Privacy is vital for many reasons, chief among them security. Intrusive entities are always looking for people’s personal accounts and financial information, and transactions are a rich source.
So, it is no surprise you might want to know how to use PayPal for transactions without revealing too much information to the wrong entities.
While living off-grid is extreme at worst and an inconvenience at best, you don’t have to resort to such drastic measures. The trick lies in transacting without revealing too much or revealing details to the wrong entities.
This article shares information on PayPal’s privacy policy. It also reveals whether it is possible to be completely anonymous, and shares tips on minimizing information loss and what logical alternatives apply.
Does PayPal Reveal My Information During a Transaction?
When registering for a PayPal account, you’re required to provide your address, which is an additional layer of protection against fraudulent activities. Additionally, you’ll be asked to provide a credit card billing address. While it is another source of personal financial information, it is necessary to prevent fraudulent activities and to link limits imposed on PayPal accounts.
Such sources of more personal information help PayPal filter out fraudulent accounts and protect its customers.
Can You Ask PayPal Not to Share Your Information?
You can ask to send money online anonymously on the PayPal website and other online money transfer services like Western Union. However, it is a bit technical and never truly anonymous.
Online funds transfer involves an interaction between the sender and receiver, who cannot identify each other except through their account profiles. Said accounts include information such as the address.
Therefore, it is a big ask to expect either party to proceed with the transaction without knowing who the other entity is.
How to Send Money Anonymously Online
Sending money anonymously through these anonymous online payment methods is the closest you will get without revealing your information. You’ll notice a method involving PayPal included, and we shall explain.
Anonymous PayPal Account
An anonymous PayPal account is a gift card you can find at retail stores which enables you to send or receive money without using your existing PayPal account. Since the accounts are non-personalized, there is no specific address or other account information a person can pick from interacting with it.
Disposable Email
You could also register a PayPal account using a disposable email to facilitate the necessary transactions. Generating a disposable email address is fast and simple and guarantees that your email addresses won’t be linked to that specific PayPal account. However, PayPal will send confirmation emails to your actual email address, which presents the danger of your information leaking, however improbable.
Fake PayPal Account
You could also open a fake or disposable PayPal account, which is more complicated than using a disposable email address. The process begins when you create a real Gmail or yahoo email account using fake information. You can proceed to register a PayPal account with the email address and provide fake information during the registration process.
When you get to the credit card details section, enter the number 9999 instead of your actual card number. You will then verify the account by providing a phone number and creating a password. After completing the rest of the signup steps, you’ll have a fake account created using information that differs from your authentic details. Anyone accessing such information cannot reliably use it against you.
Direct Bank Account Deposit
While most banks do not allow this, depositing money directly into a recipient’s own bank account is an entirely anonymous online payment option. Better yet, your anonymity is guaranteed when you do not have an account in the recipient’s bank for anonymous online payments.
You don’t need the recipient’s full details. An email address, phone number, or bank account number is enough for the bank to ensure the money gets to the account. Remember, this option is viable only if the bank allows you to deposit the funds anonymously. An acceptable explanation is if you tell the bank’s personnel that you’re surprising a significant other, or it is for your child, etc.
Money Orders
You may also buy a money order and send the funds to the recipient’s account anonymously. It gets better when you buy the money order in cash, where your information will remain anonymous.
Where you need to sign the money order should also not worry you since the signature will not be verified, unlike writing a check. Therefore, you can sign anyhow, and the money will still reach your intended destination.
Disposable Prepaid Cards
You could also load cash into a prepaid debit or prepaid gift card and send it to the recipient. Make sure there is no return address or information that could be traced back to you. They can then redeem the value of the cards as they see fit without ever risking exposing your information.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
You can turn on your preferred VPN service when transacting using PayPal to keep your information anonymous. A VPN encrypts your information, thus making it harder for the recipient to pinpoint your location or glean other information from the transaction details.
Final Words
Keeping your information away from curious and even malicious entities when transacting using PayPal is necessary for so many instances. Preventing such access helps beef up your online security, thus saving you from perils such as identity theft or robbery. These solutions range in application, complexity, and appropriacy but ensure you manage anonymity in your online transactions.
