World Health Organization COVID Fund Invoice Scam

HollowKnights2k
Contributor
Contributor

Hey world. Not sure if I'm the only one receiving this invoice but just got an invoice for $20.00 from something called the Respond Fund for World Solidarity from the World Health Organization.  Paypal won't let me dispute this invoice nor would I presume the WHO would send dubious invoices for donations through Paypal so I'm assuming it's a scam. Just curious if this is being sent out to others. Thanks!

 

 

 

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483 REPLIES 483

jrichey99
Member
Member

The scammers were savvy enough to rig/disable the cancel button for the invoice.  Spoke with PayPal Customer Service, and here is the work around:

1) Access the invoice

2) Go to the URL address bar and place your cursor after the very last character in the address and type ?action=cancel

3) Click 'Enter'

4) A pop-up screen will appear and provide the option to cancel the invoice

5) Click the 'Cancel' button and you're all set!

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ChrisCooling
Contributor
Contributor

@jrichey99 wrote:

The scammers were savvy enough to rig/disable the cancel button for the invoice. 




The scammers did no such thing. There is a software coding error on Paypal's site. Send an invoice to someone and test it yourself. Senders cannot disable features like this.

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BAMBI5
Member
Member

If it's a software coding problem, why is it affecting some people and not others? I was able to cancel. Other people don't even get a Cancel button, and some people who DO get a Cancel button find it takes them right back to the invoice, or only to payment options.

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ibsandy2u
Contributor
Contributor

No reason to panic or be upset about receiving a fake invoice. Paypal was not hacked. Anyone can send you money or an invoice using your email address.  Sending a bill to your paypal doesn't give the sender any access to your account or personal data.  Paypal isn't going to hold your money or pay the bill.  The only issue is those that may send their money without looking at the invoice.

From the comments I've read here about this scam a lot of people are worried their accounts have been compromised and are angry at paypal for "lack of security".  Your accounts are safe and there is no issue of any security lapse with paypal. 

Anyone with an email acct has received spam, scams, and phishing emails in their inbox.  The only difference here with this invoice is the scammer came up with a novel approach. Instead of using your email address to fill your inbox the scammer is using it to send a bill thru paypal. The scammer doesn't know you and you haven't been hacked. He's just using a list of emails and casting out a large net to see if he catches anything.

You can purchase lists containing thousands of email addresses on the internet pretty cheap and that's probably what this scammer did. Some of the email lists sold come from data breaches and contain passwords. If you have used the same password that you use for your paypal password on other sites it's a good idea to change your paypal password. You should always use unique passwords for different accounts and change your passwords regularly.  I hope this info relieves the stress some of you are feeling.  Just file the invoice in the trash.

 
Many are having trouble with cancelling the invoice, this works on a desktop computer.  I don't use the app so not sure if it's the same process.
 
Here's how to cancel a money request or invoice:
  1. Log in to your PayPal account.

  2. Click Activity near the top of the page.

  3. Find the request or invoice you want to cancel.

  4. Select Cancel under "Actions."

  5. Click Yes or Send Cancellation.

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ibsandy2u
Contributor
Contributor

@fairykind 

This was posted by fairykind on another thread.

How to cancel invoice using the app

 

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, please know that we are already looking into this and this looks like a bug that's why the cancel button is not working.
To cancel this invoice please follow this procedure.
At the end of the URL after you click to cancel the invoice manually type ?action=cancel

 

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kwh4
Contributor
Contributor

WHO or some scan impersonating them sent me a 50 USD invoice.  I just want to cancel it but the simple steps PP says to use doesn't work.  They say

'

1. click cancel under the pending request on your summary or activity page

2. Confirm by click yes

 

There is no cancel on my summary page with the invoice request.  There is a cancel icon on my activity page which I can click but it just goes to the invoice page with only option to pay, not to cancel.

 

I have no intention of paying it, but it's annoying that I can't delete it and even more annoying that PP's instructions on how to cancel it are bogus.

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KirtP
Contributor
Contributor

Received this email from PayPal today (08/15/2020) = WHO COVID-19 Solidarity sent you an invoice for $50.00 USD Due on receipt.

This was a Fraudulent Request for Money, I did not Authorize or Request this invoice for $50.

There was no Money in my PayPal account and I was able to cancel the invoice on PayPal.

I do not know what would have happened, if there was a balance in my PayPal account over $50. 

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Dazed_d
Contributor
Contributor

If you successfully got it to cancel consider yourself lucky. I & several others have not been able to reject or cancel it. PayPal Customer Service's response was to let it sit because only the sender can cancel it. 

Did you use the app to cancel or were you on a pc?

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KirtP
Contributor
Contributor
I was not able to cancel using smartphone. But when I used the computer and when to the charge, there was an option to cancel or pay.
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ChrisCooling
Contributor
Contributor

@KirtP wrote:

I do not know what would have happened, if there was a balance in my PayPal account over $50. 


Nothing. It's an invoice, not a debit. Any Paypal user can send you an invoice attaching any logo they want. Don't pay it. 

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