....sounds like user error? The guy had the same username/password combination for multiple systems. how many Patterers have the same credentials for Patter and Paypal? Your password is only as reliable as the weakest system....if Patter gets hacked as happened a while ago with the gay porn outbreak.......
I've always recommended having multiple passwords...two can be enough. One for low risk systems such as Patter, EBay etc and another suitably complex one for high risk systems like Paypal.
Paypal now also offer a one time password solution with a Verisign token (like my Ironkey)....keeps out all unwanted transactions including the wife!
Caveat Emptor.