QKO..you have done a great explanation of how a PP acct works! Very clear..& I see that my acct is using 'instant transfer', so that is why I am happy and so are my sellers. PP also has my credit card info, and I have the option to "tick" the method I want to use for a particular purchase. Sometimes for a large cost (machine or such), I will choose the CC option. Maybe I think it affords me more protection if I am buying from an ebay store. ?? I don't know that I am really more secure...but the instant buying can be so easy that it becomes addictive! That is spelled..ADDICTIVE! LOL

I've been using PayPal for years and have never received anything like this. This sounds like a scam to me, as well as the other post. Contact PayPal directly - not the number that might be provided in these emails.

I was a victim of a $2K scam years ago so I don't trust anything like these anymore. Scammers can create websites that look like valid sites, even include the BBB logo (which takes you to a bogus BBB site with positive feedback). Gee, how do I know this? I fell for the whole thing and signed up for an online course to learn web design. Over $2 million were scammed from many people and, yes, the crooks did end up in jail but we never saw a penny of our money.
Sorry for rattling on but please don't fall for these scams.

I agree with the advice already given. I have gotten stange emails from PayPal and called and they had me forward to fraud dept they have. I do not give SS number to a lot of people I deal with, even in person. I tell them I do not know the number and ask why they need it. Take care.

Sounds suspicious to me.

I recieved a notice like that a while back. I just deleted it and have no problems at all to purchase things. I heard some are a hoax and i don't sell to worry about the other point.

Well, this particular requirement, and the website I quoted, isn't a scam. They don't notify you in emails, as the OP stated she gets notified when she logs in to her paypal account.

If you do any receiving of money through paypal, or if you import money into your paypal account through bank transfers, you need to fulfill this requirement -- it's not a paypal requirement, it's an IRS requirement. Anyone who sells through paypal or, like our store, uses paypal as their merchant services provider, has been notified of this requirement for over a year.

It would be really nice if people researched this stuff, and commented with some understanding and knowledge, before just automatically assuming that everything that comes across their computer is a scam, and spreading misinformation. Sure, there are lots of scams out there -- this requirement just doesn't happen to be one of them.

Normally, if paypal wants to notify you of changes, they'll put a popup up that will appear when you log in to your paypal account. Sometimes they'll send an email telling you to log in to your account to see the changes. They won't include any requests to you for your login info, nor will they include links on their emails.

If you're in doubt about anything concerning paypal, first log in to your account, then contact them using the contact information found in their website.

Only merchants have to provide a SS#...if you are a seller, you are a merchant. You don't need it to buy using paypal. At least that's my understanding of the law.

Just purchased last evening---no request for me....I used my debit card.

Always call them yourself. Or go to their site, tell them what you got, and ask whether that's true. I can't believe they need your SS#.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why go to all that trouble. Why not just use a credit card/