HELP HELP HELP: This is Dorsi. My PayPal and HubPages account hacked

1. 60

   Rose Goldposted 12 years ago

   Hi this Dorsi I'm posting through my friend Roses account. I tried to sign into my HubPages account this morning and my password, account and picture has been hacked. I can't get in and they have hacked my PayPal account too that is associated with HubPages. Help HubPages!!!

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2. 70

   Cagsilposted 12 years ago

   Actually, your computer was hacked and not those individual accounts. Apparently, someone downloaded a trojan into your computer and got your passwords for both accounts.
   
   Hubpages' is on it's own server and so is Paypal, so they would have had to hack both those system and download your individual specific account information, which isn't likely, which is why I said my first statement.
   
   Your system has been compromised.

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      seamistposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If she uses the same password for all of her accounts which many people do, all they have to do is figure out the one password, and they have access to all of her account.

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         seamistposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I can't say for Paypal, but HP will help you gain access to your HP account again. I know because last winter my email, Amazon, Adsense, and HP was hacked. It was a total nightmare. I feel for you.

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            kmackey32posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Yes Paypal will if you call them. I had my paypal hacked once.

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      Richieb799posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah I was reading about it, they send what is called a 'keylogger', and make the email something they know you'd be interested in opening.

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3. 87

   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   Yes but how does she sort it? She can clean her computer up, but she will still not gain access to her HP account (if someone has changed the password)and meanwhile they might be emptying her Paypal account.

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   Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

   The first thing I would do is contact PayPal...

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      And also her bank perhaps, in case they've already tried to withdraw from bank account into paypal account. If done in time, the bank may possibly be able to prevent the payments going through.

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5. 92

   Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years ago

   I have had my PayPal account hacked twice. Both times it was caught before any damage was done.
   
   You have to contact PayPal urgently. You will also have to contact your bank/credit card provider to get your cards cancelled. I am not sure which country you are in but here in the UK, banks insist you report the matter to the Police as a criminal offence having been committed and obtain a crime reference number. Otherwise, you will not be insured against potential misuse of your accounts. (Your bank in your country will keep you right.)
   
   It certainly does sound as though it is your system accessed rather than simply your PayPal account but PayPal did give me two pieces of advice which are (allegedly!) buried deep in their terms of service.
   
   1) Your PayPal password should never be used for any other online account.
   
   2) Your PayPal password should be changed at least monthly.
   
   Good luck and I hope you get it sorted ASAP and as painlessly as possible.

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6. 87

   Dorsiposted 12 years ago

   I'm back in again hubbers. Jason helped me out QUICKLY I might add. Looks like I have a new and improved face here. Working on getting new virus protection right now as I work through this. I have to find out what got into my system.
   WOW is alI can say. I'm defragging right now to make enough space for new virus software.
   
   HP got me a new password and in FAST.
   
   THANKS HUBPAGES!!

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      Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you are at least partly sorted. Hope PayPal are as responsive.

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      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you got quick help-- You need to write a hub about the experience so we can all learn from you.

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      Trsmdposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Your reply for this post might have tempted some hackers..
      http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/82975#post1811726

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         earnestshubposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Good point! Apparently hackers target those who claim income online, or even discuss it.

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   Rik Ravadoposted 12 years ago

   Great news Dorsi! Glad Hubpages responded so well.

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   LindaSmith1posted 12 years ago

   Dorsi: Contact PayPal. They have a SECURITY department who will investigate and advise you might want to close PP account and open another one.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 12 years ago

   Hey, Dorsi, how do we know this is the real you and not the hacker? 

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      paradigmsearchposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That thought occurred to me as well. Doesn't matter though. HP will know.

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10. 87

    Dorsiposted 12 years ago

    Man this SUCKS,
    
    It looks this was a targeted hack of my HubPages account.
    
    So far this is what I have found out:
    Someone got into my HP account and changed my password. Deleted my google analytics account. Changed my profile pic. Deleted my entire bio on my profile page. Changed my payment settings to another paypal account with a different email. I ran new virus software and can find no viruses so far (it was a quick scan and I am running a full scan now) Detected no spyware.
    
