WARNING: Phishing from fake PayPal.com
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
United States
March 10, 2007 11:08am CST
Have you received a suspicious email from what looks like paypal.com?
Today I received an offical looking but "fake" request from what looked like but was not paypal.com. The email requested I verify a purchase (which I had not made, by the way).
To cancel the purchase I was supposed to click a button in the email and provide requested information in order to cancel the bogus order.
Don't click the button. Don't give out any information. PayPal already has your information, they won't ask for it.
Instead, log into your paypal account at paypal.com in the normal way and check your recent activity. This will tell you if there really was an order placed in your account. In my case, there had not been any such order as described in the email. It was someone trying to steal my identity.
Be careful. Be suspicious. Check out your paypal notifications direct at the paypal site.
Has anyone else received suspicious email concerning paypal?
7 people like this
24 responses
@Impervious (1147)
• United States
11 Mar 07
I recieved that email about 2 weeks ago. As a rule I try not to use links provided in emails when I can avoid it. I actually forwarded the email to paypal for investigation.
Thanks
@The_Eagle_1 (1121)
• Australia
11 Mar 07
Yes, well done. I did the eame with a heap of emails requesting bank details, but sent them to the banks the emails were supposed to be from!!
@The_Eagle_1 (1121)
• Australia
11 Mar 07
Hi red, the lowlifes are at it again! We can't take anything on face value where money is concerned these days, well as far as anything is concerned really! We had a over influx of emails wanting banking details from official looking emails over here last year, maybe the same ones have gone to a different channel!! Keep well...oh and stay alert mate!! Thanks for the tip off!
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
11 Mar 07
There ought to be a way to ban such people from the internet for life.
1 person likes this
@The_Eagle_1 (1121)
• Australia
12 Mar 07
Hahaha, didn't realise you were such a dreamer red!! They should be banned from using computers, that would eliminate a few problems! Keep well mate!
1 person likes this
@redyellowblackdog (10629)
• United States
10 Mar 07
Hmmm... so, it is a widespread problem! Thanks, for responding.
@stateroad (730)
• United States
11 Mar 07
I have gotten a few e-mails to make changes to my
account or to varify things in my account. There is a
link in the e-mail. How do you know which e-mail is a
Fake ?
1 person likes this
@cinz20 (63)
• Philippines
11 Mar 07
well my husband try to make paypal account just to send some money to me then he made first sent some dollar... but im here in the philippines.. and only for USA and so other places not on philippines so the access is limited so they allow me to wthdraw that so i think its good but of course dont give of your personal information ok...i think its same with western but not directly to its before to your bank.....by the way i get the money..
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
11 Mar 07
i haven't receive such an email yet... but thanks for the warning... i will really be very careful in releasing my personal information on the internet especially when it comes to money... thanks again for the warning anyway... have a good day...
1 person likes this
@gobindsing (470)
• India
11 Mar 07
Thanks for the warning, there is a lot of internet fraud around.
1 person likes this
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
11 Mar 07
I have heard aboutthis, and i also saw that people bought it and lost all their money. It is important to be careful these days!
1 person likes this
@lauriefnp (5111)
• United States
11 Mar 07
I haven't received anything recently, but several years ago when I first signed up with PayPal I received several similar e-mails. I did as you advised, and reported them through the PayPal site instead of opening up the links in the e-mails. I believe that PayPal had sent out official notification that this was going on at the time, because I don't think that I would have known not to open the e-mails at that time otherwise. These days, I am careful and suspicious of just about everything. I protect my accounts very carefully online.
1 person likes this
@lafavorito (2959)
• Philippines
11 Mar 07
I've received this "FAKE PAYPAL EMAIL" a few times last year, the funny thing is that I don't even have a paypal account. I just forwarded the email back to paypal.com and shook my head.
To all paypal account holders, remember that paypal will not send you an email if you haven't contacted them first.
1 person likes this
@Makesense (14)
• Singapore
11 Mar 07
Yes, I have received such fake email before!
In fact, Paypal, requests people to forward them such
suspicious emails for them to investigate and take further
action I hope.
In this year and age, there are many unhonest people around trying to be thieves and hope to make money at the expense and misery of honest people. I hope God will act on them and punish these unhonest people dearly.
@boxervseible (143)
• United States
11 Mar 07
oh crap man! thanks alot for letting me know about that.
I like so got taken for a ride twice on Myspace.com, but thank goodness it's not money involved.
many thanks to you :)
@shooie (4984)
• United States
11 Mar 07
My husband has gotten hit a couple of times. Knock on wood not me yet. Thanks for the warning I will keep a watch on it. I did get an e-mail once asking for all kinds of information to update and it said I couldn't get into my account unless I did so. I checked my account and so I knew the e-mail was a fake and turned it in.
1 person likes this
@monica1981 (466)
• United States
11 Mar 07
I have recieved such e-mails. I've never done what the phisher asks. Paypal specifically states on their site that they will never e-mail you asking for information. They also ask you to report it to them if you recieve such an e-mail.
1 person likes this
@nikinonsense (112)
• United States
11 Mar 07
i haven't gotten it but thanks for the warning. knowing me i'd probably open it and give them everything. i don't have my bank account on there though, just my credit card and visa can take care of it if someone gets ahold of my numbers.
1 person likes this
