JW57 -
Welcome to the Community!
I'm sorry to hear you're having issues with your card. If you haven't yet disputed the charge with your card company and requested a replacement card, I would recommend doing so as soon as possible.
PayPal securely stores and transmits your information and has never been hacked. Even if someone were to gain entrance into your PayPal account, your card information is not viewable in full and could not be used to make a purchase. I can assure you your card information was not compromised through your use of the PayPal services.
Card information can be gathered by a criminal through a number of different means, whether online or offline. Since your card was used at a physical location that is unlikely to accept internet or phone orders, my guess would be one of the following:
A) The card issuer accidentally placed a charge on your account. This is the most likely scenario, not because card issuers make mistakes often (they most certainly don't), but because it's the simplest way for an incorrect charge to wind up on any statement.
B) The gas station was processing a card manually and accidentally entered incorrect information. Given the various security features and combinations necessary for this to happen, this is unlikely, but nonetheless possible.
C) The card information was stolen or compromised somewhere other than PayPal; the individual who obtained your card information then encoded it into what is known as a "blank" and later used it. This method of fraud is typically seen with larger, organized crime rings, but remains a potential nonetheless.
To be on the safe side, you may want to order a credit report and/or a credit "watch" service, though this may not be necessary. I would rather you be safe, though, than find out later someone has compromised your identity.
Stay safe,
Adrian
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