An FBI affidavit recently unsealed reveals that investigators believed ISIS was using online auction site eBay as a way to funnel money to the United States with an eye toward financing terror attacks by American citizens.
The allegations are that one man, Mohamed Elshinawy, created several fake transactions selling computer printers on eBay and getting paid through PayPal,apparently from overseas ISIS operatives who told him to use the money for “operational purposes.”
Elshinawy told investigators about this, and plead not guilty to supporting terrorism, though he is still in federal detention, awaiting any trials he might face in the future. Where that stands isn’t entirely clear.
But eBay and PayPal both say they worked closely with law enforcement on the matter, and PayPal insisted that they are actively preventing any terrorist activity arising from PayPal accounts.
