Warning - PayPal.me  exposes your real name, cannot delete - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 02:27:05 pm
content: So, I was checking my paypal account, and noticed their recent addition of a 'paypal.me' service.The purpose is to allow people to send money to you via a URL, of the formhttps://www.paypal.me/some_nameSeems like a fine idea, but it's a trap.While setting it up attached to your existing paypal account, it asks you for a name to use as some_name in the URL.Fine, it lets you choose anything that isn't taken, so of course I chose TerraHertz, which I use in many places.It does warn you that once chosen, this CAN NEVER BE CHANGED, and you can only have one. Also bearable...But then, once setup is finished, you get to see the web page that will be visible to everyone who goes to that URL.Guess what? It has your FULL REAL NAME there, not the 'some_name' you chose for the URL.So this bloody thing exposes your real name as attached to whatever online nic you selected.AND YOU CANNOT CHANGE OR DELETE IT! They actually insist it is forever.You can 'turn the page off', and I have. But you can't expunge the bloody thing and start again. And they don't seem to warn you about this name exposure during the setup. That's outrageous and totally unacceptable. More of this fascist 'you must reveal your real name online' bullcrap.Thehttp://backgroundchecks.org/justdeleteme/entry for Paypal shows as hard but possible to remove an account.However if you want to keep your paypal account and only delete the paypal.me disaster, it's impossible.Has anyone else walked into this trap?Had any luck getting out of it?

author: ZeTeX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 03:41:07 pm
content: Somebody should contact PayPal and tell them about this shit, and hopefully they will fix it.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 03:48:46 pm
content: Quote from: ZeTeX on September 23, 2016, 03:41:07 pmI can't tell whether you are being ironic, sarcastic, or naive.Paypal, _respond_? And do you imagine the way they structured it, wasn't the result of careful crafting to achieve the precise degree of bastardry-factor they wanted?I did leave a feedback comment much the same as above, while trying to find a way to delete the settings. I'll let you know if they respond. Aaaaany moment now, I'm sure.(Need a skeleton with cobwebs emoticon.)

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 04:47:34 pm
content: Thanks.If you search keywords: Paypal, fraud, attorney general etc., you'll find they've habitually crossed paths with US law because of business practice, the latest is Venmo app.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal#LitigationI avoid using paypal or any of its related service unless I'm forced too, which are for me, nearly always eBay vendors who wish to be paid via Paypal; I use single use virtual credit cards as a routine.When small business owners ask, I steer them to Amazon pay. Since inception reputable, reliable, full disclosure, and so far, no problems with US law.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 05:56:35 pm
content: Another polarizing issue. I've used PayPal since the beginning and have NEVER had any issues, buying or selling things. Through eBay and with other vendors. I use PayPal as much as possible to avoid having to use my credit card on multiple sits, all of which keep the number somewhere in their backend for absolutely no reason whatsoever - Encrypted or not, there is no reason to store credit card numbers once a transaction has been processed, but look at nearly any POS software and you will find it stores the numbers, independent of any option offered tot eh shopper to save the card for future purchases (and I REALLY hope no one clicks OK to that, EVER).

