries they are known for doing out of court settlements and under condition of non disclosure

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

typical of big platforms

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

update: I spent a few hours online searching for info about the above. I found 2 email addresses for cases like this. I sent a polite email describing what had happened to the following 2 email addresses:
executiveoffice@paypal.com
PPELCE@paypal.co.uk (as the account was in the UK)
I received a reply from service@paypal.com stating that I had messages and should login. I did and saw that the balance was restored to normal, the funds were there again. The message said they needed an ID showing address, DOB etc to allow me to withdraw. I uploaded a driver license and today I received 3 emails saying the same again: account is permanently limited, cannot use it anymore, etc etc. Total nonsense. All over again.
As the money was there in the balance, I tried to withdraw again. And 30 minutes later it was in the bank. Totally unexpected happy ending.
What can we learn from this experience?
1. violations that permanently limit the account are clearly explained, I read them all, so we all abuse the system, one way or another. Creating stealth accounts is against Paypal terms but not against the law. Other violations are against both. End result: an account may get permanently limited without appeal anytime, so you just discard the account and move on. No need to waste time investigate the reasons;
2. as the above can happen anytime, do not leave more than you can afford to lose sitting in the balance;
3. to recover he funds after 180 days is possible but Paypal will create all sorts of hindrances, both technical and human (customer service reps) to mislead you. In facts, they are right about this: most of the people, including many who wrote on this thread, would give up, accepting as a fact that Paypal can indeed confiscate your money if you break the rules. I believe they can't do it legally, but will try their very best to persuade you it is their right and screw you.
I hope this thread is useful to some members.
Thank you for your support in this case.
Cheers,
ixxx

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

thx for the update ixxx

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

I posted an update explaining the outcome of this case (funds recovered) but it has been deleted. I don't know why and by whom. So if you want to get the details feel free to PM me.

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

Nothing has been deleted it still in this thread

Re: Access a limited account without phone
 

seems like James says that it is still in the thread