PSN account blocked due to PayPal: How to protect yourself and you can do it

In the recent past, it has always happened that a PSN account was blocked due to PayPal. This practical tip shows you how to deal with it if you are concerned and how you can protect yourself.

PSN account blocked due to PayPal - the background

In the past weeks, reports have repeatedly appeared that PSN accounts have been blocked.

• The reason for this was often chargebacks of PSN transactions on the part of PayPal.
• These chargebacks resulted in a negative balance for the corresponding accounts, which automatically blocked the Sony system.
• The reason for the chargebacks has not yet been determined, PayPal and Sony are very concerned about this. Even criminal events, such as hackers, cannot be ruled out in this way.
• The real problem with the blocking of the accounts: This is obviously only lifted when the user has paid off the corresponding debts - which can prove to be quite costly.

PSN account blocked due to PayPal - preventive measures

So far, the reports are mainly based on users from Great Britain.

• However, there is of course no guarantee that accounts or users in Germany will be affected by the problems and financial losses.
• That is why it makes sense to switch to an alternative payment method, at least temporarily.
• In addition to PayPal, PSN also offers "VISA", "MasterCard", "AmericanExpress" and "Maestro".
• Store the respective payment information in the settings of your account. Credit cards in particular often prove to be a safe and reliable means of payment.
• If there are no new problem reports in the coming weeks, you can switch back to the most convenient payment method - PayPal.

PSN account blocked due to PayPal - what to do?

If your account is already affected by the problems and has been blocked accordingly, you will no longer be able to change the payment information.

• As explained above, in many cases Sony's payment of the debts incurred is required in order to have access to the account again.
• However, since the negative balance is not due to your mistakes, but apparently due to technical problems or hackers, you should consider other options for restoring your blocked account beforehand.
• Usually, an error code is displayed in the event of a ban when the PS4 is switched on. Depending on the code, it is necessary to react differently to the blocking.
• Code "WS-37397-9" informs about an error in establishing a connection to the PS network. The background to this can be both an overload, but also cyber crime.
• A violation of the Terms of Service is indicated by the code "WS-37338-4". The reason for this can, for example, be the insult to another player in the chat, but also the financial indebtedness of the account.
• As a rule, after attempting to log into the blocked account, Sony customer support will send an email informing about the duration of the blocking or its modalities.
• If the account is only blocked for a few days, the simplest and easiest way to react is probably to wait.
• However, if it is a permanent block, as in most cases with the current PayPal problem, you should always contact Sony support.
• Support can be reached either via the hotline 061027713001 or an email contact form.
• This contacting is important because you are not to blame for the difficulties. For this reason too, you should rather wait to settle the debts on the PSN account, because retrospectively you will probably not get the money paid to unlock the account.
• If you see error code "WS-37397-9", you may be in luck. Because then the change of the IP address of the PS4 could already remedy the situation and eliminate the problem - at least if the reason for the blocking is that the IP address used appears on a Sony-internal blacklist.
• To change the IP address, all you have to do is briefly disconnect your WLAN router, including all modems and repeaters, from the power. After the subsequent restart, your network operator should have assigned you a new IP address.

We will show you in another practical tip how you can protect your PSN account from unauthorized access and possibly prevent such problems.