That search string brought someone to this site recently.

I assume that the person who asked that question to the Almighty and (we hope) Benevolent Google was worried that some sort of income had made its way into their Paypal account, maybe by way of E-Bay, and they're worried about whether or not it will jeopardize their unemployment benefits.

The answer is an emphatic, "Yes, they can 'find Paypal'." If you have made income that way, you had better report it to your unemployment office when you file your weekly claim or you could be in a world of hurt down the road.

Did you know that they can make you pay back every dime you took over the entire benefits period, at least in my state, the great State of New York? They can also charge penalties. They can also put you in jail for fraud. Is that worth hiding the 60 bucks you made on E-Bay today? I don't know about you, but for me the answer is a great big

Hells. To. The. No!

You do realize that there are people whose professional careers involve uncovering fraud and recovering money for the state, right?

Don't commit fraud.

Here is a potential workaround that may or may not be legal. I'm not a lawyer. Ask one. To me this is perfectly ethical, given the piteous circumstances of the unemployed, but it may or may not be legal:

Put "your" Paypal account in someone else's name, preferably your spouse if you have one. When an item sells on E-Bay or someone gets a payment from Palm Research or whatever, it goes to that person. That person will have to claim the income on their tax return, of course.

If you made money and it went into your Paypal account, take the hit in your benefits this week. It's better than getting nailed later on. It also happens to be the right thing to do if you really think about it.