My Paypal account was hacked! Change your password or

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

close your account if you don't use it very often. I often use the same password for all but my bank account and just change a minor detail every year. Well, not anymore! Someone guessed my password after getting access to it.

And, no, they didn't get anything but if my account was active the money would have gone through and I would be out around 500.00 dollars right now. So, if your account is just there waiting for you to use it at random, I would go there right now and change your password or close it. I can't close my account right now until all the activity stops so, I've had to put a freeze on my bank account. You have no idea! We just mailed out all our bills. But we can authorize what needs to be paid.

Here's what paypal said, change all your passwords frequently and don't use the same one for all your accounts like I do. Luckily for me my bank account pw was different. Whew!

You can keep a folder of your info (in your meat space) like I used to. And I'm changing my passwords again for all my accounts.

Let's make this a password change day!

PS. Since I have the same pw for AW and you start seeing wierd posts...

Now I need to install spell check. :tongue

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

You mean, "weirder posts". ;-)) Just kidding!

Good luck getting your account straightened out on PayPal. I've had a problem with it for ten years that apparently can't be fixed. It's one of those Catch-22 problems that even the service reps couldn't figure out.

Cella · Feb 16, 2010

thanks, Terri...

one time someone broke into out bank account electronically and stole all but $100 :rant:

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
You mean, "weirder posts". ;-)) Just kidding!

Good luck getting your account straightened out on PayPal. I've had a problem with it for ten years that apparently can't be fixed. It's one of those Catch-22 problems that even the service reps couldn't figure out.

Yes, weirder!

Are you kidding? I don't need anymore headaches. I already couldn't close the account. I suppose it can be a good thing.

Cella said:
thanks, Terri...

one time someone broke into out bank account electronically and stole all but $100

I guess they thought you at least had to eat.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
Are you kidding? I don't need anymore headaches. I already couldn't close the account. I suppose it can be a good thing.

My situation with them would take a while to explain (and I'm not sure I could). It was something like I changed e-mail address, credit card number, and maybe something else around the same time. Now I can't change anything because it want to use the other data to verify the change. It's like a dog chasing its own tail. I can't change this, because that is incorrect, and I can't change that, because this is incorrect.

If I want to use PayPal now (to donate to AW, for example), I don't even log into to my account; I just reenter my information.

By the way, are you sure your PayPal account was hacked, or could you possibly have a keylogger on your computer?

Cella · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
I guess they thought you at least had to eat.

I was impressed with their considerate attitude, yes.

Ambrosia · Feb 16, 2010

Are you using a harder to hack password? If you use a password with letters, numbers, and symbols, it is harder for a hacker to guess. Also, and I fail miserably at this one, not using a real word helps. My husband uses the lyrics of songs. He will choose a line and pick the first letter of each of the words, add numbers and symbols and it is virtually unbreakable.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
My situation with them would take a while to explain (and I'm not sure I could). It was something like I changed e-mail address, credit card number, and maybe something else around the same time. Now I can't change anything because it want to use the other data to verify the change. It's like a dog chasing its own tail. I can't change this, because that is incorrect, and I can't change that, because this is incorrect.

If I want to use PayPal now (to donate to AW, for example), I don't even log into to my account; I just reenter my information.

By the way, are you sure your PayPal account was hacked, or could you possibly have a keylogger on your computer?

I have no idea. All i know is that i got emails from several people stating that my echeck is being processed from things that i had bought on line. Two of which were refunded. It was as if i had bought items from these people and now they were taking money from my account.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

Ambrosia said:
Are you using a harder to hack password? If you use a password with letters, numbers, and symbols, it is harder for a hacker to guess. Also, and I fail miserably at this one, not using a real word helps. My husband uses the lyrics of songs. He will choose a line and pick the first letter of each of the words, add numbers and symbols and it is virtually unbreakable.

I'm going to do that now. Caps and numbers. Before i just used a word and some numbers.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

What kind of security software do you have on your computer?

And, if you have additional online accounts, I suggest using a virtual keyboard to enter account numbers and passwords until you get this figured out.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
I'm going to do that now. Caps and numbers. Before i just used a word and some numbers.

And if you want to write these new passwords down and keep them handy, while still keeping them secure (say, if you lose your purse), I can explain a simple technique to do that.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
What kind of security software do you have on your computer?

And, if you have additional online accounts, I suggest using a virtual keyboard to enter account numbers and passwords until you get this figured out.

I use what my cable comp. offers. Virtual Keyboard?

alleycat said:
And if you want to write these new passwords down and keep them handy, while still keeping them secure (say, if you lose your purse), I can explain a simple technique to do that.

Okay.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
Virtual Keyboard?

Also called an onscreen keyboard. You probably already have one in your Accessories.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
Also called an onscreen keyboard. You probably already had one in your Accessories.

I didn't know that! I'll look. Gotta go for now. Thanks for your help!

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

An onscreen keyboard can't be "read" by current keyloggers. But just give it time.

