Warning to all PayPal users!
Wonderland
Posts: 7,132
There are major hackers out there who can get into your account and disable your password (although you can reset it.) I called PayPal originally, for another issue entirely and the phone call was cut off and I was immediately called back from an Indian man claiming to be from PayPal. He knew my email, home address, PayPal balance, everything. He said my account was red flagged, put me on hold, then claimed I had been hacked in small amounts over the last 3 months adding up to over $645! I asked why I didn’t see this reflected in my account? He said they were micro transactions only visible on his side, which already seemed suspicious.He sent me a verification code which I typed back to him. Big mistake.Then I tried to log into my PayPal account, but couldn’t. I quickly changed my password while still on the phone with the scammer trying to convince me I had to put money in a Google Play Card to expedite resolving the hacker issue. By then I realized HE was the hacker and heard a bunch of other Indians in the background talking about Google Play cards. I quickly called PayPal again, got an American, told the whole story and they said they were aware of the situation and trying to stop it. My account had in fact been hacked into by somone somewhere in India. Now I have to wipe my phone because I don’t know what that code did... Concerned about all my devices actually. So be very careful with your PayPal accounts and change your password often! Do not accept any phone calls claiming they are PayPal, even if you just called PayPal. They are hijacking phone numbers. End of public service announcement...
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
...I closed out my PayPal account when there was a scam a while back. Haven't bothered to use the service since. The scary part with this is if you make regular transfers between PP and your bank, your checking/savings account numbers could also be vulnerable.
Out of sheer curiousity, if this was a phone call, how did you type anything back to him?
Just out of curiosity also, have you used Paypal with ebay recently, or at all?
On my iPhone. Actually I think I read back the code they sent (texted) me. The whole thing was very confusing. They said specific places where I was hacked (Dayton Ohio, Ontario Canada..) and said I had subdribed to a dating app that I hadn’t. They were very believable and had my email, home address, PayPal balance, payments, everything. Still freaked out about all this.
No, only here. But it happened right after I called PayPal and got cut off. They immediately called me back. It had nothing to do with a website but MY outgoing call to PayPal!
Paypal has never called me, they give me text alerts, for fraud, or purchases and deposit, transactions right to my my phone then i sign in my account if i need to double check thngs.
I never use links that come in emails claiming to be paypal either . Paypal is pretty much like any other credit card . their cash holding accounts were required to be FDIC protected by new regulations starting in Apirl.
I guess its true PayPal is just like any credit card, people try to scam paypal users as well as master card or discover. . i have not had any issues in my 8 years of using paypal I find them very useful for doing business overseas great way for me to be paid for my animations from clients not in the USA. I have a POS link and app never had issues with those either you just have to be careful not to fall for scammers calling you. I seriouly would sign up for text alerts.
But funny story . I had someone call me trying to tell me they were from Verizon their caller id even said Verizon. and they went on & told me they needed my 4 digit pin to fix my account and they would give me a $90 credit for the inconvenience. ...lol ... I said Ha!! $90 credit great. jokes on you I don't have a Verizon account can you transfer that to my per paid straight talk account.... they hung up..lol ha ha ha. scammers
Normally I wouldn’t accept a random call from PayPal but I had just called them and was cut off. I thought a representative was calling me back. That is what is so scary. My outgoing call instigated it. They cut me off somehow from real PayPal and immediately called me back!
The internet is a scary place, make no doubt about it. There is a youtube channel by a guy named scammerrevolts and he gets hacked by scammers, mostly in India, and then hacks them back, it's classic and scary how prolific these scammers are
Unfortunately, often times trying to deal with the side effects of something like takes far longer and is a much greater headache than the actual damage. You may be right about your phone, and/or if you have any synced devices.
Good luck!
That is terrifying
I have never called PayPal it actually never occurred to me I could
if something odd happens I would go via my account online and otherwise contact my bank if actual money gone but latter not happened so far.
as you were just on the phone though I understand the reaction or thinking it was them
I got fed up with PayPal a couple of years ago so I closed my account. It is still possible to use PayPal to pay without an account - just pay with credit card via PayPal. I'm not sure what the benefits of this are but I've noticed that Rendo no longer accepts my CC and the only other option is PayPay (which does accept my CC). Whether paying with PayPal without having an account is more secure or not, I couldn't say. DAZ does accept my CC, fortunately.
Where did you obtain their phone number from? I have someone on my twitter who just posted earlier today about googling for Paypal's number and the first result not actually being Paypal, but a scam number.
Just guessing, but they didn't send you the code. They got the ball rolling on the password change on paypals front, did something on the site that caused paypal to send you a verification code. Then when you gave them the code paypal sent you...
Does your iPhone keep a log history of phone numbers you've recently called?Did you type in the wrong number?
Scammers buy up typo phone numbers, and wait for someone like you to call them.
1. Never respond to any email from a company that wants you to use a link to input sensitive information or send info back through email.
2. Never answer a phone call from a company that wants you to give sensitive information, verify passwords or codes. Most companies will not ask you for your password, for instance.
