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Paypal (not as secure as everyone might think)

JG1153

JG1153

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Hi everyone this isn't necessarily directly related to the reptile industry but since paypal is the standard for internet transactions in our hobby I figured this is something I should bring up to everyone.

I woke up today and one of the first things I did was check my email only to see that there were several emails from paypal informing me my log in information had been changed. from the looks of it my log in info was changed more than once. worst of all whoever did this retrieved $924.75 out of my account. apperantly the money was sent to a non U.S. paypal account. What really sucks if that since I'm a verified paypal customer with my bank account linked to paypal the transfer was instant. Fortunately since it's Memorial Day the transaction won't post until maybe tomorrow which hopefully will give the bank and paypal time to stop/reverse the transaction.

So just to summarize: somebody managed to hack into my "secure" paypal account and take almost $1k.

the paypal people said that perhaps it was a virus my computer had acquired which recorded my keystrokes but that doesn't make much sense considering that if the hacker knew my login information why would he go through all the extra trouble of changing my log in info several times when he/she could have just logged in and retrieved the money? :shrug01:

so just a friendly heads up. Paypal is not as secure as you might think. :angry:
 
another thing to consider is if you have a dispute paypal won't get involved with live animal shipments.

hope your issue gets resolved,good luck.
 
Sorry to hear about that Juan, I hope you can get everything figured out. Thanks for letting us know though, I have been burned by paypal a few times but it was through ebay.
 
the paypal people said that perhaps it was a virus my computer had acquired which recorded my keystrokes but that doesn't make much sense considering that if the hacker knew my login information why would he go through all the extra trouble of changing my log in info several times when he/she could have just logged in and retrieved the money?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't rule out the idea of malware on your computer. I just went through a nightmare when my AV ap crapped out and my computer filled up with viruses. One or more was definitely in the keyboard, and as soon as I started removing the viruses, my keyboard went haywire. One of the features of the conficker virus is that it renders the user incapacitated while the authors of the virus gain access to all passwords and accounts of the user. You would have bigger problems than just paypal theft if you had conficker, but it would not surprise me if a virus has been created that hacks into financial institutions and changes the passwords so that the user can't get in to his or her account to check on things or stop cash transfers. I would definitely run a few AV applications just to make sure you are clean. This one is the best you can use
http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Then you should also run a few others as well, such as hijackthis, and avast.
 
I hope they get it resolved for you quickly. I had something similar happen about a year ago. They took almost two grand from our bank account and probably would have taken more if I hadn't seen the "you've sent a payment" emails and locked the account down before more could be sent. Paypal was very good about refunding the money, though it did take them a couple weeks.
 
One of the most common problems with paypal login/identity theft is that people tend to use the same password at multiple sites. If a less secure website gets comprimised, which happens all the time, or is even operated by a malicious person, one of the first things they do is check the user/pass combination they ripped off there at other sites such as paypal, ebay, etc. I'm not saying you shared a common password at other sites, but it does happen and is something to be aware of.
 
This is why I keep no money in my paypal OR bank accounts when I'm not using it THAT same day. I also have a personal account worker at my bank who knows me and understands why I do this. He would know if my account suddenly said, "please send X amount to this account" or what have you, and I hadn't called or stopped in.. there's something wrong. :) just a friendly suggestion, seems to have worked for me thus far. Good luck resolving this!
 
Paypal ripoff

I too have been bitten by paypal. In my case the person AnnRon of AZ was sent payment for tortoises 300.00 and then after getting the paypal money they closed the account and paypal says they cant refund the money since there is no money in this persons account to pay me back from. I even went to my local police but since the amount is small ( in their eyes) they wont/cant do anything to help. Its sad but it just seems that You are at the mercy of the person selling You the product if You get it or not.
 
