Google/Ebay issue--freaking out a little
 

I use google chrome. In the last month or two, there are times when I want to access some account of mine (non-bank), and it asks if I want to get there/sign on through google, facebook, etc. Well, I have been accessing ebay several times in this manner, through google, until today.

Why no more? Because when I was taken to my ebay page to review the couple of bids I have in, it showed them but showed no purchase history (I wanted to see when I had won something a few months ago). Then I saw why– the account that was showing was some other ebay user name that had just been created recently, because it had a feedback of zero. It had a couple of letters of my name in it, but is not anything I created. This was my ebay page– it showed the recent bids I just mentioned, but since I had won nothing lately, no purchase history. Sure enough, when I searched the ebay auctions for the cards I had bid, it showed my bid with the usual scrambled bidder id and then feedback 0. Not my nolemmings user ID that I have used for two decades--this newly contrived name.

How the hell was a new ebay account created without my consent and input? If I had won a card on that account and paid through paypal would my bank info now be compromised? Has anyone else experienced this?

Did you log out and back in?
I know sometimes a glitch will log you into the wrong account.

I did get back into my account. However, the cards I had bid on were not there-- they still belong to this other account, meaning they were placed by me when I was using an account I did not know existed and did not create. I wonder what would have happened if I won those cards and went to use my paypal info.

I had someone hack my ebay account a few years ago and they changed my address to some UPS PO Box in Baltimore. I went to the UPS store and obtained my card. Now I use a two factor authentication to sign into ebay, PayPal and almost every other site that allows financial transactions and/or access to financial stuff (credit card, bank account, etc). I understand that does not solve your current situation, but is a suggestion going forward. Shit will get hacked, fact. And we can’t rely solely on vendors to protect us. It’s crucial that we take the steps necessary to protect ourselves - hard passwords, dual authentication, etc. I had to learn that the hard way. Most times that’s how we learn. Good luck

What is this dual authentication you speak of, sound great. I had my PayPal hacked a few years ago. Luckily we only keep a few grand in it and did get it back.

GOOD advice

Plus, never use Google/Facebook/anyone to sign into another account.

I think that doing so means that anyone who hacks into one of those now has access to everything you have connected.

I have two dual authentication accounts one being with Social Security which I don't use yet but am prepared. You log in with your password and it sends you via text to a linked cellphone number a onetime passcode. You then enter that into the account.. Easy and works good for me..

Thanks, how do you set it up, is it an option on eBay?

I do not know if EBay has this two step process. I only have it my SSN account and my 401K account..

Yes, ebay has it. Literally, every website that deals in financial transactions should have it; if they dont, dont use them. Usually you need to go to security or user options, etc. Worst case, just search for it in the site's search bar. There are several ways/choices, but I prefer a text to my cell number. Thus, unless someone hacks my cell (which is very possible, but less likely), only I can log into things via the second authentication.

Ben, I am a technology moron, and I can figure it out, so I have faith in you!

Thanks Ryan, I am also a technology moron but will give it a try.

Here:

https://www.ebay.com/help/account/pr...ceai=lucenceai

I just experienced it in past couple of weeks as well. Google Chrome I believe just expedites the setup but when you look at your account settings I am pretty sure that PayPal will not be linked with the new Ebay account. It just gets you set up to a certain point. That was my experience with it. Check and see if your PayPal account is linked to the new account.

A good reminder. I just set-up 2 step authentication with both eBay and PayPal.

Jeff

I also have PayPal only linked to a credit card; it is not linked to a bank account. This way if PayPal gets hacked, they can only charge a credit card and I can dispute it. This sucks when I do deals on BST via friends and family bc I have to pay the 3% fee (or negotiate it), but it’s cheap insurance and I don’t mind, knowing nobody can get into bank accounts

Okay Then
 

I'm missing how you move $ from when you are paid via PayPal , then into your non-linked bank account..? Or do you not even do that ?..

..

Great question. I rarely sell, but when I do, I prefer a check for that exact reason. The few times I have sold AND the buyer sent it to my PayPayl account, I either flipped it to my brother, who then wrote me a check, or if it was a smaller amount, I just kept it in PayPal until I bought something else. Admittedly, my way is not good for sellers.

Is it possible that when you intended to log into your existing eBay account using Google, you inadvertently created a new eBay account/username instead? And then not realizing you were logged into this new account rather than your usual eBay username, proceeded to place bids using the newly-created username rather than your usual one, unaware that you were doing so?

Never log into ebay or any financial institution via Google, Facebook etc. You really don't want those folks gathering any further intel about your personal stuff than necessary.

Always go straight to the site yourself...

If you think for one minute those folks aren't building a profile on you, you are wrong... also if they get hacked chances are your data goes to the hackers...

I don't see how, and I assume I would be allowed to create my own username, which didn't happen here.

If you have your original password account, and then sign in via your google you are logging into/creating a new account (using your google info)?

You have two ebay accounts: your old and a new via google.

The way Paypal does two factor authentication is extremely poor.

We had ours compromised a couple years ago, not via the Paypal or Ebay sites, but through email.
Using the email, the email password was changed, then the paypal password, all via the "I forgot my password" link.
Then they sent two payments to some foreign country.
We changed everything back, contacted the bank, which said they had to let the fraudulent charges go through before they could cancel them??
Filed complaints with Paypal first, and in less than 12 hours they denied them saying that me sending $400 to zimbabawe or wherever and twice in the same day was "normal activity"

So passwords changed, email tied to the account changed, 2FA set up. None of it done from the computer as we suspected a keylogger that the anti malware/virus software didn't catch (and still hasn't so I haven't been able to trust the computer for 2 years... )

A month later, the same thing. But a bit slicker.
Oh yeah. Paypal sends a text asking if the payment is legit. At 4 AM. And if you don't respond they assume the payment is ok and send it through anyway. Making their 2FA worthless. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

This time they covered their tracks a bit better by deleting the payment confirmation email from the server so I never received it.

I have had some crazy hacks too but deleting the confirmation email is something I haven't heard of. That must be scamming 102.

.

Google provides a pretty easy way to manage your security. If you go here and log in to your Google account you can change the way your info is being used. To the OP you can remove that Google login to eBay here:

https://myaccount.google.com/security

Scroll down to the bottom to the section that says "Signing into other sites" then click on eBay and a "remove" button will appear. In fact, you can even turn off that "feature" completely here.

Likewise the links on the left side will allow you to control a lot of things in your Google account including how your data is used.

While I am no means an expert on such things, with the proper precautions I'm comfortable with the way Apple and Google handle this stuff, at least in my use case.

On the other hand I would NEVER trust Facebook. Period. Full disclosure I do not have a Facebook account, though I did create one for my dog for friends and family to share stuff.