Account Locked Text Message Received

MrJV
New Community Member

Hi All,

 

I have received the following text message today, I know it probably will be a phising scam but I have not come across any concrete numbers where messages have come from, and what exactly they say. So here it is.

 

Number: ***********

Message displayed: "Your PayPal has been temporarily locked. You have 36H to confirm the account information or your account will be closed: <removed> "

 

Please note, it can get confusing in understanding what is real and what is not, especially on text. On emails, you can click into the senders name to see the true email ID - which will on most occasions be an unsual format or contain something ridiculous as an email address which will prove it is not genuine.

 

Text messages can be difficult to pin point, however there are few things I like keep to an eye out for, and those are:

  • The URL does not include 'S' for the secure element in the URL. It would mean 'httpS://...' oppose to http://..
  • PayPal will be display as the 'sender' rather than the number it came from - IF they were to send a text that is.
  • Look out for spelling mistakes and other grammatical errors which will highlight the level of unprofessionalism. E.G. in the above message I received, it read 36H rather than 36 hours.
  • Timeframes such as 36 hours is an unusual time to give in today's day and age, it would either be 24 or 48 hours as a minimum - usually the latter.
  • If you have an App or access to laptop/PC, then try login via the usual means - if your account is locked, you would not be able to login.
  • If you click on the 'bell' icon, this will usually highlight any notification you may have received from PayPal. Account related messages can be found here if your account was subject to limitation or restriction.

 

Of course then there is direct contact with PayPal if you are in any doubt.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

MrJV

 

 

 Post edited to comply with Community guidelines

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@MrJV

 

Its easy to tell as there is a link in it.

Paypal would never tell you to click on a link to resolve account issues.

They would tell you to log in and check the resolution or message centre.


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Kudos / Solution appreciated.

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@MrJV

 

Its easy to tell as there is a link in it.

Paypal would never tell you to click on a link to resolve account issues.

They would tell you to log in and check the resolution or message centre.


Advice is voluntary.
Kudos / Solution appreciated.
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ZarexUK
New Community Member

You may also want to double check for ALL emails from ANYONE if the address is 'HTTP' Rather than the secure 'HTTPS' ....???

To my knowledge.. the emails being sent out are all..  http:xxxx?!?!?... actual E.G = (http://paypal.co.uk.xg2z.pw/m/) ...!!!! ...and also I personally check the senders phone number or the rest of the address details... seeing as in this case the 'Scam' is about Paypal ..or if it's something to do with finances.?? then always give the sender/company addresses a good once over?? Preferably using a 'different' media source???.. So if it's on the phone?? check out the details via the internet on a P.C first??? Give the company a call yourself?? A good question to ask yourself is ''has this happened ever before using this method??'' ..Most likely the answer is a 'no'.. which should send your alarm bells ringing.

Never give your own details/passwords out over the phone or in an email for security purposes?? .. Ask which department it is and then contact the company using your own addresses/phone numbers to verify... even then, ''nobody ever asks for your passwords/pins over the phone''.

The same goes for Banking scams... I'd use similar 'checks and balances' before I gave out my details to the first person that asks for them.

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ro-bo
Contributor
Contributor

my text message says We have limited your accountdue to safety concerns please visit <removed> before weare forced to suspend services.

the message was sent from <removed>

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