Paypal Phishing Scam Email
Wow, I almost fell for a phishing scam email just now!
It came from "service@paypal.com" - or so it appeared. See image below.
It was for a charge of $134.90 to some hosting company
Obviously I was outraged and clicked the "Resolve Now" link to dispute the charge.
However I noticed the link went on a redirect via a Tumblr page, realized my mistake and immediately closed the tab and forwarded the email to spoof@paypal.com .
Just wanted to let you know in case you get something similar. I'll be mentioning it to older relatives too as they can often fall victims to what was a quite realistic phishing email.
Anyway - have a crime free day!
Dave
Recent Comments
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It's getting to the point where I rarely click on Email links anymore. Some of these scams are so well done it can be hard to tell the fake from the legit. Thanks Dave.
Yes this was a particularly good replica and I nearly fell into the trap. The key, as you say, is not to click on links in emails.
The scams are really good at times, I've had them, paypal, Inland Revenue etc. Most go straight to spam but the odd ones get through.
Will keep an eye out for that one, thank you David.
Yes its a sneaky one with being so realistic. The important thing is not to click on links in emails.
Yes, there are a few of these scams going around. I just got one less than a month ago from some one wanting to buy an item I put up for sale. They offer the asking price and also said they will arranging shipment themselves. Then they do the following:
1. Ask me to request payment from them from PayPal to their email
2. They will email an invoice just like the above image with PayPal logo and everything for the total price of the item plus the shipping. Meaning they will pay you extra $500 for international shipping
3. Your will receive a temporary hold on your payment from PayPal, again the with has the PayPal logo saying your payment is already made by buyer but on hold unless you perform the following steps.
4. The main step is to wire the $500 via western union to a “shipping company”
At this stage, I was curious why a payment company like PayPal would ask me to remit payment by Western Union.
So, I check my PayPal account For details but those transaction on the emails were not in my account.
I googled the transaction numbers on the email and found out others have been scammed similarly.
I avoided being scammed but someone could fall into it as the email and logos everything were done to look legitimate.
If you are selling something online, Just be careful.
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Sometimes you can click on the sender email and reveal the "real" sender.
I have done a YouTube video on the subject online scam because it is really bad at the moment.
PayPal is a classic for scammers. It is important for us to find out what their methods are and every single time it has got something to do with money, check out your real PayPal account and look under the transactions to see if the information is true or not.
Great job for informing everyone!
Keep up the good work!
Catherine
Hi Catherine.
Yes there are things we should do to protect ourselves such as not clicking on links. Revealing the real sender by hovering over or clicking the address is another good tip.
But like me earlier - if you are caught off guard by a realistic looking email you can get badly stung!
I appreciate the feedback!
Thanks
Oh, I know! It happens to me a lot as well. You just have to keep in mind, that if it has got something to do with money like PayPal, visit your PayPal account and look at the transactions made or for information. I always have to force myself to do it as well! Better to keep on the safe side!😁👍
Glad I could help!
Catherine