Exotica, my intention by mentioning scams and fraud that happen outside of paypal was not to divert, just to reinforce that the existance of paypal and it's almost universal acceptance makes it easier for scammers. After following some of the links, it now seems to me that the biggest scammer is probably paypal itself. As far as I am aware, confiscation of funds is a priviledge that is vested only in the courts, and paypal certainly isn't a court of law. I do know the consumer protection laws can vary from state to state, but paypal must comply with not only the laws of the state they are in, but with the laws of states they do business in. By their not allowing an appeal, they violate the rights granted in our Constitution. One other hint, their having your credit card number does them no good if you cancel that one and apply for another. I've done that with others that kept trying to bill me for things not ordered. It's effective.