    So far I have seen no other compromises of any of my other accounts. Emails look OK. I was able to get into my paypal account. Looks like instead of hacking my entire PayPal account they just redirected the HP ad and EBay program payouts to a different account. And they also changed my Google adsense payments to electronic instead of check.
    I'll keep you all updated on my progress.

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       Gordon Hamiltonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Dorsi,
       
       Change your PayPal password regardless and still contact them and tell them what has happened. It keeps you covered in the event of any future difficulties or irregularities. To be honest, if I were you, I would change all my passwords.
       
       Do you use online banking? If so, be very careful and definitely change your passwords there.
       
       You obviously have an e-mail address to which the payments were to be redirected. Give it to PayPal and pop in to your local Police station with the details. There must be a way that this can be traced if they were intending using PayPal to access monies belonging to you.
       
       Sounds like you're having a really bad weekend. Hope it gets better!

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       Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well, at least you have a lovely new photo, Dorsi!
       And congratulations on your 3 years at HP.
       Glad to hear Jason and the gang got your account up and running again for ya!
       Good luck safeguarding your accounts -- and DO write a hub about your experience.
       Cheers,
       MM

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11. 91

    wordscribe43posted 12 years ago

    All I can say is that does totally SUCK.  Someone hacked into my Paypal account and bought a bunch of electronics from a Chinese website.  They spent a pretty penny, too.  But, I got it all back, thankfully.
    
    So sorry you're dealing with this irritation.  I wonder how it happened exactly...  It will be interesting to see what the full scan reveals.  Keep us posted and I hope your weekend turns around!

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    HSanAlimposted 12 years ago

    After reading this thread I have done some checking and found something suspicious. I have had a pay pal account for over ten years. Never had a problem. One week after my first Hubpages Ad program payout, a program that I really like, my Pay pal account had unauthorized charges billed that were within $ 0.25 of the amount from my Hubpages Ad program payout.
    
    Okay, coincidence, right?  Well it happened two months in a row. Both times PayPal immediately fixed my account and it has not happened since.
    
    Not saying anything in particular, just sawing.

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13. 87

    Dorsiposted 12 years ago

    Yes I am going to be changing my PayPal password AND notifying them with the other email that the funds were to be redirected to.
    
    Also what's wierd is why they disabled my google analytics account?
    
    Still scanning....at 50,000 files so far...

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    Anna Marie Bowmanposted 12 years ago

    Wow, Dorsi, that sucks!!!  I am off to change all of my passwords right now, just to be on the safe side.  I hope everything goes well after all that.

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    Cheeky Girlposted 12 years ago

    Wow, sorry to hear that. That is bad. I would recommend you never go online and leave your pc unattended. I recommend you use a different password for every webpage or site or community you log in to. Your passwords should be no smaller than 12 characters or letters, and hard to figure, for any casual eavesdroppers.
    
    Paypal can issue you with a new login for your account. Change each of your passwords you have for each account you own. Create all new passwords. I don't recommend using things like Twitter or third party applications to allow access to your favoured applications or websites like facebook. When I found near to 21 different applications sharing my information on FB I blocked them and changed my password.
    
    If any of your passwords are identical, a hacker only has to have that one special password to invade your privacy completely and do a lot of damage.
    
    You might also consider getting good malware detection software. I am in favor of changing passwords frequently. I tried logging into Hub Pages recently while on holiday and the computer I used was trying to print out what I was looking at for no damn reason (was a cyber cafe). I recommend you change the login on your PC too.

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       rebekahELLEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       + 
       
       Dorsi, sorry to hear! I hope everything gets figured out and back to normal asap. Great to hear HP jumped in quickly to help.
       
       
       I think hearing of incidents like this is another good reason to be cautious about posting successes, earnings, etc. in open forums. It's like an open invitation for spammers and hackers.