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 07:41:19 pm
content: I don't know anything about PayPal's current policies but a few years back I was only allowed to spend $10k before I had to get 'verified'. That is, give them access to my checking account. Thus ended our relationship.How stupid is it to do $10k worth of transactions without a single glitch and then blow your customer off? What, my next $1k was going south? What was magical about $10k?Anyway, these days I will use PayPal for credit card transactions that don't require an account. There's no chance I will ever go back to the way things were when I could actually spend money. As a side issue, I very rarely go to eBay because I don't want to deal with PayPal.I almost always use PayPal for credit card transactions for overseas vendors. My bank upchucks when they see a payment in a foreign country. Best to keep it local.I've only used Amazon Payments once and it worked very well. I hope more vendors will take a look at that service.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 08:05:19 pm
content: Hehe, Paypal and their shenanigans. Some years ago I had a Paypal credit card. I don't remember how or why I got it, maybe as part of getting "verified". I never used it.One day I made a small ebay purchase and it went on that credit card. Maybe I did something to cause that, maybe not, but I was completely unaware that it had happened. The monthly envelope with the bill came and I threw it away as usual. Never use it, no point in wasting time opening it. Only that one had an amount due.I got a late notice and the late charge for $9.95 was close to 50 bucks. Fine. I paid it and cancelled the card. Shortly after that I bought something and paid with my Paypal balance. A couple of days later I got an email from Paypal:QuoteNote that they are saying "sending" not "spending".I guess somehow cancelling the credit card magically "un-verified" me after 10 years? And set a immediate $500 limit? I had probably already spent thousands. I don't know. Whatever. That was back in 2014 and I've continued to buy and sell on ebay and use my Paypal account and have never heard another peep about any kind of "sending" limit. I guess they'll let me spend as much as I want.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 11:12:03 pm
content: Thanks for the warning, TerraHertz. Fortunately, the only paypal.me I have is for my business, so no personal name exposed. I won't set one up for my personal account.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 11:19:20 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on September 23, 2016, 07:41:19 pmIt is a magical number that activates KYC and AML regulatory requirements.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 11:38:11 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 23, 2016, 02:27:05 pmYou do realize that, if you give someone your email address and they send you a PayPal, your real name is exposed to that person, right?If I send you a PayPal, I can see your real name in my transaction history... So, I don't see the big deal about your real name being shown on this page? It's not like they're publishing your SSN for all the world to see.More to the point, if I'm going to send someone money, I damn well want to have their real name, so I can track them down if they try to screw me over!In fact, knowing your email or even a username (like TerraHertz) that you use in multiple places on the Web, I bet it wouldn't take me more than 10 minutes to find your real name, possibly even a phone number and home address! Any amateur internet detective could do it.This isn't a big deal.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 11:41:42 pm
content: Err, have you tried looking at that page with a private browser tab? Maybe it's showing that to *you* because of a cookie, cuz I don't see nothing athttps://www.paypal.me/TerraHertzexcept"Your friend has grabbed their PayPal.Me link, but isn’t sharing it with the world just yet. Check back soon.Is it your link?"

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2016, 11:44:42 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on September 23, 2016, 07:41:19 pmGenerally, when a question begins with those words, the answer will involve the government somehow.

author: Jeff_Birt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 12:58:47 am
content: If I am doing a financial transaction with someone I want to know their name and always provide my name. I also use my real name on forums. Why try to hide who you are? Seems a bit dodgy to me to expect someone to send money to an alias.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 01:12:08 am
content: Quote from: timb on September 23, 2016, 11:38:11 pmTook 1 minute to find *a* name, if it's TerraHertz' real one I don't know, but it's a real name for somebody in his locale matched with his username and associated with some other sites that seem aligned with similar interests.Did TerraHertz' just took a leaf out of Ms Streisand's book :-)

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:07:15 am
content: Quote from: rrinker on September 23, 2016, 05:56:35 pmI never had any issues with them either. But then I never use it to make purchases that involves a lot of money. Just small junk here n there.

author: Jeff_Birt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:53:26 am
content: Quote from: AntiProtonBoy on September 24, 2016, 02:07:15 amI have done business through PayPal for years, several hundred thousand dollars, without one issue. Individual sales can run from $20 to $5K, no worries. I have had 4 disputes over all of these years and PayPal was fair in all of them. I challenge anyone complaining about PayPal based on the fact that they have had lawsuits brought against them to name one large company who has not. I have even used PayPal to make purchases from Chinese companies for $1K plus, much safer than a wire transfer as you have a chance at filing a dispute. Wen you wire money it is just gone.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:55:13 am
content: Legally change your name, problem solved.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 03:01:53 am
content: Quote from: XOIIO on September 24, 2016, 02:55:13 amMr. Tin F. Hat.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 06:18:32 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on September 23, 2016, 11:41:42 pmThat's because after seeing what it looks like when enabled, I 'turned it off'. Paypal.me can be enabled/disabled whenever you like. But not changed or deleted. Yes, I did check from another browser.I'm aware of paypal's long history of suspect behaviors, including freezing people's accounts if they suddenly receive a lot of money (thus making that money available for paypal's use for many months of 'resolution' process.) Also a tendency to freeze accounts for political reasons, with a specific bias.Personally I've never had any problems with paypal, apart from that if you spend money via paypal it rapidly extracts from your bank account, but if you receive money and transfer it to your bank account, it typically takes a week to show up. More funds in their short term investment chest no doubt.But there are plenty of other places to discuss paypal's general obnoxiousness. Please let's keep this thread about the paypal.me identity exposure and inflexibility.Yes, I did know that when you make a papal payment you can see the recipient's identity. This is not so bad, since you're committing to a transaction. The point with paypal.me is it exposes your identity to anyone who looks at the page. It's an incremental thing, a step too far imo.It's ironic that ebay takes such pains to block ebay users being able to even contact each other outside the anonymizing ebay messaging system. (To discourage off-ebay deals.) While paypal does the opposite.Quote from: sleemanj on September 24, 2016, 01:12:08 amYeah, I don't try hard to hide it, and it can be found on my website. Other places too, probably.Purpose of this thread is just to warn people, that setting up a paypal.me account makes your real name totally exposed, in conjunction with whatever nic you used for the account. And that isn't made clear when you begin the process, and you can't back out once you have created it and discover what it does.There should be a warning right at the start: "Your real name and your chosen paypal.me name will be displayed together for all to see."QuoteHa, my 15mSec of infamy.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 06:53:15 am
content: Funny we were having a conversation similar to this today at work. Our hospital ER installed a phone before you go into the triage room, so when they call your number you have to pickup the phone, and then they start asking you questions such as why you're there. So you're basically talking about your medical issues, in front of everybody, on this phone. Seems like a privacy issue to me.Do organizations just blatantly completely not care about privacy anymore? It's actually getting quite ridiculous in general.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 08:52:52 am
content: Thing is you are not yet in the ER, just in the waiting room, which is full of all the walk in's, and not actually in earshot of any medical people.Best would be for them to go find an old telephone booth ( remember those) which is padded with acoustic lining, which will attenuate the conversation and improve the intelligibility of the call on both sides. That would be a good compromise between having a private phone booth and no booth at all, providing both a place for the phone and a shelf to place paperwork on to complete it during the call.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 09:16:35 am
content: Damn, that sounds bad

