Masked Account Number

[ThymeToBloom2018]

Anyone else have the issue of the masked account number and not being able to get it to be able to update your payment information?

[audreytherese]

Do you mean how they only show the last couple of digits? This is intentional and for your safety. If hackers get into your account, you really don't want them to be able to see the entire number. 

[ThymeToBloom2018]

I get that and yes only the last couple of digits.

However, my bank can't see this "masked" number and neither can Etsy apparently.

It's through Plaid which I have tried to contact. However, Etsy doesn't even have the correct way to contact Plaid and I am not even sure if I got through to Plaid for them to help me.

I want to update my payment information, but can't because I have to have the account number they have on file which is this "masked" account number, which nobody seems to be able to see or able to provide so I can update my information.

Which means, if I can't get this number to update my information like I would like, I have to close my shop and open up a whole new one. After just opening the current one a month ago and paying the activation fee as well as all the listing fees that I have done.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@ThymeToBloom2018   You have the last 4 digits.  You can match that to a check or to online statement.  You may have to contact your bank to allow it to be revealed but the account number is available online and in any paper statement or check.

[CostumeCoutureNaomi]

You should have your account number on your banking paperwork.

Look at the stuff you signed when you opened your bank account.

[ThymeToBloom2018]

I have that information, but I have been told it has been "masked". So the correct account information that I have doesn't match because my account number was "masked" which I don't have that number because It's not the number on my bank account.

I can't update any account information without that "masked" account number.

[CostumeCoutureNaomi]

Were you receiving your deposits prior to verification?

Do the last 4 numbers on Etsy match the last 4 of your bank account?

When you set up your Etsy account, did you enter the account number incorrectly?

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@ThymeToBloom2018   It is masked but that does not mean you don't have access to it.  You can get your number.

If you are verifying through Plaid, you need that information from paperwork or bank online.  It's the same account number.

I did Plaid and it was no problem.  

Oh are you asking about the routing number.  That is also on checks or online on paper statements.  You can even find the routing number for your bank online.  Then you have the last 4 digits for the account number.

Guess maybe I don't really understand the issue you are having.

[ThymeToBloom2018]

I received my first deposit, but I had it going to the wrong account.

It doesn't match at all, but still went into an account I own.

When I contacted Etsy, they stated that my bank does a tokenised, or masked version of my bank account. I called my bank twice and they stated they don't do that with bank accounts, Etsy does. So my bank can't give me this a tokenised, or masked version account number that is apparently on file. 

I get a different answer from another person on the Etsy chat, that I need to contact plaid because they could help. But they didn't have the correct way to get in contact with them, the link didn't work. I tried reaching out to Plaid myself, but I am not sure if I got it right. According to the Plaid website, Etsy should be able to help me, but Etsy states they can't.

This is what the Plaid website states:

When you connect to a financial institution via Plaid, you might see what looks like random or incorrect account number information that does not match what you have on file with your financial institution. Some financial institutions, such as Chase Bank, will connect to Plaid via a secure API provided directly by the bank. This secure connection may only supply what is called a Virtual Account Number or Tokenized Account Number (VANs or TANs).

The use of VANs or TANs means your personal bank account number isn't shared with any apps/services; however, some apps/services may mistakenly display the last 4 digits of that Virtual Account Number, which you may not recognize, instead of the account mask -- a field that provides just the last 4 digits of your actual bank account number. 

While you may see a VAN or TAN being used by your app/service, this should not have a direct effect on the status of your transfers, or any money movement activities, and it should not be a blocker for users receiving or sending funds.

If you have questions specific to your account, we encourage you to reach out to your app/service or your financial institution, as they'd be in the best position to assist you.

If you have any Plaid-specific questions, please feel free to reach out to our Support team for further assistance.

[hopeandjoystudios]

I am unsure Plaid would even help you. Etsy is their customer not us. 

[audreytherese]

"Which means, if I can't get this number to update my information like I would like, I have to close my shop and open up a whole new one. After just opening the current one a month ago and paying the activation fee as well as all the listing fees that I have done."

I don't know the answer in this scenario, but I certainly wouldn't open a new account if you can't resolve this. If they are creating this masked number because of the bank you use, then the new account would also do the same and you could wind up in the same predicament. 

