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PayPal scam help needed.

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  • 05-11-2020 12:52am
    #1
    darragh o meara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,221 ✭✭✭


    Brief outline, I was checking my online banking earlier this evening and noticed 2 payments totalling approx €800 to EBay US via PayPal. Knowing I didn’t make these I tried to login to my PayPal account, (the same one I have been using for the last 10 yrs) but failed. I tried resetting the password but again got an error suggesting that the email address did not exist.

    Fearing the worst I went into the online chat to try resolve the issue and spoke with an agent who tells me that my email address is not associated with any account and that he cannot help me. I offered numerous opportunities to prove these payments were made and from what email address the came from and still no interest. I have since cancelled my card with the bank and am awaiting a replacement.

    So long story short, my account was hacked and there’s €800 from my personal account plus about €200 from credit I had on my account gone, the hacker closed my account and somehow managed to get into my email account to delete the emails which I have since found and restored.

    Anyone hear of this scam and know how I can resolve it? PayPal don’t want to know as according to them, I do not have an account.


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    #2
    Effects
    Registered Users Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Effects


    What did your bank say about reversing the transaction as you didn't authorise it?

    Paypal can be an absolute nightmare to deal with. Did you try calling them rather than just using the chat?
    They should still be able to find your account even if a hacker has changed the email address used for it.


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    #3
    darragh o meara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,221 ✭✭✭darragh o meara


    Effects wrote: »
    What did your bank say about reversing the transaction as you didn't authorise it?

    Paypal can be an absolute nightmare to deal with. Did you try calling them rather than just using the chat?
    They should still be able to find your account even if a hacker has changed the email address used for it.

    The bank has stopped any further transactions and cancelled my card so that should stop any further transactions, they told me it’s really between me and PayPal as I had authorised PayPal to make withdrawals from my account. They did however say that they could possibly act after 15 days to reverse the charges if I got no reply from PayPal.

    I cannot for the life of me find a contact number for PayPal m, their agent told me that they had no phone lines running at the moment. I will try again tomorrow and maybe I will get someone who actually cares but despite offering as much evidence that the account was mine and indeed existed he wasn’t interested and kept telling me that I could now use that email address to setup a new account if I wished.


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    #4
    beachhead
    Registered Users Posts: 2,332 ✭✭✭beachhead


    darragh o meara wrote: »
    The bank has stopped any further transactions and cancelled my card so that should stop any further transactions, they told me it’s really between me and PayPal as I had authorised PayPal to make withdrawals from my account. They did however say that they could possibly act after 15 days to reverse the charges if I got no reply from PayPal.

    I cannot for the life of me find a contact number for PayPal m, their agent told me that they had no phone lines running at the moment. I will try again tomorrow and maybe I will get someone who actually cares but despite offering as much evidence that the account was mine and indeed existed he wasn’t interested and kept telling me that I could now use that email address to setup a new account if I wished.
    Try these numbers 1800948510 and (01)4369023 Avn't used them in a while so not sure if,still working.


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    #5
    beachhead
    Registered Users Posts: 2,332 ✭✭✭beachhead


    They use (01)5008300 as a callback number.


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    #6
    darragh o meara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,221 ✭✭✭darragh o meara


    beachhead wrote: »
    They use (01)5008300 as a callback number.

    Cheers, I’ll give it a go first thing in the morning


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    #7
    JustAThought
    Registered Users Posts: 5,324 ✭✭✭JustAThought


    I seem to remember reading something about a big hacking scandal involving paypal accounts a a big cover up by them - it was few years back - havn’t used mine since. Might be worth a google. 1,000 is a lot to lose.


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    #8
    ED E
    Registered Users Posts: 36,167 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    OP they got your email password. That let them reset everything else.

    This is why you should have two factor enabled.


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    #9
    un5byh7sqpd2x0
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,862 ✭✭✭un5byh7sqpd2x0


    Did you perhaps have the same password on your email as you have on your PayPal?


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    #10
    eusap
    Registered Users Posts: 658 ✭✭✭eusap


    Change you email password and enable two step authentication ASAP


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    #11
    darragh o meara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,221 ✭✭✭darragh o meara


    beachhead wrote: »
    Try these numbers 1800948510 and (01)4369023 Avn't used them in a while so not sure if,still working.

    Thank you so much, finally got through to someone on the 01 number who was a lot more helpful and has started a refund procedure.

    Seems like a perfect scam, closing the account makes it really hard to track down. The hacker did get into my email and deleted the order emails with his address on it. After googling the address, it looks a really nice house in minisota, not the usual PO Box in Nigeria.


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    #12
    km991148
    Registered Users Posts: 4,275 ✭✭✭km991148


    eusap wrote: »
    Change you email password and enable two step authentication ASAP

    consider a password manager too (with a strong multiple word passphrase).

    Sorry - I don't meant to sound like I am putting the boot in.. just trying to help out against future issues.


    EDIT - Just read - They got into your email? You need to have a good look at all accounts you have used with that email address ASAP. You also need to try and work out how they got your email password.

    Have you installed some random tool bar on your browser? Some malware/virus? Or was it a weak password (under 16 character long) that was brute forced?
    If they could get it once, they will certainly do it again.


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    #13
    mistress_gi
    Registered Users Posts: 963 ✭✭✭mistress_gi


    I had a simmilar thing happen to me a few years ago, though not through paypal.
    I got on to my bank and isputed the transactions in both account and credit card. It took a while but eventually got all my money back.
    So if you get no joy with paypal get on to your bank to get the ball rolling on those unauthorised transactions, I'm sure they will get it sorted.
    Oh, make sure you save copies of all that you found about these transactions so you can submit them as proof in case of an investigation.


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    #14
    Effects
    Registered Users Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Effects


    darragh o meara wrote: »
    I cannot for the life of me find a contact number for PayPal, their agent told me that they had no phone lines running at the moment.

    I had to ring them yesterday, on 01 7617395.
    I was on hold for about 30 mins before I got to speak to them though.

    They'll try and shirk you off, so you need to be persistent.


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