I have been a PayPal user for a long time now, and very often I see this problem happening to a lot of PayPal users, which is inadvertedly getting their PayPal accounts locked or limited. Limited accounts cannot send or receive funds anymore until the matter is resolved with PayPal; a costly problem in terms of time, because it could be weeks or even months before PayPal unlocks your account.
Since this problem can happen to anyone for virtually no reason, it’s best to equip yourself with some knowledge beforehand as to the plausible reasons why PayPal would actually lock up an account.
As far as I know, some of the main reasons are:
- Unverified account for too long. Do verify your account with a valid credit card and not postpone this vital step for too long. It really appears as though PayPal places a lot of stock on verified accounts, and are quick to lock out accounts that are not verified for extended periods of time (and yet receiving money). On the other hand, a valid credit card shows PayPal that your bank has issued you a card because they already verified you; and PayPal considers it a bonafide ID verification.
- Logging into your account from an IP that is not from your country, or worse, from a non PayPal country (any country not listed in the PayPal website). This raises a red flag with PayPal because it could mean that someone was making unauthorised logins into your account. Before you go for long distance trips ouside of your country, it is best to inform PayPal via an email, about your destination and intention.
- Verified accounts using VCC (virtual credit cards). Virtual credit cards are not safe to use for this purpose because there is no way to verify the identity of the card holder; a common red flag that is getting some attention these days.
- A lot of incoming funds all of a sudden, is also something that could raise a red flag with PayPal, especially if they originate from shady people with previously bad account conduct. Try upgrading to a Business or Premier PayPal account whenever that is possible.
Of late, I notice that PayPal have become pretty aggresive in locking accounts for the smallest of reasons. If your PayPal account got limited, it is best to call them up and supply them with whatever info that PayPal has requested from you. Doing so will help in restoring your PayPal account in the least amount of time.
It is also worth bearing in mind that PayPal on occasion, may conduct random checks on accounts, and if they find something suspicious, will definitely not hesitate in locking an account without really taking the trouble to find out why……..something I would describe as typically PayPal. So good luck in your journey with PayPal. 🙂