PayPal and PCF (1 Viewer)

[atomiktoaster]

Lots of people here have gone through PayPal review after using the letters "PCF" in the notes section. It takes a couple days, and there are vague references to federal laws, banking regulations and terrorism. What's your best guess for the name of the nefarious organization that's also using our acronym?

I'm gonna go with the Pittsburgh Child Fondlers.

 

[Whiteside]

Yes, I had that as well. I learned that it is better to leave no notes and send a PM instead.

 

[Shaggy]

Yes, I had that as well. I learned that it is better to leave no notes and send a PM instead.

+1 to this. That is my takeaway from this debacle.

 

[eztrekker]

Protestant Christen Fighters

 

[Tommy]

Yes, I had that as well. I learned that it is better to leave no notes and send a PM instead.

^^^ This too for friends and family payments. I never had an issue with a goods and services payment. I also never use the word 'Poker' in notes for either payment type.

grandgnu's suggested comment was... ISIS Christmas Party.

 

[Mr Tree]

^^^ This too for friends and family payments. I never had an issues with a goods and services payment. I also never use the word 'Poker' in notes for either payment type.

grandgnu's suggested comment was... ISIS Christmas Party.

Just a thought, but I'd prefer Homeland Security to NOT be investigating our meat ups! [emoji33]

 

[Gear]

+1 again, to pile on. I rarely say anything more than "Here's the money I owe you, as we discussed" or something like that. Specific references are unnecessary and only get flagged.

 

[Poker Zombie]

PCF - The Poker Chip Forum:

Terrorising bank accounts since 2013!

 

[bmichaelhorn]

This:

http://pakistancyberforce.blogspot.com

And / or this:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Communist_Party

may be the reason PCF is setting off some alarms at PayPal. Sorry for the folks that had to deal with it paying for my sample sets...now we know.

 

[BGinGA]

This just posted elsewhere here:

I'm working in a financial security service.
Don't put "PCF" on your message. It's a listed entity on OFAC and European regulations...
It's the short name of a company based in Syria.

That's probably why PayPal ask more information...

 

[manamongkids]

check out Venmo, its what myself and friends have been using for the last year or so, its a mobile app. We use it for dumb things like buying dinner or drinks and we are too lazy to split the bill. one just pays and the other person transfer on venmo in real time

 

[Tommy]

BUMP. Just had a payment flagged again from having PCF in the notes.

 

[tigon]

I think the thread title should be made to sound more alarmist.

 

[Tommy]

new sticky added in the classifieds section...

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/showthread.php/4262-Paypal-and-PCF-PLEASE-READ

 

[Tommy]

Just a reminder not put 'PCF' in the notes of any Paypal transaction.

I wasn't thinking and put c/o PCF in the notes for a ship to address. The items were being shipped to another person so I didn't use my address that is saved. This was a non-FF payment too. The transaction will go through but I had to email them the meaning of PCF. LOL

Dear [name removed],

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the
PayPal system. During a recent screening, we noticed an issue regarding
your account.

PayPal's Compliance Department has reviewed your account and identified
activity that may be in violation of United States regulations administered
by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC).

PayPal is committed to complying with and meeting its regulatory
obligations. One obligation is to ensure that our customers, merchants, and
partners are also in compliance with applicable laws and regulations,
including those set forth by OFAC, in their use of PayPal.

To ensure that activity and transactions comply with current regulations,
PayPal is requesting that you provide the following information via email
to compliancetransactions@paypal.com:

1. Please explain the mention of "PCF" as listed in the transaction
message "Send to: [name removed] C/O PCF [address removed]" of transaction ID
[removed] attempted January 6, 2015 in the amount of [removed].

Please log in to your account and go to the Resolution Center to find out
what you need to do. If we don't hear from you by January 22, 2015, we will
limit what you can do with your account until the issue is resolved.

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We apologize for any
inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Rob
PayPal Compliance Department

 

[BGinGA]

I guess that sticky mentioned below wasn't sticky enough, eh? lol

Actually, I though maybe Homeland Security had written, asking you to change the name/abbreviation of the website (and to stop your custom chip order before you submitted it).

 

[tant]

Tell them PCF = Paypal Can F*ck Off !

 

[Tommy]

Tell them PCF = Paypal Can F*ck Off !

Yeah, then they close my account. LOL

 

[GenghisKhan]

So how long does this process take?
For anyone that has gone through this, do I need to take any action on my end as the recipient?

Thanks.

 

[Tommy]

So how long does this process take?
For anyone that has gone through this, do I need to take any action on my end as the recipient?

Thanks.

You may get an email from PayPal requesting more info. Payment will go through in about 24-48 hrs. (I did it 2 times) I've heard less than 24 hrs too.

 

[GenghisKhan]

Thanks @Tommy . I thought I heard about accounts being permanently locked for this. Am I misremembering?

 

[justsomedude]

I went through this once... it took about 2 days for the transaction to clear. No sweat.

 

[GenghisKhan]

Thank you both. Definitely feeling relieved. Thought I just forfeited a few grand in chip funds.

 

[Tommy]

Just FYI why they flag "PCF" in the comments. The first time I did it, they asked me what PCF was and I just told them Poker Chip Forum, a discussion forum for chip collectors. Soon after, the payment went through.

 

[bentax1978]

Thanks @Tommy . I thought I heard about accounts being permanently locked for this. Am I misremembering?

As Tommy and JSD said, it usually just takes a few days and it’ll go through. It’s happened a few times to me and each time it got resolved on its own.