Using PayPal from Pakistan or North Korea
Using PayPal from Pakistan or North Korea
Does anyone have experience using PayPal from Pakistan or North Korea. Here is the scenario: you have a US based PayPal account and want to make a purchase in the US. Can you log into your US based PayPal account and make the purchase and have that purchase sent to a US address. PayPal is not available in Pakistan or North Korea but does this mean you can't use your US based account, even with a VPN. Thanks in advance.
Response
How would you even get on the internet in Pakistan? For NK at least theres infrastructure.
Assuming you had a stable and reliable network connection, it could potentially work. The first issue is, Paypal does utilize a list of known VPN access points and blacklists them, meaning connections from nodes (access points such as those used by a VPN) are generally blocked when they attempt to access. VPNs get around this by switching IP and MAC addresses for those access points. The second problem is going to be that Paypal keeps a log of your access points and if it finds an odd IP address (basically anything outside the US or even a significant distance away from where you would usually log in) it could potentially flag that access and either deny access and escalate your challenge requirements (what you have to do to verify your access credentials) and potentially (and likely) lock your account.
So what you would need to do is use a VPN that offers bridges (these are access points that are not published and those are more likely to have a longer validity time), or just hope you login through a VPN access point thats been recently refreshed. Then you would have to select a VPN access point in the US and hope its close enough to your usual point of access not to alarm Paypal as a possibly fraudulent transaction. If all that aligns and youre able to login you can then attempt your transaction and hope it doesnt get flagged. There are a lot of points of failure and thats by design for security and fraud prevention.
You should also understand you may end up running afoul of OFAS, this is the US department (of the US Treasury department) that enforces financial, economic and trade sanctions of which both Pakistan and NK are subject to. Even if youre not personally liable for any such compliance, Paypal is, and they dont want to be involved with that kind of mess in any way shape or form. If theres any irregularity they detest indicating your access from either of these two regions they are likely to lock, and restrict your account and make a report of the attempt. If you have any funds on account with them its likely they will be frozen and it will take you forever if not never to get your coin back. This could also effect the funding account at your financial institution (if you have one attached), and they may take additional action.
What you ask is possible, its not improbable, but it does have a heightened level of risk.
Assuming you had a stable and reliable network connection, it could potentially work. The first issue is, Paypal does utilize a list of known VPN access points and blacklists them, meaning connections from nodes (access points such as those used by a VPN) are generally blocked when they attempt to access. VPNs get around this by switching IP and MAC addresses for those access points. The second problem is going to be that Paypal keeps a log of your access points and if it finds an odd IP address (basically anything outside the US or even a significant distance away from where you would usually log in) it could potentially flag that access and either deny access and escalate your challenge requirements (what you have to do to verify your access credentials) and potentially (and likely) lock your account.
So what you would need to do is use a VPN that offers bridges (these are access points that are not published and those are more likely to have a longer validity time), or just hope you login through a VPN access point thats been recently refreshed. Then you would have to select a VPN access point in the US and hope its close enough to your usual point of access not to alarm Paypal as a possibly fraudulent transaction. If all that aligns and youre able to login you can then attempt your transaction and hope it doesnt get flagged. There are a lot of points of failure and thats by design for security and fraud prevention.
You should also understand you may end up running afoul of OFAS, this is the US department (of the US Treasury department) that enforces financial, economic and trade sanctions of which both Pakistan and NK are subject to. Even if youre not personally liable for any such compliance, Paypal is, and they dont want to be involved with that kind of mess in any way shape or form. If theres any irregularity they detest indicating your access from either of these two regions they are likely to lock, and restrict your account and make a report of the attempt. If you have any funds on account with them its likely they will be frozen and it will take you forever if not never to get your coin back. This could also effect the funding account at your financial institution (if you have one attached), and they may take additional action.
What you ask is possible, its not improbable, but it does have a heightened level of risk.
Re: Using PayPal from Pakistan or North Korea
I live in Pakistan and use PayPal regularly with no issues at all without the need for a VPN.
It is linked to my Australian bank account.
Internet in the major cities of Pakistan is comparable to most other places.
It is linked to my Australian bank account.
Internet in the major cities of Pakistan is comparable to most other places.
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secondplace
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2016 12:40 pm
Re: Response
PsyGuy wrote:
> How would you even get on the internet in Pakistan?
