Hacktivist groups Anonymous and LulzSec are calling for people to immediately close their PayPal accounts and consider an alternative. This follows the recent arrests of some of their members in connection with an attack on PayPal's website.

In a joint statement, Anonymous and LulzSec (in the name of AntiSec) say that they have found themselves "outraged at the FBI's willingness to arrest and threaten those who are involved in ethical, modern cyber operations." The statement then fires a shot at PayPal for "continuing to withhold funds from WikiLeaks, a beacon of truth in these dark times. By simply standing up for ourselves and uniting the people, PayPal still sees it fit to wash its hands of any blame, and instead encourages and assists law enforcement to hunt down participants in the AntiSec movement."

It adds: "Quite simply, we, the people, are disgusted with these injustices. We will not sit down and let ourselves be trampled upon by any corporation or government. We are not scared of you, and that is something for you to be scared of. We are not the terrorists here: you are. We encourage anyone using PayPal to immediately close their accounts and consider an alternative. The first step to being truly free is not putting one's trust into a company that freezes accounts when it feels like, or when it is pressured by the US government. PayPal's willingness to fold to legislation should be proof enough that they don't deserve the customers they get. They do not deserve your business, and they do not deserve your respect.

The statement concludes by encouraging people to tweet pictures of their account closure and generally spread the word. Meanwhile, on Twitter LulzSec suggested: 'Get yourself a slice of MyBitCoin, Liberty Reserve, WebMoney, Neteller, Moneybookers, and start using prepaid credit and gift cards.'

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