Hi everyone,
So I'm having a concerning issue with my PayPal Business Debit Card and I need some advice/help and to see if anyone else has experienced this.
So about a week ago I got a strange transaction from "HEAT RELIEF HEATING AN". I did not recognize this transaction and the transaction had very little details. I tried to figure out what it was but couldn't. I Google'd it and found a company based in Washington State, but I'm not sure that's what it was from. What made this especially troubling is the transaction said "In store purchase" so I couldn't dispute it and my debit card never left my wallet and no one else has access. I contacted PayPal support via message and explained the situation. They said it appeared to be a "donation". It was for 49 cent and the only transaction that was strange. I thought maybe it was a fluke and about a day later the transaction was "cancelled".
Over a week past and nothing else strange happened, but then tonight I got three more weird transactions. The first two were back-to-back from "MAXIS PAY - HOTLINK" for the amounts of $24.69 and $2.46. I Google'd this and discovered this some sort of sketchy looking bill paying app/website that I've never been to, used or heard of until now. The other was from "ORMCUEKHUNRJN FJT" for $1.45 about three minutes later.
Obviously I don't know what that is either and it looks super sketchy. Google searches turn up nothing.
These transactions are too unusual and close together to be anything other than some sort of fraud. Someone has gotten a hold of my debit card information and is using it for transactions. In my view, it appears to be roundabout ways to get cash (donations, bill pay sites). The bizarre part, though, is they all say "in store purchase" and therefore cannot be disputed. My guess is this is part of the scam: so they can take money without it being able to be quickly disputed.
It seems like they're fishing by taking small amounts too.
I also believe they targeted me on Christmas Eve because they knew PayPal would have limited support. My initial plan was to call and have them lock the card while it was investigated but support is unavailable. So, for safety sake, I reported my card lost/stolen even though it's not to get another one. Now I have to try to get these unauthorized "in store" transactions dealt with.
But has anyone word of this happening? Anyone have any advice?
