Fun with Paypal

[markshan]

I got an email with the following title...

We noticed an issue with your account

It said in part...

On February 02, 2020, you sent a payment (****6733) for the
amount of $25 for, "Ahmad and Wes." Please provide the following
information:

• The date of birth for Ahmad.

It seems they think I am involved in human trafficking as when I went to my account I found the following notice there...

Your account access is temporarily limited
You may be buying or selling goods or services that are regulated or prohibited by the U.S. government.
We would like to learn more about your business and/or some of your recent transactions.

I sent the following response...

Ahmad is Ahmad Jamal. According to Wikipedia, Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For five decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. This would make him 89 years old if my math is correct. BTW, "Wes" is Wes Montgomery. Please let me know if you also require his Wikipedia information.

Seems kind of Orwellian, doesn't it?

 

[Archguy]

Ahmad Jamal is still alive? WTG Ahmad! Love that guy.

 

[markshan]

Ahmad Jamal is still alive? WTG Ahmad! Love that guy.

But apparently 89 year old dudes go two for $25 these days!

 

[markshan]

I was rather proud of the line "Please let me know if you also require his Wikipedia information." Seemed to strike just the right balance of smarm and factuality.

 

[cubby01]

Next hit them up with the Wes Montgomery entry

Oops, reread and saw you did. How did they know about your purchase ?

 

[markshan]

How did they know about your purchase ?

I assume it was some automated system scanning everything.

 

[teal'c]

I'm thinking it's more about supplying money to terrorists than human trafficking.

 

[ETLS]

This should back them off.

 

[PPstereo]

I'd have responded their analytical data mismatched you.

Your more an abstract jazz type and helped funnel in money for
Ornette Coleman in his final years around 2011.

And if they take the bait shift it to Coleman Company and start
talking lanterns.

It never gets dull if your up to it

 

[Archguy]

Ornette Coleman, now that guy's a terrorist.

 

[markshan]

I'm thinking it's more about supplying money to terrorists than human trafficking.

I wondered about that too but why would they ask for a birthday?

 

[zoombrewer77]

Everyone knows human traffickers only use BitCoin.

I buy from you fairly often. I’m going to start tagging mine “for the thing with the thing”.

 

[teal'c]

I wondered about that too but why would they ask for a birthday?

Got me, but the web is full of weird PP stories. Was it a FF payment? Verifying that you know the person you're sending cash to is the only reason I can think of for them to ask you for the age of someone else.

I would expect if they thought you were involved in slavery they would just shut down your account, not limit it.

 

[PE9ZZ]

The Dutch colloquialism for Paypal is "Doksnol", literally pay whore. They certainly ain't my pal.

 

[Wildcat]

I’m going to start tagging mine “for the thing with the thing”.

These?



But then PayPal would want to know their birthdays...

 

[markshan]

It seems my explanation was adequate for them as my account is functional again, at least for the moment. You'd think they would have sent me some sort of note about it though, something like "We are sorry we were such doofuses, we'd like to say it won't happen again but of course we can't".

 

[visman]

What’s interesting to me is that Paypal actually believes you would put the human traffic/terrorist names into the subject matter of a payment! Can they really be that stupid?

 

[teal'c]

Can they really be that stupid?

You haven't looked around lately, have you? Stupidity abounds.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/thief-leaves-wallet-at-crime-scene/72013/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35785834

An Instagrammer tried to make a viral video by joking he might have coronavirus on a plane. Instead he forced an emergency landing and got arrested.

 

[Wildcat]

The criminal mind is, to put it nicely, not one of the sharpest in the crayon box.

My better half had an hours-long course for her legal admin degree down at UDM, taught by none other than Ike McKinnon (former Detroit police chief) and the stories he told were often hilarious in how dumb criminals could be...including organized crime! I guess there's a reason they're not brain surgeons, eh?

 

[Wildcat]

But apparently 89 year old dudes go two for $25 these days!

For some reason, the song title "Two-Bit Manchild" came straight to my mind when I read that.