# PayPal **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440 "2003-05-06T16:46:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/21 "2003-05-06T21:27:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoGoodNamesLeft \* > \*\*Wouldn’t it have to be something like [http://update.paypal.com/44575425454435465435sdasdd4.html](http://update.paypal.com/44575425454435465435sdasdd4.html) ? > > I’d think any domain that was actually ‘[http://www.paypal.com/update/lswkhwoi/](http://www.paypal.com/update/lswkhwoi/)…’ wopuld be on the paypal domain where my first example would be a sundomain (paypal) on a master domain ([update.com](http://update.com)). \*\* I think that’s kinda the point. That it was a fake (though clever) website designed to harvest passwords. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/22 "2003-05-06T22:29:27Z")
Snopes has a page on [Paypal e-mail scams](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/paypal.asp). ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/23 "2003-05-06T23:26:58Z")
Definitely beware the scams. I had some bozo try to transfer $1100.00 out of my checking account because I fell for it. :wally Fortunately for me, I am barely a hundred-aire. HOWEVER, my main gripe with PayPal is that (a) finding a customer service phone number is well nigh impossible and (b) trying to email PayPal with a complaint is also well nigh impossible, especially if you are locked out of your account because some bozo took it over. Also, leaving money in PayPal is risky-- no interest and no insurance. It’s good as a pass-through, but don’t think of it as a bank. It’s not. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/24 "2003-05-07T00:36:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by H8\_2\_W8 \* > \*\*The only gripe I have is that some sellers seem to accumulate too many PayPal credits and will no longer accept the payment if it being drawn from a credit card. A debit account seems okay to them, but not a credit (?!?!?!?) > > I’m a little confused by that situation. \*\* The issue is probably that if the funds are being drawn from a credit card, then the **seller** has to pay a fee to receive the payment. That is not the case for funds drawn directly from a bank account. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/25 "2003-05-07T03:23:18Z")
The fees add up, sure. But, I went and got a PayPal Visa that pays back a % on purchases. Kind of cool. I think I’m running either even or very slightly ahead on the fees vs pay back. The links and terms are easy to find on the PayPal site. This is not meant as an endorsement, just part of the facts of using PayPal. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440/26 "2003-05-07T04:14:22Z")
> [@](#): > > _NoGoodNamesLeft wrote:_ > Wouldn’t it have to be something like [http://update.paypal.com/44575425454435465435sdasdd4.html](http://update.paypal.com/44575425454435465435sdasdd4.html) ? The board’s URL setup messed me up. It was supposed to be (I’ll add a space to confound it): http ://www.paypal.com98798q234987-98awkljw34nfpo8haw@joeblow.com/pplogin.html. So the domain was [joeblow.com](http://joeblow.com), and the stuff before the “@” was an authenticated logon to that domain. This syntax is used mostly for ftp:// kinds of addresses, where you need to log in. But this password-stealing site put what looked like a Paypal domain up front to make you think it was at their site. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal/173440.md?page=1)