3. Go through the normal proper channels for the site and inquire about what you received (phone/email/text). If it's kosher, there should be, most likely, an on-site message they are trying to contact you. Otherwise, it's probable you've been phished.
What JoeQuick suggests sounds the likely thing.
Always be careful.
Yes, that’s what I figured out happened. I realized later that they had changed my password while I was on the phone with them by asking me to read to them the verification code sent by Paypal. What I don’t understand is, is how they got my email address associated with PayPal which is one I only use for that and a few other companies like Norton, of all things, and some computer companies. How did they get my Paypal email and phone number??? Checking my email, I just noticed I got a warning of unusual activity on my Paypal account after I had opened a case against an undisclosed company that I can’t imagine would possibly be associated with India... Unless that company is being hacked... Right now my WIFI is turned off and I’m going to the Apple Genius Bar to check all my devices for malware and possibly wipe them.
got an email claiming to be paypal BUT was spelled slightly different there was a different letter and space plus it was sent to the email address I do not use for paypal. Also costantly get fake emails claiming to be amazon, apple, fedex, and others claiming to be orders and other transactions reported phishing and blocked so so many but new variations keep coming. when you click block you see the addresses and they are really long some with just a heap of letters on the end. Even had some ransom ones saying they have recordered me hacked my computers camera taping me watching porn and id if I don't pay the bit coin ransom they'd release it over all the websites I was on like facebook and they had my password which they did show but was a very very old one long gone. Did some research and found out that all these had gotten my details and many others years ago when yahoo was hacked and got hold of members details. Oh yeah and had an FBI one too poorly written
You should get a good cleaner or have someone do it for you. It's as easy as going to a questionable site that looks totally legit and you get something on your computer that can see your keystrokes. That's just one way. Always run at least Malware Bytes. You really have to be ultra careful. And good that you're going to Apple Genius Bar.
Regularly change your passwords and a different one for every site, Use a password keeper like LastPass and don't keep copies of the passwords on your computer. Make a hardcopy of your passwords. At the very least any site that handles your money in any capacity should be changed regularly, the computer regulary checked for bad stuff. I run every night before going to bed. Too often, it is our lax ways that clear the way for an undesirable event.
It's difficult to think straight in these situations, which scammers know. One possible approach when called by someone claiming to be from a company like Paypal, Microsoft, banks, anything that has your important data, and where you could find a customer services contact number online, is to ask the caller for their name and then say you will call them. I find that they usually end the call abruptly at that point. If they don't, you call the company and ask for the person by the name given.
I get the Amazon and Apple ones constantly. EVERYDAY it sounds like my account has been frozen by Apple and I need to verify my account by putting in information.
I used to get the 'tried to deliver a package' one that requires I submit info.....from FedEX or UPS...
I also get the Mastercard one where there's been suspicious activity and ...yadda...log in for details....
-----------
I hate that the email is always the companies' name, but if you hover the mouse over it, it's always like BabyGerry@SiteTech.com
And I use a junk email for every site that requires an email addy to get a free download or such and they always state the same privacy BS and always a week later, I get new Canadian Drugs Solicitations.
Yikes, that is some scary stuff! In the confusion of the moment, I'll bet I would have reacted the same way you did, so thanks for posting your warning.
Hope you get everything cleared up without too much trouble.
I have a security key which I have to use whenever I use PayPal. Even if they had my password they still can’t get into my account without it, and it changes every time I log in.
Interesting
How/Where did you get that?
From PayPal themselves. Think it’s in the security section.
I've been chatting with PayPal the past week on the phone to resolve an issue with an old credit card tied to my account. They've been super helpful and friendly, which is (unfortunately) odd nowadays when you try to contact an online-only presence store/business. I can't speak for losing my password or access to my account, but if you log in to PayPal there's a 'HELP' link that will allow you to choose to call them and then they give you a passcode that you have to enter to prove it's whoever is signed in to the account. Again, I can't speak for losing access to the account, I use 2-step authentication for everything that offers it. On that note, I wish DAZ would offer it...
Despite being in the computer industry for 40 years I'm a bit of a Luddite regarding some on-line stuff. I tried to get a working account with PayPal several times over a couple years but was terminally confused by the options and website behavior. However. I finally got my ducks in a row and established an account that is connected only to my normal credit card and I don't have my bank account registered with PayPal. So, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".
Unfortunately they periodically notice my omission and nag me to link to a bank account. But I ignore their nagging.
@Pixolygon "Where did you obtain their phone number from? I have someone on my twitter who just posted earlier today about googling for Paypal's number and the first result not actually being Paypal, but a scam number."
Paypal lists phone numbers under the Contact heading in the Help Center.
Thanks for the warning. Just activated the SMS code.
I've been using Paypal for many years since back when I had a Ebay store and never had an issue. After reading this thread I also activated the SMS code today. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
I've been using Paypal for years simply because I don't want my credit card information stored in multiple places. What's going on with phishing and hacking attacks is really scary.