Susie · Feb 16, 2010

Gee, sure sorry that happened, werri, but sure glad they didn't take your money and thx much for the heads up!

benbradley · Feb 16, 2010

Update your virus/malware scanning software and do a scan BEFORE changing your passwords, otherwise you could be giving some cracker ALL your new passwords!

Also, about using a "virtual keyboard" (see below)I'm not sure how keyloggers work (I'm not a security expert though I suppose I could find out - the source codes for a lot of these things are available, or so I hear, but I hesitate to poke around in that area of the Cyberverse just out of curiosity), but I know enough about computers to know there are SEVERAL ways they CAN work (as in possibly logging more than just physical keystrokes), and using a "virtual keyboard" or copying-and-pasting a password might be caught by a logger just the same as if it were typed on the physical keyboard. There's lots of layers where data can be copied.

Here's an absolutely free virtual "virtual keyboard"

- you use it by selecting the letter or character you want to use, do ctrl-C or Edit->Copy, go to another document or a password logon screen, click the location where it goes, and do ctrl-V or Edit->Paste. Repeat for each letter you want to enter:

ETA: blowing this up to a larger font size to make it easier to use.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890-=`~!@#$%^&*()_+,./<>?;:'"[]{}\|
oh and space, between the quotes: " "
Hope this helps.

writerterri said:
Yes, weirder!

Are you kidding? I don't need anymore headaches. I already couldn't close the account. I suppose it can be a good thing.

I guess they thought you at least had to eat.

Paypal has always had sucky customer service. But I guess this is a bad time to say that...

alleycat said:
By the way, are you sure your PayPal account was hacked, or could you possibly have a keylogger on your computer?

Well, it's "hacked" (technically the word is cracked, though admittedly that battle was lost over a quarter century ago) either way. A computer with a keylogger installed without the consent of the owner/user is a "hacked" system.

ad_lucem · Feb 16, 2010

Scary! Thanks for the info. I have noticed that some sites...like my alma mater have moved to making people update passwords every now and then. Good idea, even if it sucks for people with little memories like me

Hugs and sorry that happened!!!

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
An onscreen keyboard can't be "read" by current keyloggers. But just give it time.

What's a keylogger?

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
What's a keylogger?

In this case, I mean a piece of malicious software that has been loaded onto your computer without you knowing it, and is capable of "stealing" everything you enter on your keyboard.

I was just offering that as another possibility for why your PayPal account had been compromised. Using an onscreen keyboard is just another step you can take to help protect your passwords.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

benbradley said:
Update your virus/malware scanning software and do a scan BEFORE changing your passwords, otherwise you could be giving some cracker ALL your new passwords!

Also, about using a "virtual keyboard" (see below)I'm not sure how keyloggers work (I'm not a security expert though I suppose I could find out - the source codes for a lot of these things are available, or so I hear, but I hesitate to poke around in that area of the Cyberverse just out of curiosity), but I know enough about computers to know there are SEVERAL ways they CAN work (as in possibly logging more than just physical keystrokes), and using a "virtual keyboard" or copying-and-pasting a password might be caught by a logger just the same as if it were typed on the physical keyboard. There's lots of layers where data can be copied.

Here's an absolutely free virtual "virtual keyboard" - you use it by selecting the letter or character you want to use, do ctrl-C or Edit->Copy, go to another document or a password logon screen, click the location where it goes, and do ctrl-V or Edit->Paste. Repeat for each letter you want to enter:

ETA: blowing this up to a larger font size to make it easier to use.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890-=`~!@#$%^&*()_+,./<>?;:'"[]{}\|
oh and space, between the quotes: " "
Hope this helps.

Paypal has always had sucky customer service. But I guess this is a bad time to say that...

Well, it's "hacked" (technically the word is cracked, though admittedly that battle was lost over a quarter century ago) either way. A computer with a keylogger installed without the consent of the owner/user is a "hacked" system.

That's valuable! Thanks so much !

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

alleycat said:
In this case, I mean a piece of malicious software that has been loaded onto your computer without you knowing it, and is capable of "stealing" everything you enter on your keyboard.

I was just offering that as another possibility for why your PayPal account had been compromised. Using an onscreen keyboard is just another step you can take to help protect your passwords.

Oh, I see!

I better not go on and change my password to my bank account right away then. Unless I use the v keyboard.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

I don't really know where the problem is in your case; I'm was just offering some additional security steps you could take.

Your PayPal account could be hacked. Or your system could be hacked. There is no way of telling right now without running some kind of scan and/or a HiJack log. Of course, if there is a problem with any of your other online accounts, then your computer has probably been loaded with malware, and you'd need to clean that out.

Until you figure it out, be especially vigilant about what passwords you enter via the regular keyboard, and be watchful to see if there is any suspicious activity on any of your other accounts. It could just be this one account that's been compromised, but, who knows right now.

writerterri · Feb 16, 2010

I'm going to do a full scan tonight.

alleycat · Feb 16, 2010

writerterri said:
Oh, I see!

There are also a "mechanical" keyloggers, but don't worry about those (unless you think your husband is ordering stuff using PayPay and charging it to you ;-)

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