This is a follow up to my post “Banned by PayPal“
When I was informed that my PayPal account was “permanently limited” (aka: banned) and that PayPal would be holding my balance of $5,149 for six-months, I thought there was not much I could do. I appealed the decision to limit (ban) my account and PayPal denied it. Since I did not need the balance of $5,149 that PayPal was going to hold for 6 months I figured I would just wait it out (note that I say did not NEED it.. I want it, but I did not NEED it).
But after seeing some of the comments that readers posted on my original “my PayPal account was limited” post I started to feel a bit victimized and angry, and a bit like PayPal was pushing me around and doing whatever they wanted with my balance. I decided that instead of feeling like I was going to just lay down and let PayPal rape me that I would fight back one last time.
So based on a comment posted by Lucas explaining how he got his funds released after PayPal limited his account, I sat down and wrote this little email:
RE: Case PP-xxx-yyy-zzz
I am respectfully requesting that the hold on my funds/account be lifted. I am not necessarily requesting that my account be re-opened or allowed to continue to use the PayPal service, as I have already taken my business to your largest competitor and I am no longer in need of PayPal’s services.
I have previously requested a review/appeal of my case which was denied. Although I still disagree with the decision to deny my appeal I will abide by it – however because I feel that holding my funds for 180 days for a non-fraudulent violation of PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy is excessive, and perhaps a punitive abuse of power, I will be filing complaints with the following agencies on Wednesday morning, April 23, 2008 if I am not satisfied with PayPal’s response to this request to release my funds:
(agencies in the states that I reside or have a business presence in)
The California Office of the Attorney General
http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=CLThe Washington State Office of the Attorney General
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspxThe Florida Office of the Attorney General
http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contactThe Arizona Office of the Attorney General
http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contactAdditionally:
The United States Federal Reserve
http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/complaintinfo.cfm?info=1
(I understand that PayPal does not operate as a “bank” which is precisely why they may be interested in such complaints)The Better Business Bureau:
https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/complaintlink.aspxAll complaints will be filed “online” Wednesday morning April 23, 2008 and written copies will also be sent via certified postal mail.
I understand PayPal’s need for holding funds for credit card chargeback purposes, however a review of my account history for the last year will reveal a very low chargeback rate as well as a very high customer-satisfaction rate. I feel that any reasonable person would conclude that holding my entire balance for 180 days is excessive and my be viewed by some as punitive or as already stated, an unnecessary abuse of power and perhaps even contrary to the laws of some states. That being said I have no problem with, and agree to leaving a balance of $500 for credit card chargeback purposes for the duration of the 180 days. I feel that this is a fair resolution while still leaving PayPal with the means to charge back any future credit card disputes to my account.
Please be aware that replying with the standard “this is part of the terms of service that you agreed to” will not satisfy my request, or deter me from filing my complaints with the agencies listed above on the morning of Wednesday April 23. It will be up to those agencies to determine if PayPal is operating within the law, abusing power, etc. I am simply seeking a resolution that is fair and in the best interest of both parties.
Thank you for your time again in looking into this matter.
Case PP-xxx-yyy-zzz
I addressed the email to the following addresses: account-review@paypal.com; aup@paypal.com; complaint-response@paypal.com; resolutions@paypal.com; escalations@paypal.com; complaints@paypal.com; RDutta@paypal.com; sthompson@paypal.com; crme@paypal.com; press@paypal.com; exec.relations@ebay.com
UPDATE September 2017 – See the bottom of this post for an updated list of PayPal email address
Rdutta@paypal.com and Sthompson@paypal.com were as best as I could tell the guys in charge at PayPal, press@paypal.com and exec.relations@paypal.com appear to be their press people, and the others are all of the “escalation” email address that I could find – most of which I got from PayPalSucks.com. (see updated list of email address at the bottom of this post)
I did my best to word the email as politely as I could and basically told them that they had 48 hours to respond or I would start complaining to whoever would listen. I spell-checked it and hit the SEND button at 1:48PM California time on Sunday afternoon.
Approx 5 hours later, at just a little after 7PM California time on Sunday night my phone rang. CallerID said it was from the 402 area code and listed it simply as “Nebraska”.. Hmm.. Who could be calling me from Nebraska this late on a Sunday evening? Could it be Shoemoney calling or might it be someone from PayPal headquarters working late??