I'd try Chrome. Or Firefox. Or Safari. Maybe Internet Explorer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_ ... %20country.
https://www.zong.com.pk/
But yes, there is this:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... an-s-.
> How would you even get on the internet in Pakistan?
I'd try Chrome. Or Firefox. Or Safari. Maybe Internet Explorer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_ ... %20country.
https://www.zong.com.pk/
But yes, there is this:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... an-s-.
Correction
This is why I need coffee..
My report was referring to North Korea and Palestine, not Pakistan.
My report was referring to North Korea and Palestine, not Pakistan.
Re: Correction
I have two family members currently in Palestine, and just like Pakistan it also has reliable and widely available internet.
I did a video chat with one of them recently. I received a PayPal transfer from the other one around two or three weeks ago to reimburse me for something I shipped to him. I have received PayPal payments from him in 2022 and 2023.
Not sure if they used a VPN or not tho, but it works.
Reliability of the network in Gaza is a lot less nowadays -for obvious reasons-, but luckily they are on the West Bank.
Using Paypal from North Korea is likely impossible, unless you get chummy with the DPRK leadership.
But some good coffee is always a good idea - I can't imagine starting the day without it.
I did a video chat with one of them recently. I received a PayPal transfer from the other one around two or three weeks ago to reimburse me for something I shipped to him. I have received PayPal payments from him in 2022 and 2023.
Not sure if they used a VPN or not tho, but it works.
Reliability of the network in Gaza is a lot less nowadays -for obvious reasons-, but luckily they are on the West Bank.
Using Paypal from North Korea is likely impossible, unless you get chummy with the DPRK leadership.
But some good coffee is always a good idea - I can't imagine starting the day without it.
Comment
@Coimbra
Im writing as it is now, and those "obvious reasons", are substantial factors why infrastructure not so good.
Im a coffee snob, and Im not very good at anything without my coffee, and I wont drink bad coffee.
Im writing as it is now, and those "obvious reasons", are substantial factors why infrastructure not so good.
Im a coffee snob, and Im not very good at anything without my coffee, and I wont drink bad coffee.
Re: Comment
PsyGuy wrote:
> @Coimbra
>
> Im writing as it is now, and those "obvious reasons", are
> substantial factors why infrastructure not so good.
>
> Im a coffee snob, and Im not very good at anything without my coffee, and I
> wont drink bad coffee.
You are referring to Gaza, which is only 6% of Palestine's territory.
While the internet in Gaza is indeed a lot less reliable nowadays because Israel has taken down networks there to aid their invasion -internet cables into Gaza run through Israel-, in the remaining 94% of Palestine you will have normal internet access.
> @Coimbra
>
> Im writing as it is now, and those "obvious reasons", are
> substantial factors why infrastructure not so good.
>
> Im a coffee snob, and Im not very good at anything without my coffee, and I
> wont drink bad coffee.
You are referring to Gaza, which is only 6% of Palestine's territory.
While the internet in Gaza is indeed a lot less reliable nowadays because Israel has taken down networks there to aid their invasion -internet cables into Gaza run through Israel-, in the remaining 94% of Palestine you will have normal internet access.
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Tol_Eressea
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:36 am
Re: Using PayPal from Pakistan or North Korea
Worst case scenario, do you have by any chance someone reliable in a different country to give your password and link to what you want to buy? I know it is not ideal but I had to do that once for different reasons (problems with SMS).
Then if you feel uneasy with the shared password you could change it? (though not the code for your card, but if you are able to receive the SMS to confirm the card transaction then nobody could use your card without your consent).
Or, if you are lucky to have 2 accounts, you could just pass all the money to the saver account which the card has no access to, then even if they want to use the card, there are no funds (this is what I do because I don't have monthly payments linked to my card).
Anyways this would be if you have some family member you could trust and who have a minimum understanding of how to use internet for purchases (I had to make a whole tutorial to explain XD).
Then if you feel uneasy with the shared password you could change it? (though not the code for your card, but if you are able to receive the SMS to confirm the card transaction then nobody could use your card without your consent).
Or, if you are lucky to have 2 accounts, you could just pass all the money to the saver account which the card has no access to, then even if they want to use the card, there are no funds (this is what I do because I don't have monthly payments linked to my card).
Anyways this would be if you have some family member you could trust and who have a minimum understanding of how to use internet for purchases (I had to make a whole tutorial to explain XD).