Comments on: At PayPal, fending off phishers--and Google

CTO Scott Thompson talks about ways to shoo e-mail scams and to keep tabs on the Checkout competition.

[jamilusa]

Paypal does not work properly with IE 7.0

I've been using paypal for years without a problem. However, last week I asked a client of mine to use paypal to pay me, she tried and received a warning from her browser Internet Explorer 7.0 that paypal's certificate had been revoked and advising her not to continue. I checked on my computer using ie7.0 and the same happened here, and I have all the windows updates, critical and optional.

Needless to say, my client refrain to use paypal to pay me, and I bet she will never use paypal in her life - understandable. I contacted paypal and they told me that I had to download and install a ssl certificate in my computer from an obscure link they sent by email. Obviously, I refused, i don't install anything like that in my computer unless it comes from windows updates.

I use a multitude of online banks and IE 7.0, arguably the safest browser nowadays, works perfectly with all - but if you want to use paypal, you have to install extra software (??) on your computer. Thanks, but I pass, and so does my client.

[chazzsubscribe]

maybe for you

I have used Paypal several times since installing IE7. I've never had any problems.

[chazzsubscribe]

maybe for you

I have used Paypal several times since installing IE7. I've never had any problems.

[vaclavpetricek]

Receiving payments by paypal is a gamble

1. Paypal transfer reversed

Recently I received a paypal payment from a friend and it was credited to my account. I made an attempt to withdraw this money to my bank account - instead my friends account was frozen, money I received withheld and a charge placed on my account. Customer care was unable to provide any information or advice, was confused about what is happening or when it will be resolved. It took two weeks after which the money has been returned to my friend's paypal account. This happened even though he immediately logged into paypal and confirmed his identity to unfreeze it.

2. Credit card payment reversed months later

On another occasion I sold an unused DVD player on ebay, received a payment by paypal and sent the item. After a several months the money I received has been taken from my account as the buyer called his bank to cancel the transaction.
I did not even know the buyer used a credit card to pay me.

Summary: You are not in control of the money you think you have in your paypal account.

I found a very informative site on how paypal works:

http://www.paypalsucks.com

http://paypalsucks.org/graphics/PPS-Cartoon1.gif

[mkatz2m]

What I Don't Like About Paypal

I wish this would have been discussed during the interview. Through their automation, they constantly try to trick you into taking the default when paying through Paypal. The default always goes to your 'verified' checking account. I alway want the default to go to my credit card in the Paypal account. You have to be very careful and click the correct areas of each screen to get the charge to go to the credit card. This is very irritating and why won't Paypal let you configure this to always go to a credit card by default? Their screens border on phishing type layout.

[ittech1]

No problems here...

I have been using paypal for years and I use IE 7. I have never seen any issue with their ssl certificate. Make sure you are going to https:// and not http://

[john55440]

I used Paypal with IE7 yesterday...

I made a Paypal payment yesterday with IE7, and it worked perfectly, green URL line and all.

Perhaps IE7 users with problems should try a Windows Update, to make sure that their browser is 100% up to date.

[txmom]

Me too

I have gotten 3 emails saying my order is filled and being shipped,,One order was for a Sony DVD Player, over 300.00 How do you stop this nd do you think they can get into my bank, Thank tou AnneMarie

[Phillep_H]

Paypal boycott

They refuse to handle firearms transactions. That's enough reason to avoid them.

[hadaso]

Avoiding Paypal/bank phishing email is easy

Just use a separate unique email address with Paypal, your bank and other financial institutions. Each such business gets a separate address. Then you know that email claiming to come from them to any other address is fradulent, and when it comes to the address only you and they know you can be quite sure they sent it.

You don't need separate email accounts. You need either a service that allows you to have many different addresses received in the same inbox such as fastmail.fm or gmail ([e-mail], though it's better not to use the word paypal as eventually villains might adopt), or a service that forwards mail coming to many different addresses to your address (such as sneakemail.com. this is the one I use with banks and such. The email passing through sneakemail arrives at my inbox marked with the label I chose at sneakemail, so mail that comes to the address I gave to my bank would carry that label, and if it is not from my bank or if mail claims to be from my bank and doesn't carry the correct SneakEmail labeling I would know something is phishy!)

[Aulderon]

PayPal

I would suggest that PayPal is fatally compromised and it hasd little or nothing to do with guessing you email address. Suggested experiment: Create a PayPal account and see how long it takes before your first phishing email comes in. BTW within 24 hours is a goofd guess. Either the IT technology is compromized or there is an insider posting your information. I no longer use the PayPal registration service. it is just too big a risk.