31 minutes earlier I received an ominous email from Payoneer support stating that users from certain countries including Pakistan can no longer use their Payoneer card due to new anti-money laundering laws by US government.
Due to a change in requirements from our regulators, as of June 1, 2010 Payoneer cards will be blocked for transactions in the countries listed by the US government as having strategic Anti Money Laundering (AML) deficiencies. This change will affect card usage in the following countries: Angola, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Sao Tome and Principe.
If your card is in use in one of the countries listed, we encourage you to use all funds by May 31, while transactions are still possible in these countries.
Please note that beyond May 31 your card will continue to be fully functional in all countries not banned by the US government, and we will be happy to load payments to the card without any change.
We apologize for the inconvenience and hope that the Payoneer card will continue to provide you with valuable service.
This is a very bad news for every freelancer and web entrepreneur who was completely relying on Payoneer. In this email one question remains unanswered that users will still be able to receive funds and use Payoneer cards to make transactions to US merchants. I had asked this question to Payoneer support and now waiting for their reply. Will keep my readers updated at this situation.
Update: Reasons for Payoneer’s ban of Pakistan.
Update 2: Call for Action
Update 3: Payoneer’s Ban is Partial
This sucks!
Just received the mail myself.. Absolutely pathetic….. 🙁
This is Heart Breaking It Badly affected every Pakistani Freelancers Including myself We need to protest on Payoneer Now. I dont think so any Freelancers doing Money Laundering Thats how we earn and buy our Bread. PLease Protest Guys.
Assalam Brothers,
I also Received this eamil. This is really pathetic, Not because the funds are blocked but It placed a bad reputation FOR PAKISTAN.
I think that we together (Pakistani freelancers) generate emails to Payonner to roll back this decision.
My contact Number is
+92-301-4242889
Really a bad news, but its a US Govt. decision not Payoneer’s.
Syed, I agree with you..
Place on Facebook, twitter , We better give calls to masses for this protest
Its better we create a text for the Protest email, share with other and then send it to payonner.
Any Idea Guyz?
This new node has been created
Please check
http://www.odesk.com/community/node/11236
Very Bad 🙁
We should Protest to Odesk as well and tell them that they should add some other payment method with collaboration of some good banks which operate in Pakistan like Citi or Standard Charted
Please read this story, it is only because of this that payoneer have blocked pakistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20102\21\story_21-2-2010_pg5_1
I don;t know what the government is doing!!!
Hello everybody, I know you guys are badly effected by this ban and it is a very sad situation. I had posted another post about reasons for this ban. You can read it here,
http://syedaqeel.com/2010/05/why-payoneer-blocked-pakistan-the-truth/
Regards,
Aqeel Syed
Oooooooooooooo f**k . Is there any other provider like this one i mean like payoneer. Plz reply soon.
I have called payoneer and they replied we are waiting for the detail from our main office how u got these details?
They are not clearly telling any thing y they decide to block virtual accounts as according to the fee they charged no one is mad to use it in money laundring. and it is Bakwas that it is due to USA as usa needs more and more money to cover its loss in war and money laundring is not a bd thing but in favour of USA.
awwwwwwwwwwwww. paypal already not in pakistan and now payoneer. 🙁
Wot do u think wot should we do? Protest is not an option becoz for this purpose we need a large number of users at least 100 and here we are just few.
Alina Zaviyal,
First I thought of the protest, but honestly speaking…
This is not their fault, its a fault of our Law makers.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=229154
Pakistan currently do no have any law for Money laundering.
Therefore We have to face this issue, Odesk is offering a free wire transfer for its Pakistani Developers, but its not a permanent solution. Hope that there will be some other way.
I prefer if you can drop in the email to payonner to roll back this decision.
For now we will have to wait for a permanent solution
Regards,
Muhammad Naveed Khan
@Alina Zaviyal
We can use 2 tactics.
1. Start writing to Payoneer, specially to their senior management requesting to stop this ban somehow or at-least as a last resort provide us with limited access.
Initially try tweeting here, http://twitter.com/payoneer
Contact Gil Abir, Voice President of Payoneer.
I used to have contact with him initially when Payoneer was ruled out and our company become their partner. If someone need I can provide them Gil Aber’s email ID.
2. Use any methods available (including Press, Media and blogs) to air your voice so this law makers might listen to you.
Why don’t Pakistani freelancers go to supreme court, request Chief Justice to instruct Pakistani senate and State Bank to improve their regulations.
And yes, I got this email from Payoneer support, I’m a long term user.
If you don’t mind sharing the email address of Mr.Gil Abir then please email me at at (m.naveedkhan@hotmail.com)
We can give a try to Option#1
and since The Major issue is at out End. I think that we must go for Option#2
I am already working on Option#2.
@Muhammad Naveed Khan
Sent you the email.
Recieved
Thanks
I have asked them if they just allowed to withdraw money in Pakistan ATM and they can also apply some limits on the Cards Issued to Pakistanies but they should not block the cards.