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    Dolores Monetposted 12 years ago

    Dorsi this is awful and must have scared you ! You really should write a hub about this - it's really important info and a danger to all. Your post here really helps a lot of us, reminding us not to be complacent.

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17. 0

    klanguedocposted 12 years ago

    Dorsi, are you using a wireless modem/router? If so, is it "secure"?  Because someone could easily gain access to your computer in your immediate surroundings and not a virus. It has happened to my son. He was visiting his grandmother and while there he went on the internet using a unsecured wireless modem that showed up in his list of networks from one of the surrounding buildings. While he was playing "The Price is Right" on Facebook, someone started playing the game while he was playing. He started to freak out he got off that wireless network. He changed all his passwords when he got home.

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18. 87

    Dorsiposted 12 years ago

    OK here is what I found out.I checked and scanned over 100,000 files and the programs on my computer and there were no viruses. The only thing I can think is that this was a hacker targeting my account. And yes, I will not be posting anymore about my earnings. I am also going to write a hub about that.
    
    Now I've lost my bio with all my links and have to recreate that.
    
    This has spooked me bad and I will be taking further action. The dumb thing the hacker did was change my pic. Really now how long would it be before someone mentioned I had a new pic? I would advise everyone to log into your HubPages account daily and make sure your email for your hubpages payment is going to the email you provided.
    
    What a day. What a shock that was to see someone else's pic on my profile!!!! I felt very disoriented!!

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19. 87

    Dorsiposted 12 years ago

    WARNING HUBBERS: The email they used was bluezorhost@yahoo.com
    
    THE PERSON MATCHING THIS YAHOO EMAIL PROFILE IS NAMED DIRA MANIEZ

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       Paige Mastersposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       WHATTTT?  Oh my gosh, what a nightmare.  I am so sorry, Dorsi!

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          Dorsiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Yes it is Paige. I just edited that last post to put the persons email and name out there. That was the email they plugged into my paypal info for the HP ad program.

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       earnestshubposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your kindness in posting the name, You obviously care about others.
       Also nice that you acknowledged the staff member Jason who sorted it out so efficiently.
       
       Glad you are back in business Dorsi.

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          Dorsiposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks Earnest and everyone else who replied.I've been so busy today cleaning up this mess that I haven't had time to reply to all of you. If you see a different pic of me on my profile tomorrow you will know I've been hacked again. Fingers crossed they leave me the heck alone now.

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             HikeGuyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Thanks for the heads-up. So sorry to hear about your ordeal. Horrible that someone would attack you that way. I hope you're able to get everything secure and back to normal as soon as possible.
             
             I've found Malwarebytes anti-malware helpful. Take care -- I hope many good things come to you to help balance this out!

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             IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             If they hadn't changed your pic and wiped your profile page, would you have thought to look at the account settings?
             
             Probably not, let this be a warning to all of us, we are all vulnerable.

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    Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

    My friend went through something similar, Dorsi; and it wasn't his home computer that had the problem.  He's an engineer and has "tons" of safeguards on his own PC.  It happened through an e.mail that came in through his work computer (where "everyone there" is also "heavily technology expert", ironically). There was apparently a key logger involved, and it wasn't just he who got it; but some others where he worked (and/or communicated with through the work system).  (Needless to say, the company is a place where all kinds of safeguards are in place, but it came through a Hotmail e.mail.)  No doubt, it was a giant mess for him (and co-workers) to clear up.
    
    He (and I - and a lot of other people I know) just don't keep contact lists in any e.mail accounts).  That's not enough, though, because they can get into the e.mail account and get stuff from folders other than just contact lists.  I pretty keep me nothing in any e.mail accounts.  The "issue" that got into my friend's and his associates' work computers got in through a legitimate e.mail sent to the work contact list (but it had the "issue" in it, unbeknownst the sender).
    
    Thank you for suggesting people double-check the e.mail they have associated HP earnings (particularly since you're just back up and running after your ordeal).  (It took my friend days to iron things out.)  It's always a disgusting shock for someone to discover that someone else has aimed to take what it is his (and sometimes even try to "become who he is").  Glad you're up and running again.

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