PayPal

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I use PayPal at the moment to buy stuff off STEAM,,
recently bought BIOSHERE and successfully downloaded it(about $28AUD),, about two hours later received an email from paypal AUSTRALIA saying there has been strange transactions on my account, please confirm these transactions,,
I thought it a bit strange, Thunderbird thought it a SCAM,
I just forwarded the whole thing to PAYPAL (USA?)

anyone else had this?

[hoadie72]

Maybe they've just started tracking overseas transactions like some of the banks do? I've had my bank call me after I've bought stuff online and they cancelled my CC while I was in Germany because I'd been buying train tickets while on holidays :o

[PhilipA]

Its a scam.
I bet they asked for some ID such as emailing a copy of your licence.I hope you didn't do it.
I forwarded it to the real paypal address and they confirmed it was a scam.
Regards Philip A

[solmanic]

Yep, rule #1, never follow a link within an email purporting to be from a financial institution - always go directly to their homepage URL manually. If there was a link in the email, then it was a scam.

[p38arover]

Maybe they've just started tracking overseas transactions like some of the banks do? I've had my bank call me after I've bought stuff online and they cancelled my CC while I was in Germany because I'd been buying train tickets while on holidays :o

I understand banks will soon require you to lodge your overseas travel itinerary if you want to avoid having your CC cancelled due to suspected dodgy transactions.

[PaulP38a]

I understand banks will soon require you to lodge your overseas travel itinerary if you want to avoid having your CC cancelled due to suspected dodgy transactions.

Good idea too. After hearing horror stories about people having the CC's cancelled while travelling, I make a point of calling my CC providers before travelling O/s to let them know where I'm going and for how long. Never had a "so what?" or disinterested response yet. They seem to appreciate being told this info. I guess it saves them a bit of guesswork if/when "the falcon" flags a foreign transaction.

[p38arover]

I had better get my daughter to tell her bank - she's off to the USA tomorrow.

[Tombie]

When we (or my parents - I got the idea from them) travel OS we go to the bank and get another visa card issued.

We use that for the trip, then destroy it and close it when we get back home.

Banks have been very helpful to us in setting this up.

[Turtle61]

Yup, had a similar email not so long ago.
Checked the reply-to address and it didn't look right. There is no way I'd send a copy of my license to anyone. Forwarded the email to PayPal's scam report.
Meantime, just to be sure, I deleted links between my card and PayPal so, although a bit painful sometimes, I need to do thing manually.
I also had an interesting phone call from the US telling me I won a holiday in Mexico. Sounded nice, but when I asked about their company details they go a little shy and the company didn't come up in google (while I was talking to them). Last straw was when they rattle off my details (publicly available) but asked me for my driver's licence number and DOB to 'confirm my identity' I told them I wasn;t going to give them my personal details over the phone - they hung up.
Another issue I had with Credit Suisse - regarding my (Swiss) bank account: when I returned THEIR phone call (number given to my in-laws but no name or company) THEY asked me for my security details before they told me who they were but I wasn't going to give them my details unless they told me who they were in the first place. Circular argument ended up in a compromise...

[solmanic]

When we (or my parents - I got the idea from them) travel OS we go to the bank and get another visa card issued.

We use that for the trip, then destroy it and close it when we get back home.

Good idea, but you don't want to do it too often. Banks can get a bit funny if you are after a loan and they find that you have had and cancelled many credit cards. Also, you need to make sure the entire account is properly cancelled when you cut up the card. I have had one previous Visa account that continued after I closed it for about three years because the teller didn't finalise the account correctly. That available credit could stuff you up again if you are after a loan down the track.

[Slunnie]

Good idea, but you don't want to do it too often. Banks can get a bit funny if you are after a loan and they find that you have had and cancelled many credit cards. Also, you need to make sure the entire account is properly cancelled when you cut up the card. I have had one previous Visa account that continued after I closed it for about three years because the teller didn't finalise the account correctly. That available credit could stuff you up again if you are after a loan down the track.
My parents do a similar thing. They have an OS account for travelling and transfer money into that account when they need it. They are difficult to setup though and require an OS address and a trip (excuse) to set it up. Its also an easier way to manage the money etc.

[solmanic]

We just use a Wizard Clear Advantage Mastercard - with NO foreign currency conversion fees and tiny, tiny cash advance fees. We have only the minimum credit limit on the card and just pay it into credit then use it as a debit card.

Rather than keep cancelling cards when you get back, it might pay to just reduce the credit limit back to $1000 or something if you're worried about fraud after the holiday is over.

[Slunnie]

We just use a Wizard Clear Advantage Mastercard - with NO foreign currency conversion fees and tiny, tiny cash advance fees. We have only the minimum credit limit on the card and just pay it into credit then use it as a debit card.

Rather than keep cancelling cards when you get back, it might pay to just reduce the credit limit back to $1000 or something if you're worried about fraud after the holiday is over.
The other thing that you can also do if its a generally dormant account, is some banks will also give instant SMS notification if there is any money moved in/out of the account.