author: ade
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 09:44:44 am
content: It's a feature, not a bug.PayPal.me issupposedto show your real name (or for a business, the actual business name) plus your real picture if any. That's how your friends know they're sending money to the right account.I mean, right on the paypal.me homepage shows how profiles will be displayed:From the FAQ:https://www.paypal.me/pages/faqsQuoteDon't complain that PayPal is "exposing" your real name when you sign up for a service that's supposed to do just that!

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 10:13:50 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on September 24, 2016, 06:18:32 amActually, you can see the recipient's name *before* committing to send the money. Once you enter their email and amount, the person (or business) name associated with the account will show up on the confirmation page.The whole point of PayPal.me is the ability to give a handy link out to people so they can easily pay you. You'd *want* them to be able to verify they're paying the right person.I just don't see how them displaying your name, on *your* page is any sort of problem. They even *explicitly* tell you what will be on the page, before you enable it.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 10:41:54 am
content: Quote from: ade on September 24, 2016, 09:44:44 amBut is it possible to remain anonymous if you so desire? i.e. have a displayed handle that doesn't identify you, and have your private real name in the back end of the system for legal reason etc?Public figures such as myself have to be careful with this not to have any system reveal my home address for example, but the home address is a legal requirement to sign up for the system.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 10:44:47 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on September 24, 2016, 06:57:07 amNot in the case of the US I believe were the emergency wards of hospitals (because of their non-universal health care) is used to treat everything from a runny nose to a heart attack.

author: ade
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 11:02:42 am
content: Dave assuming you're setup as a sole trader under your own name, perhaps you can register a DBA business name (e.g., "eevblog", if not already) and Paypal should be able to set up your account under the DBA name and business address. If your Paypal account is currently a "personal" account then they should be able to upgrade it to a business account.In any case paypal.me should not display your full address, only registered name and city.

author: batteksystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 11:56:27 am
content: As paypal is primary used as an alternative for wire transfer for me, so it is okay to show my real name on it, it is still much safer than wire transfer, in which the other side will know both your real name and account. As other said, open an business account would allow you to hide your real name and use your company name as legal entity instead.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 01:41:47 pm
content: Quote from: ade on September 24, 2016, 11:02:42 amI don't have any problem, I'm just mentioning that some people need to be careful about such things and I've noticed many platforms that have automatically displayed my address or phone number or whatever when I didn't want them to.

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 01:48:44 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 24, 2016, 10:44:47 amThat happens mainly because of our out of control illegal immigration problem. Conservative estimates put the number at 11.5 million. Half the population of Australia. Crazy, isn't it? You guys don't extend healthcare to everyone that just waltzes into the country either. You just don't have anywhere near as many of them as we do.

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:11:30 pm
content: Anyhow, for what it's worth if someone wants to know where you live, they will know where you live. It's pretty much as simple as that. I don't advertise my address and generally use a P.O. box for business correspondence, but it's also not that big of a deal if anyone knows.re: real name for PayPalSeems a little weird to give someone money and not even know their real name. What are you hiding from? Then again, I always think it's weird people don't use their real name on forums. Whatever.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:12:58 pm
content: What's real, my full legal name or the name I prefer to be known by?

