Paypal asking me to be dodgy

[Feckingpaypal]

I’ve had to open a paypal account to pay for a service as the business has changed ownership and card payment is currently being changed over. Paypal are saying they can’t verify my account unless I get the date of birth of a specific employee. Can anybody tell me if this is normal?

Read this info and see if you think it's real then

www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/article/how-can-i-tell-if-an-email-is-genuinely-from-paypal-faq2061

Total SCAM. What information have you given to the entity purporting to be Paypal? Please check your bank account as you have just given access to it to the scammers. What other personal information have you given to them? Who told you to open a Paypal account? What type of business is this that asked you to do so?

More info here www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/phishing

You are probably being scammed. Hover your mouse over the email address, see what comes up. That email address has caused issues for a while

www.paypal-community.com/t5/About-Payments-Archive/Is-service-paypal-com-valid/td-p/1027292

www.paypal-community.com/t5/About-Payments-Archive/Is-service-paypal-com-valid/td-p/1027292

Report it to Paypal's phishing email, I'll let you look it up so you know it is real.

NOW check your bank!

Sorry... and then clean your computer.

Bugger! I meant clean your computer and then RING your bank! Don't log into any secure account until you are sure!

Sorry, that sounds scary, but that is such an odd thing for them to request it surely must be a scam!

That email is not genuine OP - the grammar is poor (no self-respecting compliance department would draft any such thing) and not the work of a multi national company.

And anyway, asking for the DOB of a specific person is bizarre and makes no sense. Unless the person is you.

I’ve just been on the phone to paypal and I’m awaiting a callback from the business I was paying the deposit to, as the transaction won’t got through without I supply them with the other persons date of birth. I asked the paypal woman if she would be able to give out any of her colleagues date of births and she said she couldn’t but that they are entitled to ask for this information. I followed up with how am I meant to get this information if it’s against the law for a business to give it out. She didn’t know but insists it’s well within their rights to ask for it. I’m just going to wait for the callback to see if I can drop the deposit off in cash and that I haven’t lost my appointment. At least it wasn’t a scam and as soon as this payment is or isn’t done I’ll be closing the account down. If it’ll let me do it without providing them with someone else’s personal details. Twats. Thank you for your help.

I hope you got the phone number from PayPal direct!

Sorry, but it really is NOT something they can ask you for!

I’ve checked my bank account just to be on the safe side and it’s fine, just the deposit and the business name. I have used this business before but I could click on paypal and pay with a card before it changed ownership, no the date of birth wasn’t even for the new owner. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Scam

I’m confused about what it is you’re doing though. You need to pay a company and have opened a new PayPal account to do this. But the account is not yet open (pending verification) and until it’s open you can’t pay the company? Is that correct?

Where did you get the phobe number from, hopefully not from the email! I've used PayPal personal and business accounts for years and never had anything like that.

Are you sure you’re really interacting with PayPal?
As others have said up thread. Make sure you google PayPal contact details and do not contact them through the email you received

Where did you get the phone number from? The email or the actual PayPal site that you googled (ie not through the email link?)?

It's the most bizarre request I've ever heard! I can only presume it's a scam which needs that employees date of birth to access that employees account. I'd warn the employee and PayPal!

You don't seem to be listening to anything people are telling you, OP.
What number for you call and where did you get it from?

You can also clearly see the email address is .com rather than .co.uk.
Scam!

Oh god I read that as “penpal asking me to do doggy” off to bleach my mind

I'm not saying that this isn't a scam, (because it obviously is), but I think it's .com, not co.uk, even in the UK

Yep I've just checked all my emails from PayPal and it's definitely .co.uk not .com
Must be a scam.
Do you trust the business you are trying to pay?

I’ve just checked and all my (VALID) PayPal emails are from [email protected]

And the official website says they will never ask for date of birth in an email

Where did you get the phone number from?

I stand corrected! Thanks for the correction @Ellapaella and @WidowTwonky

Let's just hope that OP hasn't given out any financial details. Presumably you entered your PayPal password, OP? You will need to change that (but open PayPal from Google in a new window to do this)

This is clearly a scam but I wouldn't necessarily put great store in what paypal say.

I had an issue with them when querying a possible dodgy email, it was a while ago so can't remember the details but I do remember that they gave me incorrect information.

OP why not pay the company via online banking?

I'm also confused as to what you are doing. If you already had a paypal account all you do is change the payee details. You don't need to open a whole new account!