Windows

eBay And PayPal Security Tip

Posted by on Dec 31, 2007 | 5 Comments

Gary may just save your skin with this security tip…

Good morning, afternoon, or evening — whatever it happens to be in your area. I don’t know if you’ve heard of these two accessories that PayPal uses, but I know from your eBay videos that you and your family have both eBay and PayPal accounts. PayPal has two new items. The first item I’d like to mention is the PayPal Security Key. This item adds an extra level of security to both your eBay and PayPal accounts. You must purchase it through one of the sites, however it can be activated on both services.

To get it, go to paypal.com/securitykey or ebay.com/securitykey. The device costs you $5 — this includes shipping. What you get is a small little device with a keychain attachment at the end of it. How it works is simple: each time the button is pressed, the small LCD on the device will generate a random 6-digit #. You first activate it by going to the sites I mentioned above and following the instructions under activating it. After entering your eBay or PayPal user ID and password, you get presented with a third screen, which tells you to enter the 6-digit code from the security key and click the button. Then you are logged in to the respective account.

This helps protect you if you gave your information to a fraud email or a virus or Trojan happens to get your information They may have your ID and password, but they can’t use the same 6-digit code the key generated the last time you logged in. The second thing I’m mentioning is the PayPal toolbar. This feature helps you when you are buying stuff online; it allows you to use your PayPal address and contact information to fill in order forms when on a shopping Web site. The toolbar also allows you to generate single or multi-use MasterCard numbers which are tied to your PayPal account thus allowing you to use your PayPal funds on a site where paying with PayPal isn’t an option. Anyone wanting the PayPal toolbar can just go into their PayPal accounts and, under “enhance account,” click “PayPal toolbar.” Hope these items help you or fellow Lockergnome subscribers or YouTube subscribers alike.

Dude, that’s an amazing tip! Thanks!

  • geekess

    Great idea! I’ll look into it.

    Have you heard anything about purchasing on ebay and paying via paypal with a WM phone? (It’s the Samsung Blackjack.) Mobile IE warns me when I leave a secure page, but I’m not clear as to whether data is encrypted on the way to AT&T’s servers.

    Thanks.

    Leslie

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/randynacol2002/ randynacol2002

    Thank you I had no idea about this key your talking about . This could make all the difference in the world of how I buy from Ebay. And I use PayPal for alot of my online buying.
    Thanks again

  • Morgan

    The link provided for the ebay.com security key did not work. It had a “.” (period) at the end of the linked url. After removing the “period” from the url, it then went to the ebay security key link. I’ve been using the Paypal key for quite awhile now but didn’t know I could activate it in ebay also, until now. Thanks.

  • http://thebayerfamily.blogspot.com Kev

    I have a similar device to access a secure work-related website.

    • Karen Koontz

      Key is great, very easy to use, and the best part is that the spoof emails have just about stopped. I don’t know how they know I have the key, but the spoofs went from several a day to one every week or two. Pay pal offers an option for a Debit Card, so you can use it anywhere you can a visa.