Sure enough, when I picked up the phone a very nice lady at the other end explained that she was calling from PayPal regarding the email I had sent earlier in the day. She had reviewed my account, agreed that my chargebacks had been virtually zero over the previous year, and that although PayPal would not be re-opening (or un-banning) my account, they would be transferring $5,000 of my $5,149 balance into my bank account. They would hold the remaining $149 for the balance of the 180 days at which time it would automatically be transferred into my bank account. Heck, that’s better than I had asked for in my email!
So – although having my PayPal account banned has been a huge inconvenience, being forced to switch to Google Checkout is still working to my advantage (making me more money), and now that PayPal will be releasing all but $149 of my funds, I can say that I’m pretty happy.
Now, if you’ve been banned by Paypal, before you go copying and pasting my email to try and get your funds released remember that I have had my PayPal account for a few years with virtually zero complaints and very few disputes or chargebacks. If you have been involved in fraudulent activity, been ripping people off, selling body parts, etc, you probably wont make out as well as I have (nor should you). However if your account has been in good standing and you have a low rate of disputes you may be able to get your funds released before the 180 day period that PayPal imposes by letting them know that you just wont stand for it and that you will complain to anyone that will listen.
W00t!

Update November 2013: Thanks to A.Chip who has compiled some tips that he used to get his money back when he emailed his letter:
- Before I sent the email to Paypal, I made an email list inside my email account named “PayPal Emails” and put all the Paypal email addresses on that list. When it was time to send the email, I put the “appeals@paypal.com” email address on the “To:” line, and put the list in the “Bcc:” line so no one else in the company could see who else I sent the email to. Everyone who got the email could only see that I sent it to the Appeals department. Other Paypal victims should practice this technique with their own personal emails first to make sure it works before sending their email to Paypal. People in the “Bcc:” line should not be able to see any other email addresses except the one in the “To:” line.
- After I sent the letter to Paypal, I received an email from the Appeals department stating they investigated my case, but still ruled against me. The following day I received the email from the executive at Paypal saying he would refund the money. At Paypal, it is clear that thy left hand has no clue what thy right hand is doing. So if a victim gets a rejection email after sending their letter, keep waiting. Someone else from the executive office will most likely respond later on with a real solution.
Update September 2017: New list of email addresses provided by readers:
david.marcus@paypal.com, moldenburg@paypal.com, sthompson@paypal.com, mhentges@paypal.com, crme@paypal.com
mvergara@paypal.com, cwong@paypal.com, executiveoffice@paypal.com, harbor1@paypal.com,ppelce@paypal.com
Europeanservices@paypal.com, resolutions@paypal.com, appeals@paypal.com,compliance@paypal.com,aup@paypal.com
press@paypal.com, apires@paypal.com, global2@paypal.com, intl@paypal.com, ppe_courtesycredit@paypal.com, scott@paypal.com, complaint-response@paypal.com, abuse@paypal.com, Europeanservices@paypal.com, service@paypal.com, mbarrett@paypal.com, thoffman@paypal.com, jamiep@paypal.com, sphillips@paypal.com, moldenburg@paypal.com, mmelville@paypal.com, rpelegero@paypal.com cscheible@paypal.com, rmansell@paypal.com, cfrezzo@paypal.com, rxovox@paypal.com, dchiu@paypal.com, bleggett@paypal.com, nswanson@paypal.com
sgorman@paypal.com, sbraunstein@paypal.com, zxin@paypal.com, asteingruebl@paypal.com, jstephenson@paypal.com
nharvey@paypal.com, pierre.pellissier@paypal.com, japalmer@paypal.com, smcconnell@paypal.com
svolk@paypal.com, pierre.pallissier@paypal.com
jwebster@paypal.com, ihaque@paypal.com, jcavanaugh@paypal.com, philipp@paypal.com
pjustus@paypal.com,sguilfoyle@paypal.com, jennishow@thesync.com, jbainbridge@paypal.com, canderson@paypal.com
gcassels@paypal.com, esalvatierra@paypal.com, nmezo@paypal.com, snikolaev@paypal.com, rbhargava@paypal.com
sanjain@paypal.com, dtm@paypal.com,hhall@paypal.com, frzhou@paypal.com, christian.steiner@paypal.com,petera.thiel@paypal.com
bsims@paypal.com, strikha@paypal.com, mobile@paypal.com, dcouncill@paypal.com, tblackwood@paypal.com,
rpelegaro@paypal.com, mlapus@paypal.com, anayar@paypal.com, dspievack@paypal.co.uk, rclick@paypal.com, matthew@paypal.com, mwebb@paypal.com, mhiggins@paypal.com, pvogt@ebay.com, mark.osullivan@paypal.com,
gforman@ebay.com, cshihady@ebay.com, teampaypal@accesspr.com
My account was Limited this January for Proof of Identity and to provide the updated Address information.
