Received random payments before an unauthorized purchase was made

[sgjumbo]

Hello,

I have just filed a report through Paypal's resolution center, but I am making this thread to document what has happened and find out if this has happened to anyone else. About 5 hours ago, I received 3 emails in rapid succession- the first two were nearly identical notifications that I had received $40USD from a random stranger (totaling $80 in unearned money). I am not a vendor of any sort, so there is no reason for me to have received this money. The third email was time-stamped a minute later and was an invoice detailing a $74.99 purchase in an unnamed subscription from Microsoft Corporation. I haven't purchased anything from Microsoft in years! Clearly, the random payments I received are linked to the random purchase I did not make.

Thankfully, I really only use paypal to buy textbooks-- so there was no balance of money to be taken out. However, I did have my debit card information in my account and I am wondering if this has been compromised. It is 2:30am here, and my debit account is through my parents (I'm still a poor college kid). The prospect of having to cancel my card is annoying (to put it lightly), but it is probably the way to go.

I'd appreciate anything anyone could add or suggestions anyone might have. Thanks!

[lizgrisham1990]

The card # can't be compromised, Paypal don't show that number, not even when it's added, only the last couple digits. They'd have to hack paypal its self to get this information and i'm positive no one is going to be able to do that, PayPal has been here for YEARS and never had a breach like that.  I ensure you, your card is safe. You can cancel that card, and your card company can send you a brand new one with a new number if you want to be on the 100% positive end.

I'd change my paypal password, and email if possible, if you can't do this online, get a representative to help you by calling them.

Those scammers are getting sneakier and sneakier, I have never heard of anything like this, but it sure sounds like someone was trying to pull a slick one on you, the question is.. "how did they get your paypal email, and know you have paypal" -

I'd recommend the following:

Have you ever been ripped off before? If so, try matching the recent activity to that person and report to Internet Crime Division at  ic3.gov

Google your email address, be sure there is nothing floating around on the internet, if there is contact google and ask them to remove it, that they are violating your privacy.

If I can be any more help, feel free to ask. Good Luck

[sgjumbo]

Thanks for the response. I'm really wondering what could be gained from someone using my account like this-- they did not use any of my money or card information, but rather transferred almost the exact amount of money the mystery product costs. Perhaps the 'villain' in question transferred money not from his own account, but from another account. This seems like the only thing possible, and yet it is so unnecessarily complex! If the villain had access to a paypal account that actually had money on file, it seems an extra step to transfer it to me to make the purchase.

I just want to clarify here- even though someone clearly had access to my account in order to make the purchase from Microsoft, there is no way they could have got my credit card information? Going to my account settings would not have shown them this? I just want to double check.

Thanks so much for helping me understand this!

[lizgrisham1990]

No, not even you can look at your card info in your own paypal account, they simply intitiated a transfer by clicking send money/withdraw money, but the actual card info is not visible.

[Osi]

I had the same thing happen. Someone deposited into my paypal account from another paypal account than made a purchase. Unfortunately, Paypal's resolution center is offline. AKA, you can "submit" a report (the transaction Id lookup is broken btw), and you will not get an acknowledgement nor a case number .... 

[hannahm]

I had the same thing happen to me. It was even for the same amount of money. I haven't used my paypal account since buying my brother a Christmas present last December, and I've never had any trouble. Then, two payments of $40 were made to me and then a purchase to "Microsoft Corporation" for $50. The $80 is being held so my paypal account has a balance of -$49.99. Now, even though I had already made a dispute on this immediately, the "buyer" who sent me the money in the first place wants it back, but I have nothing to send them since my balance is negative, my money from the "purchase" isn't refunded, and the other transfers are on hold. It won't let me refund from the held money. I don't want to issue a refund from my bank account and be out over $80 for something I didn't do, but paypal is being really unhelpful.

Does anyone know how to fix this problem?? I just want these three transactions to be dealt with so that I can cancel my account. I'm really unsatisfied with paypal at the moment.

EDIT: I called PayPal customer service and it took literally 4 minutes to reverse all the transactions, instead of days of emailing like I had previously tried. The customer service representative said that my account should be exactly how it was a few days ago before all this started. Hopefully, it won't have any lasting effects on my account status.

[DragonessD]

Okay, just got off the phone with them.  Apparently this is happening a LOT. The gentleman on the phone advised me to change my password (done as soon as I saw these unasked for transactions), do not click on any links in the emails saying I have money (which I didn't), and wait 10 days for things to be handled. (not sure why 10 when the website said I had 7, but whatever)

What I was told is fraudsters get 2 paypal logins, then send money from random person 1 to random person 2, and from random person 2 to who-knows-where after that.

Change one password, and they're back to square one ...

[lizgrisham1990]

Be careful.. Internet is getting more packed with low lifes than it ever has,

[betherina]

I came here because something similar just happened to me this morning.  I had 5 emails stating I had received $40 each time, 3 are from one name, 2 from another.  Then I received 3 more emails, for purchases from Direct2Drive.  Luckily I was online when it started, so I could change my password and file disputes, but Paypal isn't open yet to call.  I also can't file anything regarding the 'unauthorized deposits'.  Hope this doesn't tie up my bank account!

[Trean]

I had this happen to me yesterday.  I sent an email but decided to call today because the dispute system still isn't responding to allow me to create a dispute.  

Two payments incoming for $40, one outgoing for $74.95 to Microsoft Corporation.  One of the incoming has already been disputed by the person so it is on Hold.  The guy on the phone almost had me issuing a refund to the other but it wanted to refund from my checking account as the money isn't in my PayPal account anymore due to the Microsoft charge.

This is just stupid.  I changed my passwords for both PayPal and my email, don't know how this happened, I have never had a problem with PayPal before.

**EDIT**

The first person on the phone transfered me to someone who was much more competent.  They knew the exact problem I was in and reversed the two incoming and placed a hold and dispute on the outgoing payment.  Should be all fixed within 10 days and given how scarcely I use my PayPal, that is fine with me.