When I joined PayPal I was asked for my contact details, which I needed to give before I could open an account. Fair enough. What I didn't realise was that anyone I had a PayPal transaction with also had access to all my contact details, including my private mobile phone number. I'd checked the site and found the following, so thought my information was safe: "If you are buying goods or services and pay through PayPal, we may provide the seller with the delivery address for the goods and your billing address to complete your transaction." Late last night I received a series of 'intense' phone calls on my mobile phone from a seller on Ebay who had received a polite but 'neutral' feedback from me on an inexpensive item I'd bought from him. I'd checked his feedback and saw that someone else had done the same and I put it down to experience. In the end I had to turn my phone off. I raised this on the Ebay chat list this morning because I was somewhat alarmed that he'd gained access to my mobile number, which I never give out to anyone I don't trust. Someone told me that PayPal make ALL my contact details available to people I have transactions with. I tried to delete my phone number on my PayPal account to stop this happening again but was told I HAD to give a contact number. So, how can I ensure that my phone number isn't given out to all the people I have PayPal transactions with. I don't object to PayPal having mu number for their sole use but surely, if they feel the need to give out contact details to other users I'm paying, wouldn't my email address be sufficient?
... View more