Examples of Suspected Fraud/Fake Emails

[PayPal_Adrian]

Hello everyone!

One of the greatest strengths consumers possess against fraud and phishing is education and collaboration.  To help support your safety online, I'm going to open this special thread up for you.  Here, you can post examples of what you believe to be attempts by individuals to defraud you or others of their hard earned valuables and money. 

Before we begin, a few housekeeping points:

• We will be using this as a "master thread," so if we find an example in other areas of the boards, we may merge the post into this one.

• For everyone's safety, please remove any last names or contact information (including email addresses) from your examples.  In many instances, the names provided by fraudsters are fake or may actually be the name of someone they already defrauded. 

• On that same note, please don't ever attempt to confront a fraudster or attempt to track them down.  Instead, turn the information you do have over to your local authorities. 

• Please also remove any links from your posts, as these could potentially go to spoofed or phishing websites.

Other than that, we only ask that you keep it productive and stay within the Forum Decorum and posting guidelines.  I'll be stopping in on a regular basis to clean house and comment on posts, so don't be surprised if you see my mug - or another moderator - stopping in to say hello! 

With that said, I'm going to start moving posts in, so you might see some older examples mixed in with the new posts.  I hope this thread becomes a great resource for everyone!

Stay safe,

Adrian

[kernowlass]

@Chloe221

SCAM,

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account.
Paypal do not tell you to send trackable, they advise it for selling protection but it is not compulsory.
Paypal NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.

[Exodius]

 Starting off, a man named Frank <removed> has completely ripped me off on payment for items shipped.

I was selling a phone off craigslist $300 a man named Frank asked to purchase it, after lots of back and forth he worked a tablet off me as well for $200. Now he sort of rushed the shipping a bit saying that he needed these items for someone's birthday, and following Paypal rules I shipped the items out first and was to receive payment after providing the tracking #. Now the Method of shipment that this guy wanted had me dish out $200, so upon getting home and telling him he goes ahead and try's to send the extra money.

 He had initially thought shipping to be only $100 so we had the price set at $600, it went up to $700, when I tried to claim the money Paypal gave me the error that my account limit needs upgrading with an amount over $1500. By this point me and Frank have chatted quite a bit and as fishy as it sounds he claimed to be a scrap metal dealer, and thought it would be ok to just forward me an extra $960 on top of the $700. With me Supposedly To assist him and have that $960 sent to west African Nigeria for work. 

 Things really got fishy to me here when I was told from PayPal Directly through email:

Email 1- ********* YOU ARE TO REFUND THE $960 BEFORE YOUR ACCOUNT CAN BE CREDITED ******

Email 2- WE ADVICE YOU TO GET THIS DONE TODAY IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD .

Email 3-  ***** $1,660,00 CAD IS YOUR CURRENT PENDING BALANCE NOT $700 CAD ****

Email 4- Legal ACTION may occur from the head office DEPARTMENT .

Email 5- WE THINK THE LOCATION YOU ARE TO SEND THE MONEY TOO IS THE ISSUE .

Email 6- ISSUE NEED TO BE SOLVED TODAY .

 By this point I was harassed out to western union to send the money that I didn't have to west Africa, for an additional few hundred they would do this and having no money I'm expected to send out a huge sum of money all on good faith that they would release my payment after receiving the transaction receipt. So I came home with the advise of the teller to halt contact with the buyer this Frank Walter, that my goods/money is gone for good, and I've been had as part of a scam call PayPal immediately. 

 After severing ties with him over "Hangouts" app I phoned into PayPal directly and was led to IC3.gov as soon as the word scam came out of my mouth. Now I am highly suspicious of how this IC3 personnel is talking to me via email with the same broken English as everyone I've dealt with so far, including Frank. He is also demanding money before i'm able to receive payment.

 Newho I'm a poor **bleep** Canadian near 30 living pay to pay essentially, on my own. I was really looking forward to this little money boost, to get food for the week, and well **bleep** me this is such a wack result so far. May 20th-28: It's been very trying, to say the least, all this back and forth frustration & anxiety for the loss. If anyone competent read my emails we might be somewhere, but here we are i'm out $700 +, so essentially this guy used PayPal's own system against them to receive the goods for free and is getting off scot free. I also dealt with him under the name Frank C <removed> for the initial shipping address.

[kernowlass]

@Exodius

You have been scammed, none of that transaction was done via Paypals site and the emails were from the scammer and not Paypal.

Paypal NEVER tell you to send an item before the payment is showing in your paypal account.
Paypal do not tell you to send trackable, they advise it for selling protection but it is not compulsory.
Paypal NEVER expect you to use a rival money transfer service eg Moneygram or Western Union etc.

[Exodius]

God damn I feel like an utter chump 😞

is there any way I can get PayPal involved?

possibly receive money? :3

If anything make sure this **bleep**er stops doing what he's doing.

[kernowlass]

@Exodius

This scam has been ongoing for about 10 years at least and as it is done via scammers in anonymous internet cafes often in Africa somewhere then sorry nothing can be done as no part of Paypals site was used.

They use spoof emails to persuade you that they are from Paypal but sadly they are not as Paypal does not work that way.

Sadly you are not the first and won't be the last, although I have managed to save hundreds that have posted here first but sadly not you  

[Exodius]

I'm just curious as to how they did this?? Because when I called into PayPal I was given IC3. Gov website to visit and msg, then things got ridiculous...

[CCCle]

I received an email about a purchase I did not make.  It says its from <removed> but the actual address shows  something different.

  I purchase doesn't show in my account so I'm guessing this email is a fraud or phishing scheme???

[kernowlass]

@CCCle

If its a spoof, DO NOT 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 to ''cancel'' the 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

[KK2019]

I had a Email from Pay Pal. Saying that I have bought a watch and paid $348 (Which I have not). But nothing comes up on my transactions.

It has scared me as I don't even have that much on my account.

Can anyone help?

P.S. I live in the UK so the $ is also a bit new to me.

[kernowlass]

@KK2019

If its a spoof, DO NOT 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 to ''cancel'' the 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/uk/webapps/mpp/phishing