Spoof / Phishing Emails

[will_s]

Well they addressed me by first and last names and it looked very official .  Now I wont forwatd it to fishing ( had to use that because not allowed to put the email address in ) because I have no idea if this is an offical address

Hi William <removed>,

Due to safety and security requirements, and for the benefit of all users on the network, we need you to verify your identity. This will help to avoid any interruption or limitation on your PayPal account.

Simply click <removed> to log into your PayPal account and click on the notification icon. You’ll be asked to confirm some basic details and it should only take a few minutes.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@will_s 

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

[will_s]

the thing is its does address me by my full name which is William

also I see I have a your monthly account update which has a "login" link in it

Hi William <removed>,
Your monthly account update is ready. To review your activity simply LOG IN to your PayPal account.

had to replace login with typing LOGIN as a pure cut and paste has HTML and it aint allowed

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @will_s,

Thank you for the clarification. If the email addressed you by full name, it is still possible that it is a fake, because a fraudster may have your name and may tailor a fake email to make it look more real. The "Dear Customer" etc salutation would be just one possible way to identify a fake email. 

If you have not requested an account report, the second email is also potentially a fake. If you did request a report, then the email may be the real thing. You should also be able to log directly into your account and visit the same reporting page where the report was requested to see the report ready for download, so you can avoid clicking a link in an email.

Thank you for not including potentially fraudulent links in the forum. We want to keep the forum safe for all members.

Olivia