Heard recently about a Paypal hacking scam [6/2012]

[bowzerbird]

On TV, heard the "tail end" of a story on the news RE: Paypal getting hacked. Obviously don't have all the details. Is this true and if so, what are the details? Tried Googling info, can't find anything BUT did find this link:

<link removed>

"How to hack Paypal accounts"

Just went to the site but decided not to stay or read anything. My paranoia!

Just hope it can't be done. Paypal IZ THEE only payment method I use. Don't even use credit cards.

Anyone know what's going on RE: the info in this post?

Ellen

[profdata]

No Paypal was not hacked, no have they ever been hacked.

More like Paypal users giving out their account information to scammers, clicking on a link, or getting a key logger

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hey there profdata! Good to see you around! 🙂

Hi bowzerbird, and welcome to the forums! 🙂

I've removed the link in your post. While the site you linked to was written 7 years ago and very likely had nothing of value to a prospective fraudster, we don't allow any potentially harmful links in the Community forum for your safety and the safety of others.

I can definitely understand your concern, but like profdata said, there's been no breach. Unauthorized access to accounts typically happens when a fraudster tricks someone into divulging their password or other personal information that can be used to guess the password. It's important to keep your password and personal information secure to prevent that from happening.

As your first instinct was to see what you could find on the web, I'll bet you're probably pretty savvy about keeping yourself protected. Still, the more you know, the better protected you are! Read up to learn how to protect yourself against those who would try to get your password. Here are some great Security Tips, some Tips and Info for Safer Buying and Selling, and Your Guide to Identity Protection, just to get you started.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[bowzerbird]

Hey, Guys,

Thanks. Like I said, heard the tail end of "something" on the news and wanted to check it out. Glad you removed the link, made me nervous just including it.

I'm sure Paypal has all the bells & whistles of protection & encryption to protect our credit card & banking info. It has more info than any bank / credit card company has and I feel safer using IT than a regular credit / debit card.

Thanks again,

Ellen

[PayPal_Olivia]

Ho bowzerbird,

Thank you for coming back to let us know I answered your question! 🙂

Olivia

[LasVegasCandy]

I know this thread is a 'little' dated, however, I just had someone be able to print postage from my paypal account, and send something with my return address to Russia!!!!!! I must wonder, how in the **bleep** can something like that happen??????

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi LasVegasCandy,

Welcome to the forums!

That sounds like an issue where the password was gained by a fraudster, who then used your account to fund the printing of a shipping label. Among other methods, passwords might be gathered through the use of phishing emails, or malicious software, or even shoulder-surfing in a public place. It's important to protect your passwords and change them if you feel they may have been compromised. To learn more about password safety, click here.

For the unauthorized creation of shipping labels, you may need assistance in creating a claim. Please contact Customer Service and a live representative will be able to help you over phone or email, or if you use Twitter, feel free to reach out to @AskPayPal.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[LasVegasCandy]

Hi Olivia, thank you for the welcome. As a computer security person, I'm pretty well guarded against the items that you've mentioned. And I never use public places to access either my eBay or paypal accounts, nor any financial, etc. websites, however, I do appreciate your suggestions. And as I know no one in Russia, or North Carolina, I can't imagine anyone 'guessing' my password. As soon as I received the email that a label had been printed, I immediately went to cancel it, then changed my paypal password, as well as my 'secret questions.' I am more suspicious as to a breach of security at Paypal.

I also phoned paypal direct to open a claim. I just recently (approx. an hour or so ago) received a USPS update, and the package was dropped in NC just TODAY! Filed a complaint with the US Postal Inspection Service, and hopefully they can hold the package up at customs.

[theairgunman]

I recently had the same thing happen. Unfortunately due to long work hours, I didnt catch the several unauthorized charges until the next afternoon, July 3rd. Good timing with the banks and postal service closed for the holiday. I was able to file claims with paypal and uspis. Uspis knew immediately where the packages were heading as soon as I mentioned paypal, so this seems like a known issue. They said they would intercept the packages, but one has already been delivered. They shipped from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and California to Russia and Ukraine. I'm still waiting on paypal to hopefully decide in my favor. In the meantime, I'm out a lot of money in the unauthorized charges and subsequent bank fees when my account was drained. Have any of you dealt with this? If so, how long did it take to get the matter resolved?

Like the above post, I am pretty guarded online as well, even to the point of using alternative operating systems to minimize the risk of keyloggers. It seems suspicious that someone could guess my password, as I never divulge any personal information online and it was not one you could guess through knowing me. It makes me wonder if there isnt a leak somewhere.

[PayPal_Frank]

Hi LasVegasCandy and theairgunman,

I'm glad to hear that you both take precautions to ensure that your password is not compromised on your own hardware.  Like Olivia stated, I can assure you that PayPal has never been successfully hacked.  Security is our top priority and our number one value proposition.  One of the main reasons PayPal exists is to keep your financial information secure and help reduce the number of websites that need to receive or store that financial information.

Another situation we see often is when a customer is using the same password on multiple websites or user accounts.  If the password was compromised through another website that also stores your email address, most hackers will immediately see if that combination works with PayPal as well.  There have been a number of high profile security breaches recently and even one that was just announced today for a well known email provider with around 450,000 passwords posted by hackers.

While we encourage everyone to use a unique password for PayPal, I know that most users tend to use a password on multiple websites.  If anybody is interested in adding an extra layer of security to their PayPal account (2FA), I recommend checking out my post on the PayPal Security Key here:

PayPal Security Key

I hope this helps. 🙂

- Frank