Text message from <removed>

[Rutro]

I received a txt from <removed> asking the following is this from paypal?

Msg from PayPal: Transaction of -$**.00 USD with The **** **** on May 9, 2017 has been marked as suspicious. Reply "Yes" if authorized or "No" if not authorized.

I did make the transaction but have never received this before and in todays world, one never knows.

THX

[WymanWood]

I'm getting mixed messages from PayPal on what's going on with their SMS messages. So be cautious!

PayPal does "own" the shortcode: <removed>. It spells PAYPAL. So text messages from <removed> should be legit.

BUT...

I received this text message: Doug Smith has requested $0.01 USD from you. Visit https://py.pl/... to pay.

I surely didn't click on it -- even though I know Doug Smith (not his real name). After calling PayPal customer service -- they claim that they do not send text messages with links to https://py.pl/...   they only use https://paypal...  AND customer service said it is probably a phishing scam!

Someone from PayPay needs to explain how I can get a text from <removed>, and a link to somewhere THEY SAY is a phishing scam. How's this happen?

[anotherKathy]

It's legit. I received a text from <removed> yesterday with the following: PayPal: A $1349.00 USD payment to (Person’s name) on November 1 was marked as suspicious. Please reply “Yes” if authorized or “No” if not authorized. I replied “Yes” since I had made the payment, and received a text saying “We’re sorry, this request has expired. To access your account visit m.paypal.com.” Then I received the text again regarding the suspicious transaction. That’s when I suspected it might be a scam.  I called PayPal, and they confirmed they sent two texts, and that this is a new security feature they are using...

[BugginOuT]

Odd that on the Option "No" if not ahorized (that's how they spelled it) is suspicious of phising.

[PayPal_AshleyM]

Hi everyone!

Thank you all for responding to this thread to try to help. I just wanted to jump in and clarify the answer here for everyone.

PayPal does own <removed> as a texting number. Anything that comes from this number is from PayPal. Our text message feature that includes links is fairly new, meaning that we did not have texts with links to accept payments in the past. I apologize if you were given incorrect information regarding this, but if it's from that number, it is a legitimate message and a legitimate link. The link itself is to claim the payment you received, which is usually related to a number not being confirmed (or as a buyer, verifying whether or not you made a payment). 

I hope this helped clarify everything! Have a great rest of your day, everyone. 🙂

- Ashley M

[Lilithcat]

I still find this # suspicious. I got a text saying someone had sent me some money.  For one thing, I don't recognize the name of the person.  More to the point, I don't use my mobile number on Paypal.  It's not on my account.   I use my landline. 

[PayPal_AshleyM]

Hey Lilithcat,

I definitely understand your hesitation. Even if you don't have your mobile number on your account, that doesn't mean that someone may not have typed the number incorrectly and sent a payment to you accidentally, or that someone you know is trying to send you a payment using your number out of their contacts (obviously not the second option in this situation, as you said you don't recognize the name). The bottom line is, if it comes from <removed>, it's from PayPal.

- Ashley M

[blazingredfire1]

Hi I received a message from this number. It brought me to a paypal page on my phone so that I could accept a payment made by my mom. I hit accept but the funds are still not showing up. Any idea whats going on?

[BenGunn]

If it is indeed from Paypal perhaps the moderator can explain why I've received this message twice today about a charitable donation I'm attempting to make.  In both cases when I text "Yes" to confirm it's a legitimate transaction I am told the text was not delivered.  How can it not be delivered if I'm responding to a legitimate Paypal text?

[PayPal_AshleyM]

Hey blazingredfire1,

It sounds like you may need to confirm your mobile number. You can find the steps to do that here. Hope this helps. 🙂

- Ashley M

[BenGunn]

Re. my earlier message about my "Yes" reply to the Paypal text not being delivered, could the moderator also explain why, if Paypal is notifying me that the transaction is "suspicious", when I log into my account it shows that the transaction is completed with no reference to suspicious activity.

If this is indeed a genuine Paypal security measure it seems completely **bleep** up.