Fraudulent emails..

[lvermerris]

Hi!

I just wanted to let people know that I believe I received a fraudulent email today. It said that my account was "limited" due to certain activities and that they had "sent an email before" about this. I never received another email.

Secondly, it said to put in my name, address and then my credit card info.. I did the name and address, but stopped at the credit card info. because that raised a red flag.  I also realized I had clicked on the link they sent me instead of going directly to the website myself.  When I did decide to do that I got in just fine and there were no flags for inappropriate activity.

So.. long story short.. I almost gave my credit card info. to a complete stranger. The webpage I was directed to looked exactly like the PayPal site, but I also noticed they had spelled "Summary" (at the top of the page) incorrectly. They spelled it "Sumarry". So.. I'm pretty sure it was a scam.

Please be aware.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@lvermerris 

If its a spoof, NEVER USE ANY LINK.

Firstly if the email/text 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/text to ''cancel'' any 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
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/suspicious-activity

[lvermerris]

Excellent advise and wisdom!

Thank you!

[RinnyNess]

I had a case this week with a fraudulent account on PayPal: This 'seller' asked me to mark the service as completed, so he can get the money before he could prove he can do the service I was paying for. When I said I feel unsafe doing so, before getting the service, because it is a known scam technique - he acted offended and refunded it in a panic. He then proceeded to harass me by endless WhatsApp calls, every single day for a few days, until I blocked his number. I can provide the WhatsApp history.