HELP!!! PayPal account theft!

[Laser Ben]

I have a serious problem. A couple days ago, my Gmail account popped up telling me some one else was using it at another IP. I was able to copy down the IP before it went away. Immediately after, I changed my password on it to something very difficult.

Just now, I received a very odd message from "paypal" claiming that I have agreed to have a buyer ship an item back to me for a refund. I did not make this action and I had complete proof that the item's software was sent to the buyer.

I believe strongly that it is the buyer who is doing this. The comments that "I" posted in the dispute were not anything I would say and paypal records should show that the account was not accessed by me today before receiving this email. I don't want the buyer to return the item for a refund because it was fully as described when he got it.

What should I do about this? Is paypal support even existent over the weekends let alone any time at all??? Is there any way I can find out who has been accessing my email and paypal accounts?

Thanks!

EDIT

I did not blank out the sender in the email. It showed up as "undefined sender" and there was no "from address" in the email body or source.

EDIT again

One more thing, paypal never states "Dear Ben Steigerwald" as the email beginning. It is always "Dear SpectraSales" because my account was upgraded to a business account and that it the name I gave to it.

[dream beamz]

first off, if you log in to paypal.com directly can you find evidence of this claim being decided in the buyers favor from the dispute console

If not:
I think its just an e-mail scam not a paypal account theft

Also, they very well could be in your paypal account NOW if you clicked for details through the potential spoof e-mail so goto paypal.com directly and change your password. I realize the second picture is a screen shot from a potential paypal website, just make sure you can get to that screen by going to paypal.com directly.


PayPal Customer Service:

1-888-221-1161

4:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST Monday through Friday
6:00 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST Saturday and Sunday

The number differs from account to account so just to make sure, from the main page after you log in, goto the bottom, click Contact Us

Then click Call us under speak to us

[Laser Ben]

Thanks, I did go directly to www.paypal.com just for good measure. I changed my password there along with my email password again. The thing is, the dispute history shows me as having agreed to give a refund to the buyer when I never did.

[The_Doctor]

If the secure PayPal pages agree with what you got by email then it's real.

The Gmail pass (which is either hacked or copied from a written note somehow), is probably unrelated business.

If you have a dispute with the dispute, i.e. you did not make an offer that PayPal think you did, then log in now, save all formats offered for archive downloads of your PayPal history. Maybe go to a lawyer and get them to do this, with your permission, in your presence. It might not be worth the trouble if it's just one transaction at stake but it is if there's any chance your PayPal account is also hacked.

So far it just looks like a buyer has convinced them of an untruth, but get your evidence complete and solid, and review it carefully.

EDIT: If this is also eBay business, get their message archives in full too. This is important because it contains the timestamps as well as datestamps, while their display pages do not. No doubt they'd tell you this is unimportant but if you ever needed that evidence in a court case you'll want all the detail you can get because data records can be faked, totally, and only a balance of probablity and good correlation between one record and several others can establish 'proof' as we normally understand it. In the end data might be judged real purely because the detail would take more time to fake than existed to fake it. Also, if there is ever a possibility that either account is compromised, do this for both, as both firms are under same ownership and might seek to hide evidence that their systems are hacked, if they are. Get your evidence before alerting them. Similarly, get your email record too, ideally via POP3, with a small client like nPOP which saves all, including headers and attachments, in a plain ANSI text file. I do this as a matter of course the instant I look like heading for a dispute. It rarely amounts to much, but it's there if I need it. If you leave evidence sitting on servers you can't control it, and most won't leave it there long anyway. But leave what is there, too, it all helps validate your evidence.

[dream beamz]

Thanks, I did go directly to www.paypal.com just for good measure. I changed my password there along with my email password again. The thing is, the dispute history shows me as having agreed to give a refund to the buyer when I never did.

ok, i just wanted to make sure you didnt click a link off the e-mail that took you to something that looked like you agreed to refund the dispute. call paypal when you wake up today. Phone support is usually pretty good plus I am sure you are not the only one that buyer is doing that to.

For good measure, take a video of you opening the package you receive from the buyer. Its probably got a brick inside it or something of similar weight of the initial item sold. Your video will be the only way for you to reopen the dispute once/if paypal decides in the buyers favor. The system is pretty automated so dont expect it to decide in your favor initially since its just looking for a delivered whatever. That is of course unless paypals fraud depart gets to your complaint soon enough.

[dave]

Phone support is usually pretty good

You are joking right?

[dream beamz]

You are joking right?

been on the phone with them many times without problem, they have helped me solve some big issues