Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Paypal fraud

Options
  • 21-04-2020 7:46pm
    #1
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭


    Hi guys,

    Long story short, my sons paypal looks like it may have been hacked.

    My wifes card was linked to it and now there are multiple purchases which have been taken from her account.

    His paypal was swiftly shutdown by the perpetrator. We have called the bank and cancelled the card after the fact.

    Cannot raise a dispute with paypal via his account anymore either as the account has been closed by the person who made these payments.

    Can anyone advise on how we get paypal to sort this out? Cannot for the life of me find a number to call them on, seems their office is closed.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated, they have taken us for a substantial amount of money


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Caranica
    Registered Users Posts: 10,128 ✭✭✭✭Caranica


    Have you reported it the Gardai?

    There is a well buried, contact us link on Paypal, not sure if you can access it if not logged in. My friend works in the fraud department in Dublin and yes the office is closed. There should be some people still working globally though, it would be too dangerous not to have an operative fraud prevention department at this time.


  • Options
    #3
    baldbear
    Registered Users Posts: 5,566 ✭✭✭baldbear


    Are you 100% sure your son's account was hacked? Hardly telling lies?

    Is he under 18? PayPal is business as usual.. Everyone working from home.


  • Options
    #4
    Sleeper12
    Registered Users Posts: 17,085 ✭✭✭✭Sleeper12


    It's next to impossible to contact PayPal due to COVID 19. It takes weeks to get a response via email and I think the phone lines are closed


  • Options
    #5
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    baldbear wrote: »
    Are you 100% sure your son's account was hacked? Hardly telling lies?

    100% hacked, he showed us immediately, the 2 purchases made via the account (linked to my wifes card) are designer clothes with a delivery address in the US.

    How does this work now, will there be someone at Paypal to stop this payment asap?

    Cannot raise a dispute in the account as it has been closed by whoever hacked it.


  • Options
    #6
    baldbear
    Registered Users Posts: 5,566 ✭✭✭baldbear


    Blanco100 wrote: »
    100% hacked, he showed us immediately, the 2 purchases made via the account (linked to my wifes card) are designer clothes with a delivery address in the US.

    How does this work now, will there be someone at Paypal to stop this payment asap?

    Cannot raise a dispute in the account as it has been closed by whoever hacked it.

    I'd try and contact them on Facebook. They will have a social media team responding sometime. Ask your bank to file a chargeback too.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    trying to find them on facebook but no luck


  • Options
    #8
    Caranica
    Registered Users Posts: 10,128 ✭✭✭✭Caranica


    baldbear wrote: »
    PayPal is business as usual.. Everyone working from home.

    It's not as they're not, in Dublin anyway. A small percentage of staff are working but it's nothing like business as usual.


  • Options
    #9
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    The fact an account can be closed within your profile is a disgrace. Surely the requested closer should send link to your email for extra security (2 step process)

    Card has been cancelled with bank. They have requested we contact the vendors. out of 2 transactions only 1 had vendor details (an email address) the other just specified payment from our sons account name to a blank vendor.

    I know what people will think, our son was messing about but can categorically say its fraud. He alerted us as soon as he got the receipt emails.


  • Options
    #10
    dhaughton99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,695 ✭✭✭dhaughton99


    Was it linked to credit card or debit card?


  • Options
    #11
    DM_7
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,321 Mod ✭✭✭✭DM_7


    Messy. Assume the two step purchase where you get a text with a code was not set up?


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    DM_7 wrote: »
    Messy. Assume the two step purchase where you get a text with a code was not set up?

    Wasnt set up unfortunately.


  • Options
    #13
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    dhaughton99 wrote: »
    Was it linked to credit card or debit card?

    was linked to a debit card which we cancelled tonight


  • Options
    #14
    Lizardlegz
    Registered Users Posts: 267 ✭✭Lizardlegz


    https://www.paypal.com/ie/smarthelp/contact-us


  • Options
    #15
    Lizardlegz
    Registered Users Posts: 267 ✭✭Lizardlegz


    https://www.paypal.com/ie/smarthelp/article/how-do-i-report-potential-fraud-to-paypal-faq2422


  • Options
    #16
    Lizardlegz
    Registered Users Posts: 267 ✭✭Lizardlegz


    Also if you can’t message them as you now don’t have an account... maybe make up a new account just to give you access to their help centre... then explain everything to them giving all details of your old account.


  • Options
    #17
    silver2020
    Registered Users Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭silver2020


    Commence a chargeback on the card used. It was an unauthorised transaction, doesn't matter whether it was to paypal or not.

    Also, it's a lesson to your son that online security is extremely important. I would urge him and everyone to have a set of passwords for financial sites and a set of passwords for other sites.

