Unauthorised paypal transaction, phishing emails-linked?

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this website I am looking for some clarity on my situation as paypal & my bank aren't exactly helpful.

This morning I woke up and i had about 200+ emails, all random phishing emails. I have listed a few below:

classof1956-request@sciencehill .org
.org
.org

etc etc

I then checked my paypal and I have seen a transaction for 1$ and im not sure if this is linked ....
the transaction on paypal was a donation to:
FBI LA CA AA
FBI LACAAA | Los Angeles Citizen's Academy Alumni Association
rumanes@fbilacaaa .org

which is quite unnerving & bare in mind im from the UK.

I have since changed all passwords on my email accounts/paypal and moved all senders of the email to my junk folder.

I have opened a dispute through paypal & I contacted my bank and they said it may not be anything to worry about since the amount of 1$ hasn't left my bank account.

I have ran a scan on my computer (no malware) etc and all programs & the OS is fully up-to-date.

It was just strange how both of these events have occured on the same day.

Any help at all or insight would be greatly appreciated!

-DM

 

You say you filed a dispute with PayPal and this just happened this morning.

I would give PayPal time to respond. And I wouldn't expect that response to be the same day.

I do think changing your passwords was a good move though.

 

thanks, yeah it's just when it says i donated to the FBI and the link on paypal is to an FBI website it's a bit strange. However in the top left corner it does say that the website isn't secure (open padlock).
I don't mind in the sense that the money hasn't gone out of my account, it's just when it appears on my activity feed im intrigued

 

Just to update my post. It ended up being linked to the phishing emails. The thief managed to get into my account first time of trying and tried using the 1$ as a placeholder. Paypal (after manyyyy attempts of finding a human being to talk to) i found one and they sorted it and clarified that it was a phishing attack.
As stated previous i've changed all passwords/security Q's/answers to re-secure my account.

 

Congratulations on getting it figured out. Kinda scary when something like that happens. Thanks for sharing so the rest of us can be on guard against that happening to us.

 

this is why you should never open unknown emails, and if you do, never click on any links.
not sure how a scammer would get any info just by sending you an email, but once you
open the email and or click on any links, then you have pretty much opened the front door....

I pretty much know who I deal with, and the moment I start getting bank emails, IRS emails,
FBI emails, then I spam them right into the trash. If the FBI is after you, then they will not
send you an email, they will come in the middle of the night and take you away, and if I owe
the IRS money, then they can contact me on official letter head through snail-mail.

If you are in question, then discard the email, then go directly to your bank or whatever,
login, then check your balances. I know last month I got one of those scare tactic emails...
Act now, your bank account balance is $-500....I never even opened the email, I sent
it right into the trash can, then logged into my bank, and everything was as it should be....

 

Always type website addresses or use bookmarks you set yourself.

You obviously clicked on a link in an email and then typed in your credentials.

One thing to remember is it may not have been a fake paypal screen, but any other site you use the same login and password.