I provided.
They said ‘date is not available on the provided document’.
I was worried.
I resent the same as date was available on the documents. Same reply received. I repeat the same again for the 3rd time and got same answer from them.
After the second day I received an email from them.
Appeal denied.
I have been banned due to operating PayPal account from other country. They said ‘Our records indicate you may be residing in a country that’s different to the one where your PayPal account is registered’.
Over 6K funds are held up for 180 days. I ended all the eBay listings due to this issue.
I am living in the same country where my PayPal is registered. What should I do to restore my account? Any help please. Is my bank account statement will be considered as a proof of my residency in the country where my PayPal is registered? What update PayPal emails should I contact?
hello sir Please send a New email address of Paypal executives… Please
I’m sorry but this method doesn’t work anymore. I’m a victim. $6500k. 180 hold because of a “security risk” – we added debit cards. PP is the worst.
Worked for me, but it was for under $1000
I tried this method and they only released the $80 I had from my business account, when I asked the executive office claimed it was an error made by a new employee. However, I still have funds under $200 being held in my personal account, I sent them this email and the executive office won’t release it until 180 days, so I am trying this method again, this time without contacting the executive office.
I was 5 months in and next month (6-18-2019) was my withdraw period and said hell with paypal telling me its not possible to withdraw early until I saw this.
I emailed the updated list and it took about 5 days for a email saying I could withdraw my money out of paypal, so it’s a few days after my birthday so I’m happy I found this site and my withdrawal is now pending
Thank you very much
Do you think it will work with an account with 8k?
Its been over a Week and I havent got a single Reply. Why is that?
You would have to ask Paypal why that is, but my guess is that it is because Paypal sucks..
HI,
WHO DID YOU SEND AN EMAIL/LETTER TO?
to: appeals@paypal.com
bcc: david.marcus@paypal.com,
moldenburg@paypal.com,
sthompson@paypal.com,
mhentges@paypal.com,
crme@paypal.com,
mvergara@paypal.com,
cwong@paypal.com,
executiveoffice@paypal.com,
harbor1@paypal.com,
ppelce@paypal.com,
Europeanservices@paypal.com,
resolutions@paypal.com,
compliance@paypal.com,
aup@paypal.com,
press@paypal.com,
apires@paypal.com,
global2@paypal.com,
intl@paypal.com,
ppe_courtesycredit@paypal.com,
scott@paypal.com,
complaint-response@paypal.com,
abuse@paypal.com,
service@paypal.com,
mbarrett@paypal.com,
thoffman@paypal.com,
jamiep@paypal.com,
sphillips@paypal.com,
mmelville@paypal.com,
rpelegero@paypal.com,
cscheible@paypal.com,
rmansell@paypal.com,
cfrezzo@paypal.com,
rxovox@paypal.com,
dchiu@paypal.com,
bleggett@paypal.com,
nswanson@paypal.com,
sgorman@paypal.com,
sbraunstein@paypal.com,
zxin@paypal.com,
asteingruebl@paypal.com,
jstephenson@paypal.com,
nharvey@paypal.com,
pierre.pellissier@paypal.com,
japalmer@paypal.com,
smcconnell@paypal.com,
svolk@paypal.com,
pierre.pallissier@paypal.com,
jwebster@paypal.com,
ihaque@paypal.com,
jcavanaugh@paypal.com,
philipp@paypal.com,
pjustus@paypal.com,
sguilfoyle@paypal.com,
jennishow@thesync.com,
jbainbridge@paypal.com,
canderson@paypal.com,
gcassels@paypal.com,
esalvatierra@paypal.com,
nmezo@paypal.com,
snikolaev@paypal.com,
rbhargava@paypal.com,
sanjain@paypal.com,
dtm@paypal.com,
hhall@paypal.com,
frzhou@paypal.com,
christian.steiner@paypal.com,
petera.thiel@paypal.com,
bsims@paypal.com,
strikha@paypal.com,
mobile@paypal.com,
dcouncill@paypal.com,
tblackwood@paypal.com,
rpelegaro@paypal.com,
mlapus@paypal.com,
anayar@paypal.com,
dspievack@paypal.co.uk,
rclick@paypal.com,
matthew@paypal.com,
mwebb@paypal.com,
mhiggins@paypal.com,
pvogt@ebay.com,
mark.osullivan@paypal.com,
gforman@ebay.com,
cshihady@ebay.com,
teampaypal@accesspr.com,
appeals@paypal.com,
