Unauthorized Bank to Paypal transfer initiated

[KentuckyHouse]

Hello, everyone.  This is my first post here, so please bear with me, but I wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem before?

I received an email notification today, just after 2 PM EST that a transaction involving an electronic funds transfer from my bank account to my Paypal account was being processed.  I thought it was odd, since I hadn't initiated any such transfer!  After getting home from work tonight, I signed in to my Paypal account and, sure enough, there was the transfer in my history (listed a still being processed and expected to clear by March 29th). Then I saw the amount of the transfer...$550!  What? 

Now completely freaked out, I immediately called Paypal and the first CSR I spoke to sent me directly to their security people.  When I explained what was going on, he began by saying the first thing I should do is change my Paypal password (that's now done).  I then asked if they could halt this transaction and he said they couldn't, but that I would need to talk to my bank and they could put a stop-payment or hold on it so it didn't go through.  So, it looks like I've got a trip to the bank in the morning to follow up and hopefully get this thing stopped!

My question is, has anyone else experienced this?  I've been using Paypal, buying and selling, for going on 10 years now (or close to it).  I've NEVER had something like this happen.  Every transaction has been smooth as silk, but this has got me a little freaked out.  No one, and I mean no one, has access to either my Paypal or bank account except for me and NOBODY knows my password to either one but myself.

If you've had this happen, what did you do?  How did you get it resolved?  $550 is a LOT of money to me (about 3/4 of what I make on one paycheck), so I can't have it hanging out there in cyberland just waiting for some resolution. 

Thanks for listening and hopefully this will get resolved quickly!

[mrslenamae]

This just happened to me too, just yesterday.  Mine was $1964 dollars!!  Quite a shock.  And of course it made my bank account overdrawn, and now making autopayments be overdrawn too!  It was an eBay auction that they used my paypal account to fund the transaction.  My eBay user ID was not used to buy the item, but they used my paypal account to pay for the item.  It even showed the guys name to ship it too, a different name and a different shipping address than was on my paypal account.  The guys name was John Garfield in Richmond Kentucky, I am in So Calif.  I immediately contacted the seller, that this was an unauthorized transaction, that my account was hacked somehow.  Told them not to ship anything.  Then contacted PayPal that this was an unauthorized transaction.  PayPal was quick in reversing the transaction, but it still shows pending in my bank account.  And they said it would take 2-3 days to be credited back to my bank account. I also called my bank to notify them that that transaction was a fraud, so they flagged so they could reverse my overdraft charges when it is reversed.  I have been trying to find out how this happened.  I had a pretty secure password.  Hadn't used my paypal account in 4 months.  I still would like to know how this happens.   Was PayPal compromised?  I never click on any links to direct me to paypal, always type the url directly.  PayPal has something they offer, for a fee of course $29.95, but it is a secure pin card.  As soon as my bank account is credited back, I am going to purchase that.  It will give me extra security for the future at least.  

[dreamseeker3574]

This happened to me too. Paypal attempted to transfer money from my bank account twice! They would not allow me to take off my bank account information or close my paypal account. They said this would be the last time they try to charge my account so I am closing my paypal account.

I disputed the tranacation from e-bay because it was too high to begin with. I unlinked my paypal from e-bay. Just stop using paypal once you no longer use paypal they can't legally take money out of your account.

I am also going to send a certified letter to paypal stating that I no longer agree to allow paypal to have access to my account.

[1356]

  Thanks for the info; I haven't even been able to USE paypal the last few times I tried.   Just as well.  Don't trust them now.

[28kellyjy]

Hi

Just wanted you to know that yes this just happened to me today April 20, 2011. I had five different charges. Four of them were paid to an unknown person through transfer in the amount of $200 and the other in the amount of $900 for a total of $1700. I was scared and I am still struggling with getting through to paypal to make them aware of this fraud. I did call my bank and cancelled my card and ordered a new one before these charges went through. Sorry to hear this happened to you too. I think I am cancelling my paypal account and never paying online for anything ever again.