Rant PayPal is completely obsolete, how is your view if you are a seller / coder for company using it?

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YuliApp

Senior member
Dec 27, 2017
482
125
116
desirehive.com
Randomly got an email last night at 8pm that someone logged into my paypal account from Bogota, Colombia. I clicked on the link in the email that said "click here if you did not login" and had to verify that it was indeed from paypal, and it was directing me to a paypal url.

So I immediately changed password and enabled 2fa. I don't log into it much and didn't know my old password even.

I am going to try and figure out how I can remove my bank account from them now.
this kind of attacks are extremely rare, probably your password was in some security leak or someone has a trojan on your pc. good you got it sorted. removing account is relatively simple, might be better to even cancel the account completely if not used
 

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,859
16,924
146
What happens also is that my account often gets "verified" only because i get larger sum of money when there was a break during using it. Then it is locked for 2 weeks. Like the f since when they think this is appropriate behavior for a supposedly "bank account alternative" for businesses?
They were doing this kind of crap more than 15 years back, and is the reason I stopped using them in the first place.

Unjustified and unreasonable freezing of account funds, unreasonable demands to "verify ID" to unlock the account after having been previously triple-verified, etc.
I can agree that the "Buyer Protection" can violate the seller's rights...

In the past year, I've had 3 retailers turn out to be scammers.
And this.

Their "Buyer Protections" basically mean taking the buyer's word at face value, even when the seller holds all the evidence to show a different outcome.

I figured it was a problem for individual sellers and traders moreso than larger businesses and companies, but for the former, the risk is considerable if you do not know the person you are trading with. Far too easy for buyers to do chargebacks and fuck over the seller.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,543
6,368
126
Luckily that wasn't a phishing email, as that is one of the most common ways for people to provide their Paypal login information.

I never click on links in emails......instead I go directly to their website and go into the security section to review any alerts.
Yeah I know. I fully expected the URL to be a phishing URL because it was long as shit but in the beginning it started with https://www.paypal.com so it was legit.
 
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Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,157
13,566
126
www.anyf.ca
Speaking of phishing, got a weird one a while back. So I run a top site list for UO servers and there is a donate button and I occasionally get donations through it. At one point I got an email from "Paypal customer service" asking me to issue a refund for one of the donations (specific details were included, which were valid) because the person did it by error. I thought that was weird because I'm pretty sure something like that would be more automated. I logged in to my account just to see if there would be some kind of message or notice etc but there was nothing. I even contacted the person that donated but I never got a response. I forwarded the email to Paypal just to ask if it was legit and they said it was phishing.

What I find odd is 1: how did they get that information and 2: what would be the purpose of it? If I issue a refund, I'm out of $20 that was originally not mine anyway, I don't really lose anything, and it just goes back to the person that donated. They don't get anything out of it.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,340
10,859
136
Randomly got an email last night at 8pm that someone logged into my paypal account from Bogota, Colombia. I clicked on the link in the email that said "click here if you did not login" and had to verify that it was indeed from paypal, and it was directing me to a paypal url.

So I immediately changed password and enabled 2fa. I don't log into it much and didn't know my old password even.

I am going to try and figure out how I can remove my bank account from them now.


I have a "dedicated" PP checking account that has zero fees. Only expendable money goes in it and it's in a different bank then my primary.

A BIG part of the reason I've never had serious probs with PP has to do with taking preemptive action!
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
Their "Buyer Protections" basically mean taking the buyer's word at face value, even when the seller holds all the evidence to show a different outcome.

I figured it was a problem for individual sellers and traders moreso than larger businesses and companies, but for the former, the risk is considerable if you do not know the person you are trading with. Far too easy for buyers to do chargebacks and fuck over the seller.

Never lost a charge back dispute or buyer scam like this. I create a video of everything I sell from the time of purchase to the moment I ship it. I have had disputes take almost 2 months to resolve, but they have always resolved in my favor because I make sure to CYA all the time. If you aren't at least taking pictures of everything leading up to the shipment, if not a video like I do, then I guess there is a chance to be scammed by a buyer.
 
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Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,859
16,924
146
Never lost a charge back dispute or buyer scam like this. I create a video of everything I sell from the time of purchase to the moment I ship it. I have had disputes take almost 2 months to resolve, but they have always resolved in my favor because I make sure to CYA all the time. If you aren't at least taking pictures of everything leading up to the shipment, if not a video like I do, then I guess there is a chance to be scammed by a buyer.
You are correct, and these were measures that I would indeed take on costlier items.

I never got shafted by PayPal (in the end), but attempted scamming by buyers did occur a few times. It was always far more hassle and time to resolve it and unlock the account funds for ME than it should have been.

"Suspicious Activity" is the most widely used excuse for PP locking someone's account, and it doesn't have to mean a damn thing. They are not regulated or controlled, and basically do what the fuck they want with individual user's accounts and funds.

If I hadn't made my own records? Yeah, I'd have been screwed 110%. But do everything required of you, cover every base, and still get several thousand dollars in funds frozen for no reason, for 6 weeks? Fuck them.
 

YuliApp

Senior member
Dec 27, 2017
482
125
116
desirehive.com
Exactly my experience. Locked account for weird reasons, sometimes even exactly because i got money (more than average but not even by factor 10). I hate this power-position and being victim of some automated rules which are never said out loud even when you ask.
In EU luckily you can cancel any outgoing bank payment (you didnt do your self) and have money back in seconds so that is the only reason i actually used paypal for paying. But still few times i paid with the saldo and got scammed.
 

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
Randomly got an email last night at 8pm that someone logged into my paypal account from Bogota, Colombia. I clicked on the link in the email that said "click here if you did not login" and had to verify that it was indeed from paypal, and it was directing me to a paypal url.

So I immediately changed password and enabled 2fa. I don't log into it much and didn't know my old password even.

I am going to try and figure out how I can remove my bank account from them now.
Wow, that is just crazy. It's really surprising someone on a tech forum would click a link in an email and provide their credentials. ANYTIME you get an email like that, delete and never click a link. It doesn't matter how legit it looks. NEVER click on an unsolicited email link and never supply any personal info from a link in your email or someone calling you (social engineering) and asking for info. Open a new browser window to check your account or call the company/institution to check into it.
 
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Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,340
10,859
136
Never really had an issue with it, and it's unversal. I hate when people try to use these oddball services that are US only or require to install some kind of app.

I've used it as a seller too, more specificly the IPN service. I have it setup with my game server so people can make a donation and get a prize in game. It was a little finicky to setup though.


I use Zelle all the time but only because it's integrated into my primary banks online banking secure page... otherwise I wouldn't.
 
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purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,543
6,368
126
Wow, that is just crazy. It's really surprising someone on a tech forum would click a link in an email and provide their credentials. ANYTIME you get an email like that, delete and never click a link. It doesn't matter how legit it looks. NEVER click on an unsolicited email link and never supply any personal info from a link in your email or someone calling you (social engineering) and asking for info. Open a new browser window to check your account or call the company/institution to check into it.
I mean, if the actual url in my browser is https://www.paypal.com then it's from them.

I verified the legitimacy of the URL before entering anything.

I know how much you love being on my dick though.
 
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LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
I mean, if the actual url in my browser is https://www.paypal.com then it's from them.

I verified the legitimacy of the URL before entering anything.

I know how much you love being on my dick though.
URL Spoofing. Plus, it's a best practice to never click on a link in an email. All you have to do is open a web browser and type in the URL. It's the safest method. Other people here said the same thing, they never click a link. You've just got a stick up your ass. No one wants 2" of limp dick from a scalper.