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:14:48 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on September 24, 2016, 02:12:58 pmWhatever name I need to give the police when you stiff me!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 12:02:47 am
content: PayPal is one of those necessary evils. I occasionally sell stuff on ebay and it forces you to accept PayPal payments as a method of receiving money, which is fine for me, at least I'm then protected against scammers by the PayPal seller protection policy.That said, PayPal only have minimal details about me on their system in order to receive money from other people, the rest of the information they requested is either fictitious or not provided at all. I've refused to send copies of my driving licence to Paypal, so my account is in "limited" status (and has been for years) but it still allows me to transfer money into my bank account. In fact, the only thing I can't do while my account is restricted is close the account. Who cares?They don't even have my "proper" bank details. My bank allows me to set up sub-accounts which give me a new and unique external bank account number but it's linked to my primary account. Paypal only have details of this sub-account which I only use for Paypal. If there is ever an issue, I can simply close the sub-account rendering that account number invalid, without affecting my everyday banking account.Stuff them, PayPal don't need to know anything more about me. Not my date of birth, not where I live. Just my name (which is different to my legal name), dedicated PayPal bank account number and BSB.I suggest everyone who uses ebay and PayPal in Australia registers for anAustralia Post Parcel Collectaddress. It doesn't cost anything and keeps your physical address private. You just get assigned a Parcel Collect number along with the address of the Post Office, so when you stuff arrives, you get notified and you go and collect it. For example, my Parcel Collect address (and the one you provide when you order things) might be:Parcel Collect 12345181 Castlereagh StreetSYDNEY NSW 2000

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 01:42:07 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on September 24, 2016, 08:52:52 amYep exactly, there should be a separate room that you go in, talk on the phone, then another door to go in the actual medical section. I think this started around the Ebola time just as a precaution so it was a really quick fix to just slap a phone on the wall and have it programmed to auto dial an extension.Back to the website related privacy stuff, another issue that I personally overlooked when I registered my own domain is that your address and all your info ends up in the whois info. You can either pay extra for security, or get a PO box. I did the PO box thing for a while but they did not offer auto pay, so it was a pain having to make sure to manually go pay for it. So I gave that up and ended up just swallowing the cost of whois privacy on all my domains.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 03:02:25 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on September 25, 2016, 01:42:07 amOr just do what I do and not supply any information at all in my domains whois information. At the end of the day, the registrar has my contact details if they need to get in touch with me. Saves having to pay for service you can just do for free yourself.For example:

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 04:08:36 am
content: That isn't allowed for all TLDs. Some (like .com) require you to have a valid address (which might not be your own address). Others (like .eu I think) require that your primary business address be used.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 04:27:53 am
content: Quote from: helius on September 25, 2016, 04:08:36 amNever been a drama for me in the past and I've registered .com, .net and other TLDs. My registrar couldn't care less as long as the bill gets paid (and they are one of the bigger ones). 10+ years and no one has said a thing.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 11:23:34 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on September 25, 2016, 04:27:53 amYes, but someone could make your life miserable if they wanted. They can report you to your registrar and they would force you to change it; if you don't they'll suspend your domain until you do.I ended up just setting up a P.O. Box for my domains and stuff.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 12:04:43 pm
content: My ones have my name, but the address and contact details is that of my ISP.If you are using a registrar they often put thier contact details in those fields, saves having to update when it expires and they auto renew on your behalf. If you do not pay they then just keep it, and make it difficult to transfer it to another registrar.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 09:33:45 pm
content: Quote from: timb on September 25, 2016, 11:23:34 amMeh, if that happens, I'll deal with it then. I'm not running a business or anything critical off them so suspension isn't such a big deal.

author: vollhorst
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 03, 2019, 08:25:41 pm
content: Here is an example of an anonymous Paypal.me website:https://www.paypal.me/marvmarv2016You'll will only get the real name and e-mail, when you actually do a transaction. But you stay anonymous for all those who refuse to send you money ;-)Don't know how to set it up though.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2019, 10:50:53 pm
content: Doesn't the main PayPal website do this as well?i.e. when setting up web donation forms etc.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2019, 01:26:08 am
content: I don't really care about the name thing, but I may have two paypal accounts, the second is some random characters. So it would be easy enough to use that one publicly then transfer to the other as needed.Quote from: vollhorst on December 03, 2019, 08:25:41 pmThey've either set their name or business name as "marvmarv", presumably the second if paypal won't let you have a one word name?