How did you pay? Was it through a credit card or through your bank? I only use a credit card on paypal. That way you can protest the sale through the cc company and will have better odds of recouping your money. I just feel squeamish about giving any entity my bank account info.
 
paypal

Oh yes it was stupidly done through the bank account because I beleived all the hype that "paypal is the securist way to pay on the internet" until I had to jump through all thier hoops just to be told there was no money in the persons account to get my money back from. It wasnt as much the loss of the money as it was the disappointment of waiting for the sulcattas that never came. Just wanted others to be aware not to be so beleiving in paypal because it will leave You hanging, without Your money or product. Lesson learned the hard way.
 
I am really sorry that happened to you and to the OP. Is there an alternative that allows you to retain anonymity and avoid giving credit card numbers to strangers? I have heard of another paypal-like service, but I don't know if it is any more secure.
 
I received money via PayPal back in May of this year for the sale of a couple of domain names.

The same person who sent me the money seems to have requested a reversal a number of days a go and it looks like the reversal went through. The money has been taken out of my bank account without my authority.

I'm not overly concerned because it's only $25.00 but it worries me that someone I might have accepted a couple of hundred dollars from may be able to do the same thing.

How can PayPal authorise a reversal of funds without my consent?

I tried contacting PayPal about the issue but I was told they can't release any information due to "data protection policies".
 
Note that PayPal--like all other password-protected sites--is only as secure as your password. Be sure you always use long passwords with upper- and lower-case letters as well as numbers and symbols.

No offense intended to the original poster, but this particular event looks to be either a malware/spyware problem or an insecure password, neither of which are PayPal's fault. Granted, the site could have been hacked (even the most "secure" sites can be hacked), but if so, why would they only steal money from one person's account?
 
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and nowhere present when the invoice appears where the buyer sends the ship to address is the "ineligible" word that protects PayPa
Click to expand...

Tom, can you explain this statement? Your wording is a little unclear. Do you mean that didn't read the invoice from the transaction closely and that the shipping address listed as that of the buyer had the word ineligible next to it?

Any time there is activity on my paypal account, I get an email. I have never sold anything online, and I only use my cc with paypal. If someone disputed the exchange, wouldn't I have an opportunity to contest it through the cc company?
 
Online financial service PayPal has warned a small number of customers that they should be extra-vigilant against online scams, after their email addresses were leaked on the Internet.
 
Uhh, e-mail addresses pretty much get "leaked" the moment you create them. Everyone should be constantly diligent for online scams. The reason we get so much spam e-mail is because there are far, far too many people who continually fall for these scams.
 
Paypal and alternative methods of payment

I have been doing some research on Paypal, I use Paypal for small transactions (nothing over $500) and I have never received money yet. I have a potential buyer interested in some Pythons which total $3,000
After hearing horror stories about Paypal (paypalwarning.com) I am not sure I want to take the risk. Are there any other forms of payment that would be secure for both the seller and buyer?
I was thinking Postal MO, but the buyer states there is no protection for him.

Thanks,
Bill Black
 
I've used paypal for years, hundreds of times, for purchases tiny and huge. I've never had a problem. I've also never had a computer virus. I'm careful with my security. I don't think paypal is insecure, I think peoples' PCs are insecure.
Generally if someone tries to retrieve funds through paypal (by submitting a dispute), it can be contested. They put the funds on hold until the dispute is settled.

The mistake many people make is in not documenting everything thoroughly--keep every e-mail, and when someone pays you, request that they state what the payment is for on the comments area. Or, just send them a request for funds with all of the info.

Oh--and don't buy from shady characters. That's a big one. You run the risk of chargebacks, bounced checks, and other shenanigans.

Also--the site you gave documenting paypal problems is just a big ad for a competing service. Mm hm.
 
Bill another to checkout is paypalsucks.org

And angel your comment is 100% false.

I sent to paypal- fedex reciepts, buyers emails, and shipping labels and they still agreed with the buyer that he never received the animal. He said in his email how great the animal was. paypal stole $800.00 out of my acct and refunded it to the buyer. Even though they got everything they asked for some idiot still found in his favor. They will get involved if the buyer says they did not receive it. I have been telling people for years do not use paypal and visit the site paypalsucks.org.

jim
 
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