How To Send Money Anonymously Using PayPal

PayPal was one of the first pioneers of digital money transferring. Acquired from Elon Musk by eBay, it quickly became eBay’s primary platform for sending and receiving secure transactions. Today, it’s implemented in hundreds of thousands of e-commerce stores and is used by millions of users to quickly send and receive money, pay invoices, and more.

Usually, when you send a payment on PayPal, the receiver of your funds will be able to see some basic info about you. If you have a standard PayPal account, they’ll be able to see your name, email address, and other information that you make public.

Periodically, though, you may find it necessary to pay somebody anonymously. Perhaps it’s a new client you don’t trust or you’re buying something online from somebody who you don’t want to know your personal name.

Whatever the case may be… it’s none of our business.

That being said, we are going to show you HOW to send money anonymously through PayPal! As it turns out, it’s not as hard as it may sound.

Is Anonymity Possible On PayPal?

If you already have some experience working with PayPal, then you may be wondering about how this whole anonymity thing works. Your previous experience using a verified PayPal account probably will have been the exact opposite of anonymous.

While we’re not talking smack about PayPal, it’s just not always the most anonymous about the sender and receivers’ information. To be fair, most people on PayPal aren’t too worried about anonymity, to begin with.

That being said, to send an anonymous payment via PayPal, you’ll need to start by creating a brand-new account using a separate email address. You’ll also create these accounts using a VPN like one of these, which will ensure that there’s no geographic location associated with your account.

Hide Your Personal Identity With A Business Account

Before we get too far into this guide, we figured we’d present you with a relatively simple solution that you might consider instead. If you just want your name to remain anonymous or you don’t want your recipients seeing your personal government name, then you can upgrade your account to a PayPal business account.

You’ll be required to submit some more information to PayPal for verification. However, whenever you send or receive a payment to and from other users, they’ll only see your business name.

For example, they’ll just see World’s Best Marketing LLC instead of Rick James. This ensures that while your clients don’t have access to your personal name, they’ll still know the organization sending them money.

So, if total anonymity isn’t your goal and you’re okay with semi-anonymity, then this is a good solution for you. However, if you’re looking for total anonymity (as in Mr. Robot-level), then you’ll want to keep on reading below.

Benefits Of An Anonymous Payment Account

Even if you already have a 100% legitimate PayPal account, it may be a good idea to create a 100% anonymous PayPal account on the side. You never know when the need to make an anonymous payment will arise. But, when it does, you’ll want to be ready and waiting.

Some examples could include:

You’re on the run and you need to pay somebody anonymously.
You’re paying somebody who you don’t trust with knowing your personal name.
You can purchase things online without having to worry about your name being associated with it.
…among others.

How To Send Money Anonymously On PayPal:

So, how do you send money anonymously using PayPal? Well, it’s fairly simple if you follow the steps below. Just don’t skip any of these steps or else your PayPal account won’t be 100% anonymous!

1. Download and Set Up A Good VPN: First things first, you’ll need to download and set up a quality VPN. If you’re not sure where to start, then check out our reviews of SurfShark VPN and Proton VPN. They’re affordable, reliable, and get the job done when it comes to your online anonymity.

2. Turn It On and Select A Foreign Server: So, the main goal of using a VPN for this process is that it will re-direct your internet data through another country (or at least a different region in your own country). This means that your PayPal account’s new email can’t be traced back to your home’s IP address, which is very important for online security.

So, once your VPN is set up, look for a secure server that’s located in another country or region far from where you’re located. Then, turn your VPN on and double-check your IP address to ensure that it’s working.

3. Create A Gmail Account Under An Anonymous Name: Now, you’ll want to create a “fake” Gmail account under an anonymous name. Simply enter a fake name, create an email address that’s completely unrelated to you, and make sure that you don’t link it back to an existing phone number or personal email address. Just like this:

4. Use Your New Email Account To Create A New PayPal Account: With your VPN still activated, head on over to PayPal and create a new account. Use your fake Gmail account to create your fake PayPal account, and make sure you provided limited information for your PayPal account. Basically, just don’t use any personal names, email addresses, phone numbers, or personal bank accounts/credit cards.

5. Use A Pre-Paid Card To Add Funds To Your PayPal Account: Now, it’s time to fund your PayPal account. To ensure complete anonymity, don’t use a credit card or debit card that’s in your name. Instead, you’ll want to head over to your local supermarket and purchase a prepaid Visa card using cash. That way there’s absolutely no way for the card to be traced back to you.

6. Send Money Wherever You Want: Once the funds from the prepaid card are added to your PayPal account, you’ll be able to send and receive money anonymously! Nobody will see your real name, real email address, or real geographic location.

How Much Money Can I Send Per Day With An Anonymous Account?

There’s one small caveat to this method. Until your PayPal account is verified with real identification, you won’t be able to send or receive more than $250 per day. This is a security measure that PayPal has taken to limit the number of scammers using the platform to anonymously scam people out of their hard-earned money.

Is It Legal To Send Money Anonymously?

Technically speaking, there are no rules against using VPN services or sending money anonymously. As long as you’re reporting it on your taxes, as money spent or received, you won’t have any trouble from your local government.

That being said, here is our PSA:

We’re giving you this information to use responsibly. Don’t use this information as a way of avoiding your taxes. Ultimately, The IRS (and many other major global tax agencies, for that matter) can track down money if they want to catch you.

While you won’t exactly go to jail for failing to claim $250 on your taxes, you might get a penalty or have to pay back taxes if the tax agency sees that you’ve done it on numerous occasions.

Use A VPN To Keep Your Online Finances Anonymous

One of the most foolproof methods of keeping your online data and finances secure is to use a VPN whenever you’re browsing the internet, sending money, receiving money, or logging into a personal account.

When you compare the small monthly fee of a good VPN to what you could lose if you’re the victim of identity theft or a major hack, it’s an investment that could literally save you tens of thousands of dollars and major headaches.

Using a VPN also allows you to create accounts anonymously. So, whether you’re trying to watch Netflix in another country or create an anonymous email/PayPal account, it ensures that you and your location can’t be tracked.