As many others have said, do NOT reply to that email. If Paypal wants that info legitimately, they would tell you to log onto your account and go to the appropriate section there.

This could very well be a scam. There are some very convincing ones out there.

The message you received is a SCAM. Don't reply. Copy paste the message and source and send it to the Real Paypal. I've received "fake" emails from scammers abut 5 times for both ebay and paypal and I Caught it --forwarded it back to the real Paypal and real eBay, which confirmed that they were scams.

The message you received is a SCAM. Don't reply. Copy paste the message and source and send it to the Real Paypal. I've received "fake" emails from scammers abut 5 times for both ebay and paypal and I Caught it --forwarded it back to the real Paypal and real eBay, which confirmed that they were scams.
The place to send that message is: [email protected]
You know a scam when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!

If you had read her second post you would have seen that it was on her account. Not in an email.

Tax ID numbers are not Social Security numbers.

I just checked my Paypal account I do not have a request for my SS number but I counted I have had 130 transactions this year.

Just wondering on the 200 transactions would that be buy and sell ones, or just me selling???

So what number do you use to file a tax return? That number IS your tax ID. Everybody I've ever filed a tax return for uses their SS# unless they have an ITIN#.

You need to apply for a tax ID number with the government. Like if you opened a business you would need a tax ID number for financial transactions, and it is not your social security number.

My two grown kids have received stuff like this and it is always a scam.

I have a small business that I run out of my home. I have a tax ID# that was given to me by the state of Texas so that I don't have to pay sales tax on items I buy for use in my business. When I pay my sales tax to the state, this is my ID#. It is NOT my SS#!

They are asking for your Tax ID number not your SS# for filing the 1099 but call them

And when you file a tax return you use your SS#.

thats got to be a scam. don't do it and call paypal

DO NOT DO THAT! Call Paypal customer service...and before that... give your tax man a call and ask his advice.

NEVER EVER GIVE that type of info to PayPal...etc. Tooooo many scumbags sniffing for someone who's not guarded enough.
.

No if you go to the paypal/irs page it definetly says $20,000 and 200 transaction. I think I would call them and get it straightened out, it sounds like it may be a hicup in the new system to accomodate all the 2011 tax changes. But I wouldn't give your soc # to anyone over the internet.

folks, this is not a scam.

read: http://www.paypal.com/irs
which redirects to:
https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/ma...ng_us/IRS6050W

A. This isn't a scam, it's a legitimate requirement for people that sell and collect money through paypal or any other merchant services provider.
B. As Scissor Queen stated, several times, Your Taxpayer ID, as far as the federal government is concerned, is your SSN.
C. If you are doing business, you should get an EIN, which you can then give to Paypal instead of your SSN. They need one or the other to provide you and the IRS with information. If you have an EIN, they can report using that and the IRS will figure out that it goes with your SSN.
D. There are other types of Taxpayer ID numbers, specifically those provided by your state as a function of your paying sales taxes for the purchases made from you. This TID also serves to provide wholesalers with the reporting mechanism required to not charge you sales taxes on purchases that will be re-sold by you. These TID's are not required by Paypal. Most wholesalers will require that you provide them with a copy of your business license, which shows your EIN and your state TID.
E. The bottom line is that if you have a account with Paypal, you'll need to give them either a SSN or an EIN to continue to receive payments through Paypal. If you choose to use an EIN, they may require you to upgrade to a business account. They may require you to have one on file even though you may not achieve the transaction/dollar amount threshold that requires them to provide you and the IRS with 1099 information.

PayPal ask me to send them my bank account number. I called my bank and they said "NEVER" do that. I think PayPal is getting a little too big for themselves. PayPal may be OK but the person behind the scenes that you're giving that number to may not be honest. Hope everyones advice has helped.

Send the entire email to: [email protected]. They will let you know if this is real. Anytime I receive email from paypal that looks suspicious, they get back to me. I have seen some really authentic looking emails that says they are from PayPal so when in doubt I double check.

Send the entire email to: [email protected]. They will let you know if this is real. Anytime I receive email from paypal that looks suspicious, they get back to me. I have seen some really authentic looking emails that says they are from PayPal so when in doubt I double check.

tax id is not the ss give them a call and keep asking for a supervisor if you think it's so

I had a small business in my home and I had a Federal ID# along with a state sales tax #. I wasn't incorporated. When I closed my business I filled out a cease business form to both the Fed. gov. and State

Suzy

Please don't do it - better safe than sorry!

I would not give the SS#, I think ok on the tax ID# that's usually the procedure.

Ok i just went to paypal and checked this out. It is correct why they are asking you to provide because you met one of the requirments and you are close to the other as per this:

What is Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6050W? Under the new legislation, we’ll report to the IRS the total payment volume received by US account holders whose payments exceed both of these levels in a calendar year:

$20,000 USD in gross payment volume from sales of goods or services in a single year
200 payments for goods or services in the same year
The IRS changes apply to all payment providers, including PayPal and include all sales that occur on or after January 1, 2011, with the first reports going to the IRS in early 2012. Our goal is to help PayPal sellers understand and comply with the new requirements.

Before your payment volume exceeds the reporting thresholds, you’ll be asked to add your tax ID number, such as a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), to your existing account(s), if you don’t already have one on file

Kris, DO NOT GIVE YOUR SS # TO THEM! This is a spam! They have all the information they need, got it when you signed up for Paypal. I am having the same problem. I am ignoring this. I talked to Paypal

NO NO NO NEVER GIVE YOUR SS# TO THIS EMAIL....I got the same email and contacted Paypal.... they never ask for that kind of information. I sent them a copy of the email and four more after that one. Hope you did not respond to that email.

I smell FISH too. :thumbdown:

I have gotten these emails from Pay Pal and Wells Fargo and have never had an account with either. I also get emails from the "IRS" and they are not legit either. I have forwared the irs ones to the real IRS. I would check with those companies and the IRS before sending anything. And. make sure the sites are secure before sending anything sensitive.

It's obvious which people read more than the first post in this topic.

thank you everyone for your comments.

as Charming posted:

It is correct why they are asking you to provide because you met one of the requirments and you are close to the other as per this:

What is Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 6050W? Under the new legislation, we’ll report to the IRS the total payment volume received by US account holders whose payments exceed both of these levels in a calendar year:

$20,000 USD in gross payment volume from sales of goods or services in a single year
200 payments for goods or services in the same year
The IRS changes apply to all payment providers, including PayPal and include all sales that occur on or after January 1, 2011, with the first reports going to the IRS in early 2012. Our goal is to help PayPal sellers understand and comply with the new requirements.

Before your payment volume exceeds the reporting thresholds, you’ll be asked to add your tax ID number, such as a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), to your existing account(s), if you don’t already have one on file.

So I do have to give them my social security number.

I agree.. never click links in emails. Always research before giving information.

again.. thank you everyone :thumbup:

Oh that's good to know.I didn't know that.Good thing,it might help us all.

There is no reason why they need your SS #. Report them.....

The IRS has a reason for Paypal to need your SSN.

thanks for the info.

How do you know who it is for sure? She need to call to make sure, don't you think?

All you need to do is read up a few messages and you'll find out it's totally legitimate. And why.

okay, thanks.