webform@paypal.com,
spoof@paypal.com,
pending_reversal@paypal.com
this is the updated list of all the emails that actually work, the cwong email bounces back: david.marcus@paypal.com
moldenburg@paypal.com
sthompson@paypal.com
crme@paypal.com
mvergara@paypal.com
ppelce@paypal.com
resolutions@paypal.com
compliance@paypal.com
aup@paypal.com
intl@paypal.com
ppe_courtesycredit@paypal.com
complaint-response@paypal.com
abuse@paypal.com
service@paypal.com
thoffman@paypal.com
jamiep@paypal.com
sphillips@paypal.com
moldenburg@paypal.com
mmelville@paypal.com
rpelegero@paypal.com
cscheible@paypal.com
rmansell@paypal.com
cfrezzo@paypal.com
rxovox@paypal.com
dchiu@paypal.com
bleggett@paypal.com
nswanson@paypal.com
sgorman@paypal.com
sbraunstein@paypal.com
zxin@paypal.com
asteingruebl@paypal.com
jstephenson@paypal.com
nharvey@paypal.com
pierre.pellissier@paypal.com
japalmer@paypal.com
smcconnell@paypal.com
svolk@paypal.com
pierre.pallissier@paypal.com
ihaque@paypal.com
jcavanaugh@paypal.com
philipp@paypal.com
pjustus@paypal.com
sguilfoyle@paypal.com
jennishow@thesync.com
jbainbridge@paypal.com
canderson@paypal.com
gcassels@paypal.com
esalvatierra@paypal.com
nmezo@paypal.com
snikolaev@paypal.com
rbhargava@paypal.com
dtm@paypal.com
frzhou@paypal.com
christian.steiner@paypal.com
petera.thiel@paypal.com
bsims@paypal.com
strikha@paypal.com
mobile@paypal.com
dcouncill@paypal.com
tblackwood@paypal.com
rpelegaro@paypal.com
mlapus@paypal.com
rclick@paypal.com
matthew@paypal.com
mwebb@paypal.com
pvogt@ebay.com
gforman@ebay.com
cshihady@ebay.com
teampaypal@accesspr.com
I just recently sold an item for 4500.00. A day after the item was shipped out, I received an email notifying me that my pay-pal account was frozen and inactive. Now that my item has been shipped, received and paid for, I am unable to get my funds for 180 days? I have no idea why and when I called to speak with a CSR no one could tell me why they DE-activated my account. i am totally screwed and now going to BE homeless. This is absurd and by no means necessary!!!! PLEASE GIVE ME AN UPDATED LIST AS TO WHERE AND THE BEST PLACES TO SEND THIS TO ? i LIVE IN WISCONSIN.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
pay pal is holding my funds due to a upload of identification error which was due to lack of cpu knowdgle on my part.. its 175.00 which part of that is from selling on ebay but 40.00 of that I have a cash receipt where I did a cash load at a dollar store.. they don’t want to listen to any of this I was turned away with a full buggie of grocies and have been struggling and arguing with these non-listing people for over a month now…. I need my money some one help me hit my line and let me know if u can help at imupone0821@gmail.com make the subject line paypal help so ill know for sure u read this…. thanks in advance
Hello can somebody helped me? Paypal was locked because they told me i created mine when i was below 18 years old of age. But im already 18 now and the account has 600$ on it
it won’t let me withdraw or send funds on it. i really need the money so badly :/
can anyone help me ! Tyvm
Anyone got an updated list of emails?
Wow I am not alone
They hold my money from my paypal account within 180 days. I want to get my money then close my account as well.
I have had an account with paypal for over 5 years. No chargebacks, no complaints. I opened a new account for my new CBD business 6 months ago. I spoke with one of their consultants before opening it to see if there were any problems. She said no, and there wouldn’t even be a hold on funds in the new account because I was such a good customer. She said the call was recorded. She KNEW it was CBD and I now find out they don’t allow accounts for it. They cancelled ALL my accounts and are holding over $3,000 of mine for 180 days. I can only imagine that it was the CBD. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m going to fight them till my dying breath! This is just a way for them to have assets for their portfolio!
any up to date email addresses – I am the uk?