[hopeandjoystudios]

@audreytherese  ditto,, and my bank I have been with since 1988 through 5 name changes (same staff) and one move to a new location was sold to Old National Bank and I have  never dealt with a sh!tshow like they are. Every time I have to go there I am irritated before I even walk in because I KNOW there is going to be some issue. "Oh..they are really picky about this" ..look..THEY is YOU. Oh you can't cash a business check you have to deposit it and it will be available tomorrow(It was from the dang USPS for $55 for something they lost) "Any check you deposit won't be available until tomorrow" but if not a business check you can just cash it.. and they are slow as molasses and have to type everything into their computer like they are trying to hack the pentagon then Oops..it kicked me off..have to start over! I orderd 50 checks from them for the 2-3 things I still use checks for..the plainest they had. Picked them up..$38! Ordred 250 from Checks in the Mail online..under $10 with coupon code that they supplied. If I didn't have so many auto payments tied to that bank O would have moved already.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

If you were verifying via Plaid you would have seen the TAN or VAN number at that time before completing the process.  

You can contact Plaid for help on this.  There is a support icon on the site,  They can guide you about the VAN/TAN and you can ask them how to procede with either them or what you need to have your bank do.

Your bank authorized this so they should know about this.  Etsy did not authorize the TAN/VAN. 

How do I get help if I’m running into an error or issue? – Consumer Help Center   The icon is on this page.

[NoCanDoCandleCo]

I am having the same issue!

[hopeandjoystudios]

I am starting to feel the best answer is don't try to change any financial info ever as Etsy will vacation you.

[audreytherese]

I changed banks a few years back, luckily it was before they started verifying with Plaid and I had no issues. I've been debating creating a new bank account that is just for Etsy (separating it from my personal account, which I probably should have done long ago but since everything is done under my SSN and not a business, I didn't see the urgency in doing so). I am a lot more hesitant to make any changes at this point. It's working and I get all my deposits, and not that difficult to separate things out come tax filing time. 

[ThymeToBloom2018]

I am unsure they will help me either.

And I might not open another shop just shut my stuff down altogether. 

But it shouldn't be that difficult to be able to retrieve a masked number because they have been able to verify it is me and have to have some information for my deposits to go where they are. All I did was put the wrong account number in and I just want to change it. I didn't realize it was going to have to close a shop and reopen just to put the correct account number in.

I thought Etsy would be the best option to try out to sell things, but they aren't what they are cracked up to be as far as I am seeing. 
I guess I will have to take my business elsewhere.

[audreytherese]

"All I did was put the wrong account number in and I just want to change it."

Ok, so the problem isn't so much because the number is masked, it's because you made a mistake in the first place. That's a different story. 

I still don't have a solution, but it is notoriously hard to fix any basic information on this platform (account number, birthday, name) that was initially entered into the account. This again is mainly to deter hackers and scammers, they basically rely on sellers inputting the correct information from the start so if you don't, it can be next to impossible to correct. 

[ThymeToBloom2018]

Yes, I made a mistake putting in the wrong account - as I have one just for Etsy and hooked up my personal -but I can't change it because of the masked number. Doesn't change anything really because they still masked the number. I have the original account numbers for both accounts, I just have to switch them but cannot because I was told by Etsy that it has been "masked" and what is on file is this "masked" number. 

Thank you for your input and the facts that have been told. I understand the whole hackers and scammers, however, Etsy should still be able to help their customers/sellers with these issues.

[hopeandjoystudios]

It took me 6 months to get etsy to let me change a dead unaccessible email account even when they had a I cannot access this account option. Luckily I had 2 more shops and knew all the info questions or it would probably still be attached to a dead email. ( I dont know why I couldnt access it..even AT&T couldnt figure it out and just gave me a new email and deleted that one)

[ThymeToBloom2018]

6 months is absolutely ridiculous!! I thought for sure Etsy had a better handle on things, but it seems like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Also, it doesn't seem like they are wanting to actually help their sellers, just get their money through their sales and keep it going.

I understand having safety measures to protect, however, there are ways to verify people when they are asking for help.

When I was in the chat, it just seemed like they would give the answers from a script instead of actually trying to understand.

[ThymeToBloom2018]

Hello to all those who replied, even if they weren't sure what I was talking about and telling me the same thing Etsy told me as well as everyone else. 

I don't remember seeing TAN or VAN number & nothing was said about needing to keep that number to be able to change an account number.

My bank stated they didn't authorize it and don't have access to this number - I called them twice!!

IT would be Etsy as Etsy is Plaid's customer and they use that platform, therefore they should be able to see it.

Also, I did contact Plaid and this was there reply....

I'd be more than happy to assist you. I understand you were told by Etsy that we would have the full virtual account number. However, we only receive the last four of the virtual account number since it goes through PNC's API on their end. We've heard from other people in similar scenarios that they were able to delete the old account by going into their PNC account connections or by asking the Etsy support team to delete the old connection on their end in order to create a new connection attempt.

When Plaid does it's thing, it masks it, but the banks don't have access to it.

[NoCanDoCandleCo]

This makes a lot of sense because I am using PNC and having the same issue.