If you
are like most eBay and PayPal users you probably have received
strange emails saying your account is in trouble and you are
about to be suspended. I receive at least 2-3 each day.
What do you do with these emails? I certainly hope that you do
not open them up, or respond on the link that they ask you to do.
I will give you instructions on what to do a little further down
in this article.
Yes,
it has become more frequent to receive these false emails telling
us that our PayPal account is in trouble or you are about to be
suspended. Will it ever email
Phishingend?
No...unfortunately.
I received one email from an eBay member saying that I better
make good on my bid on their auction. I usually do not buy on
eBay, only sell...so I know that this is false one. When you
point your mouse over the link, it clearly shows that it is
someone else's link - not eBay; not PayPal.
PayPal and eBay have sent numerous emails to those that have
accounts to be aware of this type of false emails and to NEVER
click on that link in the false email. If there is ever a problem
with your account, you will know when you go to that site
directly and log in. They will have a message waiting for you.
Should you continue to use eBay and PayPal? Yes, I will I
continue to use them. Yes, but remember that they are NOT a bank,
only a vehicle to transact money through. They do not offer the
security that banks do. It is easy to fall in the trap of
thinking of keeping your funds there as a "bank account". The key
to safety is to move any money out of your account to your
checking account that you have set up.. just for this purpose. A
separate account that will not jeopardize your financial life.
Any false emails should be forwarded to:
spoof@PayPal.com
spoof@eBay. COM
In the subject area of the email, put...Is this for real?
Their team will investigate and shut down that sender's link.
How do you handle things when you find out that your account has
been compromised? Within the return email from either
PayPal or eBay will be instructions on what to do should you have
already replied to the false email.
Has this happened to anyone? Yes, many people innocently believe
that they were real and responded with their username and
password. Hopefully, you were not one of them.
Have you had problems with purchases paid with PayPal funds and
if a refund is
requested, do you get it?
I know one person who paid for an item through PayPal that she
won in an auction, and when she received the item it was not as
described! The seller swore that it was the item she won and she
refused to refund the buyer. PayPal after a few emails finally
wrote to the buyer for her to ship the item to them and they
would refund her money. I thought that was admirable.
So keep in mind like everything in the world...there is good and
bad. Protect yourself and if you are still using the same
password to access these accounts, you should change them and
remember to change them often. I do.
I like using PayPal for my auctions and for my websites. It
provides me an almost seamless and painless way of conducting
business.
To view the examples of FRAUD email that I have received, read my
Fraud Email Article.