scammers

[fuzzyfurball]

So I get billed by paypal for a $300  dog remote trainer on November 2 which I never authorized.   I don't even have a dog.   The seller is a top ebay seller.  The item doesn’t even show up on My Ebay.  I disputed the fraudulent charge 3 days later with paypal and they took it off my bank statement.  They also had me change my paypal password.

Then suddenly November 9, I receive the item.  Inside is a brand new remote from Petsmart.  The invoice included is from Petsmart with their order# and the buyer from Idaho is listed as someone other than that top ebay seller listed on paypal.   The “send to” lines show this person sending it to himself in my state.   

I called petsmart about it and they said they’d email me a return label which they still haven’t done.

I’m thinking triangulation scheme??

[siamdao]

Strange situation, too bad they didn't at least send something that you might have found useful.

[lacemaker3]

@fuzzyfurball

If your PayPal was charged for this, then either your PayPal or your eBay account has been hacked. If you have enabled "quicker checkout" then it could have been your eBay account. However, if it is not in your eBay purchase history (even hidden) then  it must have been purchased through another website, and paid for by logging in to your PayPal acocunt (or you may have enabled quicker checkout on that website).

I would recommend you go through all of these steps just in case. If you can identify the other website that was hacked, then you need to secure that account as well (can't give you details, but much the same as this).

When your account has been hacked, you need to take steps to protect yourself, and you have to do a bunch of the stuff yourself. eBay can only help with some of this. You will contact eBay in step 3, and then you can ask them to credit your account for the fees.

The first and most important thing is to get it back in your control, and keep the hacker out. This is what you need to do, in this order of priority (to prevent warning the scammer if he is active at the time):

1.  Check and correct all of your contact information (addresses, email addresses, phone numbers). Check your cell phone number as well, and make sure that it is your number (so the hacker can't reset the password by text after you change it).
   
   
2. Change your password.
   
   
3. Once you get the hacker out for good, you need to report to eBay Customer Service that your account has been stolen. Here is a direct link to report a hijacked account. This phone number is available 24/7, and usually has a short wait time.
   http://ocsnext.ebay.com/ocs/cusr?query=1586
   This is where you can ask them to remove any transactions from your account, and refund your money.
4. When your account gets hacked, it is almost always because your email account was hacked. So do what is needed to secure your email account as well. If you don't secure your email account then the hacker can get back in again easily.
   
   
5. Or, because your computer has malware on it, so run your antivirus and antimalware scans, and let them get rid of anything they find.
   
   
6. When you get your account back in your control, make sure that you change your password again, and change the security questions as well (because the hacker will have been able to see them). Don't use the same password as you use on other sites.
   
   
7. You should check your PayPal account if you have one. Check all your contact information in your PayPal account, remove any phone #s and addresses that are not yours. Especially check cell phone #s. Change your password, and any security questions.
   
   
8. If you allowed "quicker checkout" on eBay or other websites (not recommended) you can disable that by logging in to PayPal, then click the gear symbol ⚙ (top right). Click the Security tab, then Auto login at checkout > Update, then disable auto login for all devices > save the settings.

[dingbatdanni]

Before doing any of the above, update your antivirus and run a virus scan on your computer. You may have gotten a keylogger virus.

[lewisburggold]

Sounds like your account may be hacked.  Call pay pal call ebay call anyone you can think of that may help.  Best regards

[castlemagicmemories]

Excellent, @lacemaker3

[lacemaker3 · Accepted solution]

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@dingbatdanni wrote:
Before doing any of the above, update your antivirus and run a virus scan on your computer. You may have gotten a keylogger virus.

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That is one of the steps to check ... but these days, most hackers get in through your email account, not through trojans or keystroke loggers. So, priorities, first things first.

Yes, that's something to check, and it says if the scan finds something, then you go through the first step again.

[fuzzyfurball]

Thanks lacemaker3.  I've done the procedures you've suggested and I hope no one has to go thru the hassle i've gone thru.  I have a firewall and am careful visiting sites, so it couldn't have been thru a direct hack. 

I only found out about it because my bank restricted my credit card saying someone billed my card twice for charges over $800 which I never do which they know of because they know my CC HISTORY. 

A few days after I got my new CC number, I got the $300 paypal charge which I disputed.

[fuzzyfurball]

Yesterday I went to buy on ebay and the "ship to" listed some russian guy in Delaware.  I looked all over paypal and ebay and it was DIFFICULT to find but I finally found it under "my ebay" settings under:

-"My Account"

- "Addresses" under "Primary Shipping Address"

They were trying to change very little and they didn't change my Registration info, only my ship to address.

Now, it's much harder for them since I've turned on 2-step verification for ebay & paypal.  I've ALWAYS had 2-step verification for my email.