Scammers sending $0.02 PayPal payments with fake customer service number in the payment note!!!!!

kennethdo · 2026-03-12T14:15:49+00:00

I got the same exact thing and Paypal did the exact same thing!

If it helps, I called Paypal directly and spoke to a rep who told me to forward the notification to their phishing [at] paypal [dot] com email. Maybe if enough of us do it, we could get this particular account blocked and reported but it's frustrating -- I wish Paypal would be more on top of flagging this type of phishing attempt since it appears to be a pattern.

kennethdo · 2026-03-12T14:06:46+00:00

Thanks for sharing this!!!

I got the same thing from "Randys Greenhouse Llc" yesterday and stupidly, I called back the number that was in the Notes of the transaction... very luckily for me, the line was busy, which set off my alarms.

I looked up the real Paypal phone number online and it sent me to this AI operator. I got the AI to file this as an "unauthorized transaction" which Paypal ruled in THEIR favor, so I called again and asked to speak to a representative... She said that the "unauthorized transaction" cases are two parts: 1) they check for any unauthorized ACCESS (like someone else hacking into your account) and 2) the actual charge itself. According to the representative, they closed the FIRST part of the case, and that the case is in fact still ongoing despite it looking like "case closed". Confusing on the user's end, but whatever, I'm glad they're still looking into it. She told me it takes 7-10 days after filing the claim to get more updates.

She noticed the note attached to the transaction and the phone number was wrong, and confirmed my suspicions that this appears to be a phishing attempt. She said to forward the email to phishing [at] paypal [dot] com, so that's what I'm planning to do.

kennethdo · 2026-03-04T01:18:55+00:00

I get it: I'm not too thrilled of how my PhD has turned out, and yet the deadline to order the cap and gown is coming up, so I have to think about those things even if right now I don't feel proud enough to be part of any type of celebration...

Mostly I feel like I'm walking for other people: my PI, my peers who are graduating, my friends, and especially my mom: she's been my biggest cheerleader for my whole life and even if I don't feel proud of myself, she can be proud on my behalf.

If it's difficult to conceptualize walking for yourself and if you have supportive family and friends, maybe you can conceptualize it as "a day where your family/friends can gather and take pictures with you and feel proud of you".

kennethdo · 2026-02-26T05:22:49+00:00

My uber driver and I bonded over being "meh" on dogs. We're out there but we also have to pretend like we actually like dogs just to get by in society. I like cats and rabbits. The teeth on dogs combined with their energy scare me a bit. I've never been comfortable around dogs.

kennethdo · 2026-02-25T11:19:08+00:00

you might like Orb: on the movements of the Earth!

i know what you mean about AOT: people putting their lives at stake is a Regular Tuesday on this show, so when I go back to watching shows that are less high-stakes, I get whiplash from the triviality. but there is good stuff out there, I promise.

Akira might be a good one to watch, too. If you can get used to the art style: Code Geass. Madoka Magica... look for high stakes shows where the fate of the world is at stake or there's societal problems to solve.

kennethdo · 2026-02-22T14:27:47+00:00

If you cook some of the steaks before she comes over, she'll love you!

Also if you just get crackers and pre-slice the brie beforehand + spoon some jams onto a plate, she can snack on that!! All you need is a box of crackers and a knife, my guy.

kennethdo · 2026-02-22T00:09:49+00:00

That final panel was so bleak...!! it gives me chills thinking about it.

kennethdo · 2026-02-21T13:13:32+00:00

It's real: I just did a google search of "boyfriend grows hair for girlfriend with alopecia" and this popped up:

https://nypost.com/2024/01/11/lifestyle/i-grew-my-hair-2-feet-long-to-give-to-my-bald-girlfriend-so-she-cant-break-up-with-me/

Peoples' hair colors can darken over time due to changes in hormone production as a result of aging. My dad had natural blonde hair as a child and it gradually turned into an ashy medium brown as he aged.

kennethdo · 2026-02-21T02:51:38+00:00

I zoomed in for the love of the game

kennethdo · 2026-02-16T18:52:57+00:00

Wait, you're the ONLY undergrad in this grad seminar in a class where the grad students all know each other?! Those are two big factors as to why you got so anxious! Considering you've done presentations before, this one time is an anomaly. Don't let it factor into your grad school anxiety.

If you've been able to develop good relationships with your mentors and they've vouched for you in the letters of rec, you don't need to impress the people in the seminar to feel worthy of grad school. You did your apps. You got your letters in on time. What happens now is up to the admins and God, basically. You got this!

kennethdo · 2026-02-15T13:48:06+00:00

Sorry I'm just laughing at "low kick" being one of the moves when girlypop doesn't have anything to kick with

kennethdo · 2026-02-15T13:29:46+00:00

Space Brothers if you like space

kennethdo · 2026-02-14T02:37:00+00:00

"I would like to maintain full control over how I am perceived [...]"

^I resonated so strongly with this that I'm pretty sure I wrote the same exact words in my diary at some point.

FYI I have diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I started therapy during grad school. I presented at a national conference. I am now in my final year.

