Paypal is as safe as reverse Russian Roulette (five live rounds). I have scrupulously avoided it, as I was not even in my teens when I observed how much grief it caused ebay sellers — and buyers too.
But about a year ago I needed to purchase something and the merchant gave me only two options, Paypal or some alternative I never heard of. So I used Paypal. Within a month there was so much hinky business in my checking account, including fees to businesses I never patronized, charges I never authorized — I had to assume a breach of some kind and close the bank account.
Nothing compared to the innumerable horror stories all over the web about encounters with Paypal. It’s absolute poison. Just say no!
I’ve been using PayPal for 20 years — mostly in conjunction with eBay but other things like Uber also — with no incidents and no suspicious activity in linked accounts. Wonder why you encountered such a hornet’s nest?