Examples of Suspected Fraud or Fake Emails

[PayPal_Andy]

Hey Everybody!

In an effort to make things easier to find and research, I'm going to consolidate as many threads as possible where we have examples of people trying to defraud hard working sellers (Craigslist emails, 'PayPal' emails asking you to send money outside of PayPal, etc).  This will also be used as a master thread for future posts regarding this same situation.

When you post your examples here, please remember to not include last names or contact information of whoever is sending these emails.  There's no way to confirm if that person has been defrauded as well and the name is being used fraudulently.

Thanks for your cooperation and remember, keep the conversation productive, on task, and above all, keep it clean. I know these things can be difficult and frustrating, but bleep filled posts or posts that look like government redacted files will never benefit anyone. 😄

Andy

[MichiganStan]

I just received an email indicating that I purchased a $100 Google play card using my PayPal account.  I didn't.

There is a big button at the bottom of the email encouraging me to 'cancel' if I didn't make the purchase.  When I click on that, it asks for my PayPal login and other personal info.

I've checked PayPal, my credit card, and my bank account and no transactions shows up.

Scam?

[Snow-Cat]

Possibly ....

* Forward the entire email to:    spoof@paypal.com.
* Do not alter the subject line or forward the message as an attachment.
* Delete the suspicious email from your inbox.
* Never click on any links within the email or open any attachments.

Look at the email address domain and wording in the email, grammar, salutation, spelling, etc.  If any of these are questionable, it's most likely a spoof.

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone!

There have been so many examples of fraudulent emails posted! I wanted to chime in and make sure that you know how to identify a spoof/phishing email, and know what to do if you receive one.

First of all, for some tips on identifying a fake email, take a look here. There is a list of stuff to check for that is common in spoof emails. You can also open a fresh browser window and log into your account (not through a link in the email) and check to see if there are any alerts or messages, or if there are any corresponding transactions. If what you see in your account doesn't match up with what you saw in the email, it's a good bet that it's a fake.

Once you've determined that the email you received is a fake, it should be forwarded, exactly the way it is, to spoof@paypal.com. Do not click on any links.

If you have already clicked on a link, don't panic! Here are some tips on what you should do.

• Run a virus scan on your computer to make sure that the link did not subject your computer to any malware.
• If you clicked a link and entered your password and/or security questions for PayPal, log in to your PayPal account from a new browser window and change the password and security questions as soon as possible, after the virus scan. Make sure to pick a unique password that is not used on any other sites... but if you did use the same password anywhere else, make sure to change your password on those sites, too.
• If you entered any other information (such as credit card, bank, social security numbers, etc.), take a look at this page for tips on next steps.

Please stay safe!

Olivia

[Rivera]

I cannot see how this thread can ever be 'solved' unless people stop receiving fake email.

It is a means of alerting members to the latest attempts by scammers

Is spoof@paypal  better than phishing@paypal ?

[PayPal_Olivia]

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@Rivera wrote:

I cannot see how this thread can ever be 'solved' unless people stop receiving fake email.

It is a means of alerting members to the latest attempts by scammers

Is spoof@paypal  better than phishing@paypal ?

---

Hi @Rivera,

Great point. Spoof and phishing will never be solved. However, the "accepted solution" does detail what to do to solve the problem if it happens to you. 

You would want to use spoof@paypal.com.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[Lilylane10]

Would paypal ever ask you to send the pick up agent money Walmart to Walmart

[kernowlass]

@Lilylane10

NNnnnnnoooooooo >>

THIS IS A TYPICAL PAYPAL SCAM.

They encourage you to use paypal and may ask you to send the item internationally. They don't quibble on cost and may also say they can't view the item as they are disabled or working abroad etc etc but they will arrange a shipping agent to collect it.

You will get/got a "fake" email that looks as though it is from paypal.....it isn't.
It will say the buyer has paid ...you won't have been paid.

If the item requires shipping the 'fake' paypal email will tell you that the buyer has paid for the item + shipping costs but you must send those shipping costs to the courier/ shipping agent via western union, moneygram or walmart etc BEFORE the funds are released to you.

They are not interested in the item, they just want the western union etc funds and you will never see money in your paypal balance.
They also threaten legal action...have a laugh at that one and ignore it as its rubbish.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account.
Paypal NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.

Also their is no seller protection on paypal for any item that is collected by the buyer.
Delete any emails and ignore the scammers.

[J-g89]

Hi Everyone, I would like you to confirm me this is real email from paypal or fake email? Because I didn’t recent purchase and didn’t use my account long time ago. But i got this email to view my account. And when i clicked the botton view transaction it linked me to paypal. And i was forced to put my informations sush as my name, ssn, debit card. But if I didn’t finish filling informations i can’t view my account. And after I finished it my account is activated. But I wondered and being worried that there’s not transaction on my account and not recent purchase but why i got email from paypal that i recent purchase. Could you please tell me and confirm me this is real email from paypal or fake email from scammers? If it’s fake email from paypal, what should i do next? Because i put my important informations on it before i can view my account. Or my informations is still secured? Please help, i’m very worried Smiley Sad Thank you. JG This below is email i got from paypal. Dear (my email address) We need your help resolving an issue with your ΡayΡal account. Until you help us resolve this issue, we've temporarily limited what you can do with your account. Take a moment to review your account activity and recent transactions for changes or unauthorized payment. If you see a payment you don't recognise, go to the Help Center and report it by clicking "Dispute a Transaction". This is details of this case: Transaction ID : 4FV48960M36488609 Transaction amount: 50,00 $ USD Date : 21 November 2017 Please log in to your ΡayΡal account and provide the requested info. View Transaction Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you need further assistance, please click Contact at the bottom of any ΡayΡal page. Sincerely, ΡayΡal Copyright 1999-2017 ΡayΡal. ΡayΡal Email ID 789173971379192

[kernowlass]

@J-g89

Its a spoof, DO NOT USE ANY LINK if you have then any details would have been passed on to a scammer 

Firstly if the email addressed you as ''Dear Member'' / ''Customer'' / ''Client'' OR your ''email address'' then that confirms its a spoof as paypal would address you by your full name eg Dear John Smith.

Secondly if there was a link OR attachment in that email to ''cancel'' the transaction or ''confirm'' any details then again it would be a spoof.

If there was a problem with your account paypal would not ask you to click on an unsafe link in an email or by downloading an attachment, they would direct you to log in normally and go to the resolution or the message centre for more information.

More info here >>
https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/article/how-to-spot-fake-emails-faq2340/2

[J-g89]

OMG! So what should i do next? I put my important informations such as my name, bd, ssn, number of credit card and three numbers behind card when i clicked view transaction botton from that mail and i was forced to do that for veiwing my account. But I cancelled my debit card a couple hours after that. And I changed my password of paypal account. So can they still steal my informations to use it for doing with my bank account? What should i do next? Thank you so much for replying.