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

[kernowlass]

@Erbravo

If its a spoof, DO NOT USE ANY LINK.

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

[Erbravo]

Thank you so much. That made me breathe easier.

[LorieLeRoy]

We are contacting you regarding the item payment transaction between you and our valued client P. J. for a recent bought item#. you have to send the valid shipment tracking number to PayPal desk. This transaction is not fraudulent and you are assured of quality service so we encourage you to ship the item instant as your payment has been approved by us. Security is of critical important at PayPal as soon as we receive the valid reference number which was on the receipt and confirm the tracking number your account will be credit immediately. We need the VALID shipping reference tracking number to our customer care desk "click here" to complete this transaction.

The money has now been deducted from the buyer' account and is in transit into your account. It will be credit into your PayPal account as soon as we receive the shipping reference tracking number from you for verification. This is due to new policy at PayPal to protect the both buyer and seller in the face of the growing number of fraudulent activities perpetrated via the int INTERNET you are encouraged to complete this transaction and reflex to this action to enable us to credit your account with immediate effect.

Here at Pay Pal you can be assured that your security and safety is our topmost concern.
 

Thanks you for using PayPal 
The PayPal Team

[Juniorak1]

ALARM! I got an email from this provider <removed> (this is 2nd time, i ignored the first one and I deleted the email) and it says that someone from Mongolia using RockMelt OS/Browser tried to login with my account! Is that a Scam mail?

[Joonyoung]

Dear, 

I am selling a product, and one guy contacted me to buy it. He asked me my paypal email account, and he sent me confirmation transaction email. 

However, it does not look like paypal email. 

The email address is <removed> and showed Unique Transaction ID 

I did not receive the money when I checked my bacnkaccount and paypal account. 

Do you think it is the scam?

Thank you,

Joon

[amccoy74]

Craigslist scam: email comes from an address @consultant and the phone number is <removed>.  They claim to be Mary <removed>

[ozkar22]

received the following email is it legit?

Paypal

Dear Customer Please note that your account has been temporarily suspended due to incomplete registration of account data Please enter our website through the button below and fill in the information. Why Your Account Locked?

1.Fake Transaction

2.Fake Payement

3.Login From Another Country

[Oregon11]

Here is a PayPal link with tips on how to spot fake emails.

https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/how-to-spot-fake-emails-faq2340

[AnettDeg]

They’re still at it from Nigeria. First time ever that I’ve come about such scam. Becca <removed> (fake) kindly alerted me to look for the email in my scam folder. She wanted money for her agent to pick the electric scooter up. Me, good Christian, even offered to deliver it if she were local. Nigeria, however nice it may be, is a little too far for my charity to get the much wanted present for Becca’s sister. I doubt that the £80 pick up and delivery fee would have even covered it. Besides, she only paid £120. The scooter would cost about £250 as new... In the end it just made me laugh because I might be super gullible but then currently also super skint following illnesses and car troubles. So long story short, I’ve reported it and still have my money and the item I’m trying to sell. It may have been a waste of time for me but then it was for them too.

[Cantar4]

Is this "fifth floor", address for PayPal
the sign of a fake mail ?

Votre compte PayPal indique un solde débiteur de 10.00 € dû à une transaction récente.
Is there a simple way in the PayPal organisation to get these mails be verified ?

PayPal Europe S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.
Société en Commandite par Actions
Siège Social : <removed>, Luxembourg
RCS Luxembourg B 118 349