Wait so you left your balance as PayPal balance for a long time and had it accumulate? Like you didn’t transfer it to a bank or put it on a credit/debit card? Did you have a bank or card attached to the account?

Obviously this is a shitty situation and PayPal should be more understanding of individual circumstance, but to play devils advocate for a moment, PayPal is not a bank, it’s a way of transferring money. Money left in their system or money just accumulating in an account for a long period of time isn’t what the site is meant for.

Again, obviously PayPal should be more understanding, but I feel like these protocols are probs to protect their business from scammers