Same Issue its all about they are falling us down towards road they don’t want us because we are good in our work & making lots of money on net & they can’t see this thats why this all Sh** going on. there is nothing to do with it because we can’t hold them or stop them to doing this.
Wot Do u think. MAke adraft of Suggestions to send them to solve this problem.
Jawwad Ahmed Khan ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 100 %
This Really Sucks!! Also got email today from Payoneer. Pakistan blacklisted again..
@Alina Zaviyal PayPal accounts have limits for certain countries, they provide different levels of membership based on your country. Payoneer can also follow this model. They can put limits on ATM withdrawals, add verification methods etc.
Payoneer is a company that actually listen to its users feedback. You can also use Payoneer’s community forums to air your voice.
http://community.payoneer.com/
Saud Ilyas
Blacklisted Republic Of Pakistan
Aqeel Syed
Have you done something or just giving advices like me like a true Pakistani.
I am not free lancer. Payoneer was the best card for geeting money from abroad.
@Alina Zaviyal I’m waiting for Payoneer’s support reply. I will personally write Gil Abir but I think many people
are usingcan use my advice, so its worth spending my time.@Aqeel Syed
I also sent messages to payoneer and waiting for reply. “but I think many people are using my advice, so its worth spending my time.” Dont like ur thought Soryyyyyy .
Bye
JazakAllah…
@Alina Zaviyal
I just corrected my comment and I was not trying to be rude.
I meant to say that airing my thoughts through this blog can help me gather contact of many enthusiasts who sincerely want an end to this suffering. Basically I’m doing networking through this blog.
I had provided few people with Gil Abir’s contact details (VP of Payoneer) and I plan to write to him after actually understanding how they had banned us and is it complete or partial ban.
Hope it clarifies. If my words hurt you, I’m indeed really very sorry.
Thank you.
Aqeel Syed
@Muhammad Naveed Khan
Do you have sent the email? Would love to know the details.
Thank you.
Sorry! Actually i was so much angry with payoneer becoz they are not attending calls from Pakistan. I cant understan you. I think Dada,s Nana’s are right . First Thought Than Speak or Pehlay tolo Than Bolo
@ Aqeel
Sorry! Actually i was so much angry with payoneer becoz they are not attending calls from Pakistan. I cant understan you. I think Dada,s Nana’s are right . First Thought Than Speak or Pehlay tolo Than Bolo
@Alina Zaviyal
No problem, its fine 🙂
very very bad news i am really shocked. first i was making arrangement so that electricity doesn’t effect my work now another blow. the problem lies with our government and we need to raise our voice. none of our politicians will see these blogs or facebook or any other community. either send our complaint through media like TV channel or let us all unite and protest – other wise they’ll sleep forever.
moreover at the moment payoneer has disabled there service – what if more companies follow this – then? so we need to take a step NOW!!
Can anyone plz tell me about odesk.
Aqeel Bhai, Please send me the mail of payoneer VP at “masspk21@yahoo.com”.
I think it may work, if we all will request to payoneer for not doing so.
I also received the email from Payoneer and in my opinion we need to get together and try to tell our govt. that we are facing a serious issue because of its lazy leadership.
@Ali Ahmed Just sent you the email.
The time for revolution is now! wake up!
Okay guys, here is call for action, http://syedaqeel.com/2010/05/payoneers-pakistan-ban-call-for-action/
I am using Payoneer to receiving money from Infolinks because there is no any more option to receive money except payoneer that’s why i am so tensed..
i am freelancer and doing data entry and graphics works & using payoneer to withdraw my all funds like scriptlance, elance, getafreelancer, rentacoder, this is very sad news to hear that payoneer will not work in pakistan, i am professional online worker and linked my 1 card to all advertisers as a publisher accounts like text link ads, infolinks, smowtion, reviewme etc.
This is due to no anti money landring law in pakistan so thats why usa law blocked few countries, this is realy shamefull for pakistan peoples party Govt due to their bad bad bad & rudeless polices, i am already unemployed person and start my carrier as a freelancer & online worker now i will unemployed again due to blocked of payoneer in Pakistan.
i also got the Payoneer Virtual Usa Bank account but to shamefull Paki Govt efforts destroyed my all carrier, even i applied 50 plus govt jobs but they are not giving jobs on merit bases (even i can show my proofs i am on merit) & already paypal is not working in pakistan & another disaster came to pakistan, now i just try moneybookers hope it will work, thanks
We need to protest against this ban, we need to use their community ===> http://community.payoneer.com/ & record our ban & we need to also send emails to Geo tv & other media ====> muhammad.bilal@geo.tv etc to boost persher on Pakistan ppp Govt & also rite in bloggers and forums like ===> http://forums.digitalpoint.com/, here is the payoneer affiliate manager tommer forum ===> http://www.abestweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107371 thanks