# Paypal account limited?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 29, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493 "2025-09-29T20:37:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/1 "2025-09-29T20:37:05Z")

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I’ve been using this particular paypal account for like a year. It’s the one that pays all my streaming services (automatic recurring payments) and steam games. Just tried to buy Icarus on Steam and paypal rejected it. Here’s the email I got from paypal:

> [@](#):
>
> **Your account features are temporarily blocked**
> 
> There’s a new PayPal account that’s been created using your name. We wanted to make sure your account is owned by you and no one else.
> 
> To keep your account and money safe, we’ve temporarily blocked some of your account features.
> 
> The following features will be restored once you provide the requested info and we confirm it.
> 
> - Send or pay using PayPal
> - Withdraw money
> - Receive money
> - and a few others
> 
> Here’s how you can get back the features:
> 
> 1. Log in to your PayPal account
> 2. Go to the notification that says “Unblock your account features”
> 3. Follow the instructions and keep this info handy:
> 
> - Photo ID
> 
> After we receive all the requested info, we’ll review it and get back to you within 1 business days.
> 
> \<Button to Login\>
> 
> Thanks for using PayPal.

Someone else creating an account sounds like a “not my problem” thing, but as far as I can tell after calling paypal on the phone like a caveman, it’s legit. When I go to my account on the computer is says account limited.

Do you guys upload pictures of your driver’s licenses to paypal? Should I? I’d almost rather just stop using paypal altogether. (Of course, she said I can’t close the account until I upload a driver’s license.)

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/2 "2025-09-29T20:48:41Z")

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Yeah, the “[know your customer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_your_customer)” requirements of financial companies can sometimes result in annoying situations for users. Venmo (which is part of PayPal) kept asking me for my social security number the other day, over plaintext email no less. It took me several days of back-and-forths with them to finally get a secure upload to them. It’s a pretty normal thing that can happen if they suspect anything wrong with your account.

If you want to keep using PayPal, I think you just have to jump through the hoops to prove to them that you’re you. They’d rather put the onus on you (and risk losing a single customer) than be on the hook for fraud resulting from insufficient verification.

If you don’t want to use them anymore, just make sure you invalidate any credit cards you have with them. If you have bank accounts linked to them, and they refuse to close or delete your account, you might have to see if your state has laws (like privacy laws) that might force them to on request. Otherwise you’re SOL. They have all the power and you have the option to maybe engage in arbitration with them.

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/3 "2025-09-30T14:22:29Z")

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> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> Do you guys upload pictures of your driver’s licenses to paypal? Should I? I’d almost rather just stop using paypal altogether. (Of course, she said I can’t close the account until I upload a driver’s license.)

I would, for Paypal. We’ve had a relationship for decades now and a DL is not unreasonable for a bank-client identity verification reason. And the extra IRL artifact on the account might really save your skin if something does happen with theft, fraud, errors, etc down the road.

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/4 "2025-10-01T22:24:34Z")

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> [@Reply](#):
>
> It took me several days of back-and-forths with them to finally get a secure upload to them.

The paypal site is asking me to upload a photo of my license (one file combining front and back pictures) like a regular upload. That seems less than ideal to me. I was hoping for a secure document upload like ShareFile or Zix, but no such luck.

I tried to reach a person but the phone system goes immediately to “your account is limited, here’s why, here’s what you need to do.” No words (“agent”, “operator”, etc…) or touch tones get out of it to reach a person.

I tried to bail and just not use paypal anymore, but I cannot remove my card info from the account. It says something like action failed, no doubt due to the account limit.

Should I upload my driver’s license directly to the paypal site as it’s asking me to? Any other ideas on how I can talk to a person there? I was able to yesterday but do not seem to be able to today.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/5 "2025-10-01T22:37:14Z")

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> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> The paypal site is asking me to upload a photo of my license (one file combining front and back pictures) like a regular upload.

Asking you to upload it where? If it’s to a [https://www.paypal.com](https://www.paypal.com) site, it should be fine. If they’re asking you to email it somewhere, don’t (it’s not secure). But a direct upload to a server under their control should be OK.

Do make sure it’s the real Paypal site, though, not a phishing/scam attempt. If you’re not 100% sure, ask a tech savvy friend to help.

> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> Should I upload my driver’s license directly to the paypal site as it’s asking me to?

Personally, I would, if you want to keep using Paypal. If not, talk to your credit card provider and tell them to cancel your card, give you new numbers, and disallow any transactions from Paypal. Paypal isn’t going to go out of their way to help you… they don’t really care about you or any one user.

> [@EllisDee](#):
>
> Any other ideas on how I can talk to a person there? I was able to yesterday but do not seem to be able to today.

I doubt it? You’d probably have to sue them to get a real human on the phone. Most big tech companies are built on minimizing customer service costs. You’re just a product to them, not a customer… they want you to jump through the automated hoops because it’s easier for them, not for you. They don’t care about you.

Paypal is a convenience sometimes. If it’s not worth it to you, just cancel your cards and move on. Don’t waste your time trying to get the big company to come around to meeting your needs; they won’t.

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**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-account-limited/1023493/6 "2025-10-01T22:41:34Z")

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> [@Reply](#):
>
> Asking you to upload it where? If it’s to a [https://www.paypal.com](https://www.paypal.com) site, it should be fine

Yes, their site, with the https. Okay, thanks. I’ll try that.