View Full Version : Bank account fraud



Dustin
08-23-2014, 02:29 AM
Just found a couple of huge fraudulent charges to my bank account.

One from "PAYPAL BLUETEKUSAINC 402-935-7733 CA USA" in the amount of $809.99 and another from "PAYPAL KENMORECAMERA 402-935-7733 CA USA" in the amount of $849.00...

I'm in total shock. I've already filed a dispute claim with PayPal and I'm going to my bank first thing on Monday.

Has anyone had a similar experience with PayPal? If so, how long did it take PayPal to resolve your investigation?

I've changed my password and added a few security questions so hopefully the bastard won't be able to get into my account again...

Wow... I feel violated.

SoonerDave
08-23-2014, 05:30 AM
Never worked with PayPal on fraudulent charges, but I would go to the issuer of the associated credit card and make a fraud claim there. Most credit card cos these days give fairly broad latitude toward customer fraud claims, and will at a minimum put a temporary hold on the charge if not rescind it completely. That should get the ball rolling with PayPal and *their* fraud resolution team as well, and obviously you should contact them, too.

That's one reason I don't use PayPal unless I absolutely have to, because most credit card companies these days have really good algorithms to detect out-of-band purchases and flag them as suspicioius. But if the charge comes fro PayPal, it's a lot harder to discern real from fake.

At the risk of sounding paranoid, you might just run a copy of your credit report to make sure everything there is accurate, too. You can one free at annualcreditreport.com, and its absolutely legit, no money or fee charged.

Stew
08-23-2014, 07:46 AM
Back in 2008 I had some fraudulent paypal ACHs hit my arrest checking account. I dealt directly with Arvest. If memory serves all I did was sign an affidavit stating I didn't authorize the charges and Arvest took care of it. I think it took a business day for the funds to be restored.

PennyQuilts
08-23-2014, 08:55 AM
Yeah. Sorry to hear that.

I love online buying, using credit cards and online banking but I am honestly beginning to wonder if there is any way security can keep ahead of hackers. If that ends up being the case, I can't imagine what that would do to the economy.

Teo9969
08-23-2014, 12:04 PM
Yeah. Sorry to hear that.

I love online buying, using credit cards and online banking but I am honestly beginning to wonder if there is any way security can keep ahead of hackers. If that ends up being the case, I can't imagine what that would do to the economy.

There's a real easy way to fix the problem: Credit-card issuers have a system that will create single-use credit card numbers associated with an account to use when shopping online. Banks/Lending institutions generally keep up on their security systems better than retailers.

SoonerDave
08-23-2014, 12:51 PM
There's a real easy way to fix the problem: Credit-card issuers have a system that will create single-use credit card numbers associated with an account to use when shopping online. Banks/Lending institutions generally keep up on their security systems better than retailers.

Teo, Discover was one of the first CC companies to do the one-use number system, but they've discontinued it. That may become a trend. I think it created more practical problems for them than it solved or prevented on the fraud side.

One minor tip I generally follow just for my own minor safety is not to allow a retail site to "store my cc info" for their convenience. While I realize once a system has it, its probably "in there" even if I don't choose to store it, but I can at least mitigate that availability some by opting not to store it.

kevinpate
08-23-2014, 01:13 PM
I've been blessed with minimal issues. One credit card hit by a wait person, easily resolved. A couple of times a very low activity bank account has had an odd low dollar charge (under 13) from spots in the NE part of the country. In an active account it might have gone unnoticed, but when it was only item or one of 2-3 items it stood out each time. Bank never had an issue with resolving the matter quickly.

mugofbeer
08-23-2014, 07:11 PM
As a person who works in an associated business, along with what others have suggested, I would also recommend you close your existing account and open a new one. It may not be possible to block future attempts for electronic debits.

hipsterdoofus
08-25-2014, 09:11 PM
That's rotten. I have a paypal card that I'm considering dropping. It used to have limits you could set really low (like $200/day). Now you can't set it yourself and the limit is like $3,000/ day. Doesn't seem to offer a very good buffer to my checking account.

zookeeper
08-25-2014, 09:53 PM
The best $45 a year I spend. Seriously.

Virtual Credit Cards on-the-fly.
https://www.abine.com/maskme/features/cards/

Virtual Phone Numbers on-the-fly.
https://www.abine.com/maskme/features/phones/

Masked emails on-the-fly.
https://www.abine.com/maskme/emails/

I know you can do all of these things with different programs - from the bank, or a website, etc. The beauty of Abine's MaskMe is it's all bundled together into a browser extension. It works in seconds. Truly on-the-fly. Peace of mind.

https://www.abine.com/maskme/ The program at a glance

(https://www.abine.com/maskme/)

Zuplar
08-26-2014, 12:21 PM
If the fraud was done with your personal Paypal account, I would start there, but also notify the bank. If it was done pulling money via ACH from your bank account, close it immediately as they will be able to do this again. You can have Unauthorized ACH's sent back, but you have to be on your game. If this was just done with your debit card associated with Paypal, then I would cancel the card only, as it is separate from the bank account number.

Now if this Paypal transaction has nothing to do with your Paypal account, contact the bank, then cancel the debit card or close the account depending on how it was done like referenced above.

FWIW, fraud prevention and debit card disputes is exactly what I do for a living at a locally owned bank.

RadicalModerate
08-26-2014, 01:20 PM
If a Police Officer went in pursuit of a caught-red-handed-in-the-act suspect/perp who was breaking into my vehicle to steal something purchased with a credit card and then, the aforementioned perp had the audacity to endanger public health and safety by driving recklessly through traffic and then stabbed the Officer's canine companion . . . I'd have to side with The Online Credit Card Protective Agencies. In their phone cubicles. Who agreed that it was a righteous discharge of ammunition.

(is that so different from the "What's in YOUR Wallet" Viking Invader series of ads?)

I would hope that the full force and leverage of The Credit Card Company in question would agree.
In that hypothetical situation.

Edited to Add: Re: OP: That would really bother me too. It is a trespass on one's property.
and totally sucks.