    Quite easy to do if you create a style of password with subtle changes.


    There are many in Paypal still working, albeit working from home. If you have another paypal account you should be able to get a number with a code that is valid for 30 minutes (possibly though this is a business option only).

    The trick then is to call between 9am - 1pm and you have the best chance of taking to someone in Dublin. After and before that, it could be routed to India or USA.


  • Options
    #18
    Sleeper12
    Registered Users Posts: 17,085 ✭✭✭✭Sleeper12


    silver2020 wrote:
    The trick then is to call between 9am - 1pm and you have the best chance of taking to someone in Dublin. After and before that, it could be routed to India or USA.

    My business PayPal account tells me that there is no phone service during the Covid-19 crisis. They are taking weeks to respond to emails. If you have a number that works I'd love to have it?


  • Options
    #19
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    Lizardlegz wrote: »
    Also if you can’t message them as you now don’t have an account... maybe make up a new account just to give you access to their help centre... then explain everything to them giving all details of your old account.

    When I tried to do this with my own account, it will only allow me to raise an issue relating to a specific transaction and I don't have any in mine. I will call them at 9am.


  • Options
    #20
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    silver2020 wrote: »
    Commence a chargeback on the card used. It was an unauthorised transaction, doesn't matter whether it was to paypal or not.

    Also, it's a lesson to your son that online security is extremely important. I would urge him and everyone to have a set of passwords for financial sites and a set of passwords for other sites.

    Quite easy to do if you create a style of password with subtle changes.


    There are many in Paypal still working, albeit working from home. If you have another paypal account you should be able to get a number with a code that is valid for 30 minutes (possibly though this is a business option only).

    The trick then is to call between 9am - 1pm and you have the best chance of taking to someone in Dublin. After and before that, it could be routed to India or USA.

    The bank are adamant that I need to contact paypal first on this. They have been pretty useless

    I tried calling paypal but it seems their customer service line is completely closed, you cannot ring them whatsoever.


  • Options
    #21
    kenmm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭kenmm


    silver2020 wrote: »
    Also, it's a lesson to your son that online security is extremely important.


    This. But not necessarily with subtly different rotating passwords. 2 factor authentication, preferably not via SMS in the first instance followed by a use of a password manager that can auto-generate proper strong passwords.

    And yes too late now, not trying to sound smart, but for next time.


    Re the bank.. they are trying to minimise their costs. But it's still an unauthorised transaction so if you push them they should still initiate the chargeback (I think).


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    Cheers for the advice guys.

    Rang the bank and its with fraud now. They are investigating, if appeal is successful then money will be returned immediately. If unsuccessful then a chargeback will have to be initiated which will mean we fill out form etc... and bank will liaise with paypal before cancelling the transaction.

    How paypal cannot have an online fraud department right now, even a skeleton staff is beyond me. Lessons learnt though.


  • Options
    #23
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,497 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Blanco100 wrote: »
    The fact an account can be closed within your profile is a disgrace. Surely the requested closer should send link to your email for extra security (2 step process)

    Hardly,
    To be fair its an outrage your son didn't setup two-step verification on his paypal account to secure it in the first place.

    It's easy be outraged with a company i guess when you don't use the security features they offer :rolleyes:


  • Options
    #24
    Blanco100
    Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭Blanco100


    Cabaal wrote: »
    Hardly,
    To be fair its an outrage your son didn't setup two-step verification on his paypal account to secure it in the first place.

    It's easy be outraged with a company i guess when you don't use the security features they offer :rolleyes:

    As I said, lesson learned.

    We were asking to be scammed. Thanks for the input.


  • Options
    #25
    kenmm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,698 ✭✭✭kenmm


    Cabaal wrote: »
    Hardly,
    To be fair its an outrage your son didn't setup two-step verification on his paypal account to secure it in the first place.

    It's easy be outraged with a company i guess when you don't use the security features they offer :rolleyes:

    Ah come on - its not quite so simple.. if the company were fully serious about security they would enforce 2fa etc, but its a balancing act between getting as many customers as possible (i.e. make it easy to use), security and an acceptable level of cost associated with fraud for when the balance is out.


  • Options
    #26
    rock22
    Registered Users Posts: 1,623 ✭✭✭rock22


    Cabaal wrote: »
    Hardly,
    To be fair its an outrage your son didn't setup two-step verification on his paypal account to secure it in the first place.

    It's easy be outraged with a company i guess when you don't use the security features they offer :rolleyes:
    I have been using Paypal for a number of years and this is the first time I heard about 2fa on Paypal account.
    And Paypal deactivate 2fa by default so if you don't know about it then how are you to set it up?


Advertisement