New to Paypal

[Rouge21]

I need your experience. I realize that I need the flexibility of being able to pay with "Paypal". Up till now I have used only credit card to pay for online ordered materials. Considering all the phishing spam telling me about my suspended (but non existent ) paypal account, I am a bit put off.

I understand one can link it to a CC or a bank account. That is one puts money into ones paypal account either from a CC or a bank account? And it is...safer...to do it via cc? So if I put $200 in my Paypal account then that is the most that can come out...until *I* transfer more? Can I view my Paypal account from my online cc/bank account?

Thanks for your advice.

[stanroper]

My PayPal account is linked to my credit card. I don't transfer any money. When I pay for something with PayPal it gets billed to my credit card like any other purchase. You can think of it as a layer of abstraction between your credit card and the merchant.

[Rouge21]

Just today I registered to get a PayPal account and it is tied to my cc.

So does it make sense that My PayPal balance is 0.00 dollars? (Maybe this is true because it isnt tied to my bank account?)

So I dont need to do anthing when I use Paypal to pay for an ebay purchase? ie it will just come out of my cc?

[stanroper]

That's right. When completing your eBay purchase you login to PayPal, okay the purchase and you're done.

[gbamber]

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT INFO:

NEVER NEVER NEVER log-in to your Paypal account or even try to go to Paypal from an email. There is an unending list of scams where the criminal will send an email to Paypal account holders claiming all sorts of "reasons" why they must log-in. What they do is create a fake website and steal your financial data.

Only visit Paypal through your own browser. Never from clicking on an email link, especially if the email claims to be from Paypal.

Be safe.

[Chumley]

Good advice.
When PayPal or EBay do contact you legitimately by email, they will always address you by name.

The scam artists who email on a phishing expedition normally begin emails with something vague like "Dear Member".

(I think this is right.)

[Rouge21]

Thanks for the advice.

[Walter Dnes]

One more security tip. Many ISPs allow more than one email address. Create a separate email address that is long and hard-to-guess. Use that one for your Paypal (or eBay) dealings. That way, you can safely ignore the phishing spam going to your "well-known address".

[Chumley]

Here is an actual email I just received. Note how they address me as "Dear Member" and not by my user name:

------------------------------------------------------------------


eBay sent this message to you.
This message originated from eBay. Learn more.
TKO NOTICE: Compromised Accounts - eBay Registration Suspension

Dear eBay Member,
In an effort to protect your eBay account security, we have suspended your account until such time that it can be safely restored to you. We have taken this action because your password may have been compromised. Sometimes this happens when members respond to an email asking for personal information. Although those emails appear to come from eBay, they are really sent by people attempting to gain access to your account. Although we cannot disclose our investigative procedures that led to this conclusion, please know that we took this action in order to maintain the safety of your account.

Please contact our Live Help team for assistance restoring access to your account. You can reach the Account Theft Live Help team by viewing the page below:

http://pages.*********/help/tp/isgw-a...reporting.html

Programs that block pop-up windows may prevent you from accessing Live Help. If this is the case, you may be able to temporarily disable the program or configure the program to allow pop-ups on the eBay site in order to use Live Help. Additionally, Live Help may not work with some web browsers. If you continue to experience difficulties, you may be able to use Live Help by updating your browser to the most recent version or by using a different program to access the eBay site.

If you are unable to contact eBay through Live Help after taking these steps, respond directly to this message to request assistance. We will contact you by email after we have received your response.

Please be aware that there may be a delay in responses sent by email. In order to handle your concern as quickly and efficiently as possible, we encourage you to contact us through Live Help if you are able to do so.

Regards,

eBay Trust & Safety

[Nels Stewart]

I have a Paypal account, linked to my credit card, but I've only used it once, for a service rendered by a company via a link to their Paypal account; I'm now in a position to make a private purchase from an individual and Paypal is an option. What information do I need from that individual to be able to use Paypal?

[Arthur Dent]

The email address he has registered with Paypal.