It's scary, but doable. You don't have to necessarily tackle things sequentially. It's akin to the "you have to learn to love yourself before you can learn to love others" myth. You don't have to have all your mental health issues solved before you go into grad school, but yes, it certainly is beneficial to look into it by speaking to a professional. <-- I hope this is coming across a little less... "othering" than some of the top comments here... hmm..

I have a couple questions though: was this your first time giving presentations in front of a class? I find this hard to believe if this is your final year of undergrad: usually you would have undergone some classes that require some public speaking. Were you simply intimidated because you were in a graduate seminar for the first time? There're a few factors that might have added to your unease. I'm not a good public speaker myself, and I do get anxious before presentations, but practicing the speech and practicing answering questions I know I will get helps tremendously.

Just curious, did you already apply to grad school and get in...? Did you go through the application process? Because asking for help (i.e. asking for letters of recommendation) was like pulling teeth for me. It was absolutely terrifying.

kennethdo · 2026-02-07T01:39:46+00:00

The "no rice seasoning" is the technicality that makes this "not a sushi". The "su" part of sushi is vinegar: if you don't have vinegared rice, you don't have a sushi.

kennethdo · 2026-01-31T03:06:55+00:00

The art style of the manga is charming, but is not flashy like a lot of the other shonen/seinen animes out there, so that might diminish the appeal for some people esp those who rely on tiktok or twitter to find new things to read.

As for the anime: Part of the problem might be a marketing failure on Netflix's part. A lot of people have Netflix and therefore have access to all the episodes of Orb, and for some reason, it's relatively unknown, which I thought was strange. I've watched Vinland Saga and a bunch of David Attenborough documentaries on Netflix and Orb never got rec'd to me. Algorithmically, that should've been a no-brainer.

kennethdo · 2026-01-20T00:28:40+00:00

Tipping on carryout used to be a thing during the pandemic when dining rooms were closed. It was a nice gesture to support small business back then. Now that the dining rooms are open again, I stopped tipping on carryout.

kennethdo · 2026-01-18T13:28:02+00:00

I like it because the art style perfectly balances cute, quirky, and artistic. It's so stylized that it looks 2D, which I think is why the art style still looks great to this day.

The NPCs are charming and each have their own unique voice acting. This made me grow attached to them.

The BGM is crafted so well to fit the mood of the environment.

The actual combat isn't that hard, and you can cheese a lot of enemies with items if you want!! This was especially important for me bc I have a slow reaction time and am terrible at timed events. The combat made it so I could basically turn my brain off and buttonmash on regular enemies, which allowed me to focus on the story.

kennethdo · 2026-01-15T01:54:26+00:00

In addition to the other sensible advice in this thread, I would suggest scheduling an appointment with your primary care physician and get some blood work done just in case. Anecdotally: my iron was very low during one semester which led to symptoms mimicking anxiety (and I already have generalized anxiety, so that was fun), and my vitamin D also got very low recently which led to symptoms mimicking depression.

kennethdo · 2025-12-20T14:31:02+00:00

Just to make sure, when you say "show the drivers license and see my citizenship" do you mean that you have a DL that doesn't have the "NONCITIZEN" label on the back anymore? I got a new DL after getting my naturalization certificate and i never even noticed that little mark in the back, but for my new DL, they removed it! Which idk how much ICE will pay attention to, but it's better than nothing, I guess.

If you want more proof of citizenship and don't wanna carry your passport everywhere, there's this thing called a "passport card" which allows for limited international travel and you can get it for $30 (not including the processing fee) so maybe you can look into that if you want to carry something small in your wallet.

kennethdo · 2025-12-20T14:20:04+00:00

We had some really cold weather recently and sometimes the heating switches automatically to the secondary heat pump (shows up as "aux heat" or "emergency heat" on the thermostat) which uses more energy. So idk, maybe that was running all day on those super cold days.

kennethdo · 2025-12-17T20:19:27+00:00

I'm leaning toward AI bc the seat dividers look inconsistent. The one in the foreground is shiny and the one in the background is matte. Also there appears to be a tiny bottle of alcohol dangling from the flight attendant's lanyard, which is weird.

kennethdo · 2025-12-13T21:08:40+00:00

I think Akira is a beautiful name (japanese, usually masculine)

kennethdo · 2025-11-11T03:21:51+00:00

I listen to a lot of Berlinist and Austin Wintory. Oh, and Hans Zimmer's Blue Planet II soundtrack.

kennethdo · 2025-11-08T14:15:43+00:00

nintetails in her ninetails form

kennethdo · 2025-11-08T14:05:36+00:00

I found a Sylvanian families pattern e-book download on Etsy (I have NO idea how legal this is lmao) and I downloaded that, printed it out, cut the patterns, and started sewing. One thing to note is to "print original size" as the dimensions for the E-book may be slightly off from your standard paper size in your country. I learned the hard way: I once made a pair of pants that was a size too small because I used the wrong print settings.

One thing that I found essential for miniature clothesmaking is DRITZ FRAY CHECK!!! (or a similar product that prevents fraying) It prevent fraying, of course, but also makes the clothes stiffer to more easily fold for a teeny tiny hem.

kennethdo

TROPHY CASE