PayPal

I want to apologize if my remarks offended on the now censored thread, but I would like to make a few points.

1. It is not silly, it is my life. I have been to the bank 3 times to correct various fees, because even after acknowleding they were bogus in the conflict resolution PayPal keeps trying to hit this account, which incidentally has kept it open even after I closed it. I am willing to bet it is not over, banks always get their money back, probably in the form of new fees for the new accounts I have had to open because of this.

2. I did not deserve this. No one does, and yes, I was told it was my fault.

3. It is not my fault. I did not fall for a phishing scam. I don't drink or use drugs, I am aware of what I have done on the internet. I have no idea how the hack was done, I scan my computer regularly, it is clean. I find blaming the victim of a hack for the hack extremely offensive.

4. Given that I did not initiate the scam, it would be a good idea to spread the word. Paypal has not been communicative how this happened, so anyone could be next. Assuming you are special and immune, or that the other person is an incompetent boob, is asking for it.


For those not aware of what I am talking about someone tried to withdraw over $1K out of my bank account via PayPal. Only reason it didn't work is I read a website http://www.paypalsucks.com/ that gave a piece of advice I am happy to say I followed. Basically I took the account that has the electronic transfers linked to it and isolated it, removing all overdraft protections, and moving the bulk of my business to another checking account. It doesn't stop all the hassles, but it sure can reduce it.

I am not a PayPal basher, I liked the service they provided, but they are notoriously lax on their security. They are not a bank, nor are they a credit union. They are something else, and fall through the cracks. They have harmed a lot of people through their policies, and will continue to do so unless they are forced to follow the same procedures other financial institutions have to follow.

 

I've received mail which you could not tell the difference from the real site posing to be be pay pal also from ebay too come to thinkof it wanting updates on my profile and accounts. I had heard of scams of this nature so I reported them. I was notified that they were in fact not the real thing.

 

The crowd that does this nowdays are in fact professionals. Like as not, organized crime has moved into this turf. It's perfect for them, they can commit international crimes without leaving their boarders, and the profits are large.

Not clicking thier links is key, but not the only one. Nowdays the spyware is getting positively scarey, so safe browsing is a must.

I routinely forward bogus email to both paypal and ebay. It's gotten so bad that I usually only forward the new wrinkles. eBay is at the root of my problem, several years ago they left a door open, and quite a few people downloaded their user list. Ever since then I've been flooded with scammer email, hope springs eternal I guess. Maybe I'll get drunk and click on something, or take a stupid pill.