PayPal is clumsy
Jul. 24th, 2008 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumI just set up a PayPal account. It wasn't all that hard, but there were a couple of annoying hoops. To recieve money (at least as it looked to me) I had to do the verify your account dance.
But, as I found out when I got paid for the prints I've sold (and many thanks to those who have bought them) I found out the money doesn't go directly to the bank, but to a holding account at PayPal. Which has a $500 limit on withdrawals per month.
To get past that limit you have to give them your social, or a credit/debit card number. What that actually does, I have no idea.
That's not the clumsy I am concerned with. I would be surprised to discover any of you who haven't had a "phishing expedition" to your email claiming to be from PayPal, and asking for your information.
PayPal, when you do each of these steps tells you to never give your password to anyone. It also tells you to never click through a link, but to always open a new tab/window, and type in the URL.
So what did they do at east step of these procedures (which require you to give them information from things they do with your bank account. To set up the account they send you about $.50, and to raise the limit they borrow $1.95)?
The included an URL to PayPal.
If they were being smart they wouldn't do that, and people wouldn't be so inclined to click trhough. Which would reduce the effectiveness of the phishing expeditions.
But, as I found out when I got paid for the prints I've sold (and many thanks to those who have bought them) I found out the money doesn't go directly to the bank, but to a holding account at PayPal. Which has a $500 limit on withdrawals per month.
To get past that limit you have to give them your social, or a credit/debit card number. What that actually does, I have no idea.
That's not the clumsy I am concerned with. I would be surprised to discover any of you who haven't had a "phishing expedition" to your email claiming to be from PayPal, and asking for your information.
PayPal, when you do each of these steps tells you to never give your password to anyone. It also tells you to never click through a link, but to always open a new tab/window, and type in the URL.
So what did they do at east step of these procedures (which require you to give them information from things they do with your bank account. To set up the account they send you about $.50, and to raise the limit they borrow $1.95)?
The included an URL to PayPal.
If they were being smart they wouldn't do that, and people wouldn't be so inclined to click trhough. Which would reduce the effectiveness of the phishing expeditions.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-25 06:56 pm (UTC)I'm actually going to have to open a new account with my credit union, so I can keep the books from getting tangled. I can move money inside the credit union with no problem.
And yes, for all they blame my bank, so far as I can tell (from how my bank behaves with all other deposits, I think PayPal is delaying to get interest, and I take it out as soon as it comes in.
I also think they take advantage of being international to milk the difference in exchange rates to get money both ways, and the 2.5 percent fee.