Forum Topic

PayPal Scam Email

This is a screenshot of an email I received this morning which looks authentic but is obviously a scam.  I sent it to spoof@paypal.com before permanently deleting it.

Sue Hammond ● 1504d14 Comments

Thanks for posting, Sue. A good example of how some emails are actually genuine, although some companies don't make it easy. Email addresses can easily be spoofed and I'm told checking email headers on an iPhone to verify the source server and domain is difficult if not impossible (I'm not an iPhone user, just what I've been told). So you took the right (and recommended) action: use another communication method - the phone! - to check with the sender, PayPal.

Michael Ixer ● 1504d

Thanks for posting, Sue. A good example of how some emails are actually genuine, although some companies don't make it easy. Email addresses can easily be spoofed and I'm told checking email headers on an iPhone to verify the source server and domain is difficult if not impossible (I'm not an iPhone user, just what I've been told). So you took the right (and recommended) action: use another communication method - the phone! - to check with the sender, PayPal.

Michael Ixer ● 1504d

Many thanks for the warning, Sue.

Herb Goldschmidt ● 1504d

David, thanks for explaining as I find your posts and humour difficult to follow because of all the quotations.

Martine Guy ● 1504d

"David, what’s wrong with Netflix?"Forgive me, I was acting a part. Probably a mistake to include a joke, even against myself."Well, as if I would be a Netflix subscriber!(he sniffed)"

David Ainsworth ● 1504d

David, what’s wrong with Netflix?  Has Lady Nugee said it’s Non-U for the London Labour Party?

Martine Guy ● 1504d

If possible, avoid confusion or hazard by not even opening the email. Fortunately, the subject line very often gives a clue. My strange one yesterday was headed:- [REMINDER:NETFLIX:PAYMENT:REJECTED] plus date and time.Well, as if I would be a Netflix subscriber!(he sniffed). The sender was "Billing", which, when I hovered the cursor over it, revealed itself to be some Italian Hotmail account.So it was easy enough to delete it, sight unseen.

David Ainsworth ● 1504d

First rule of caution is to not click through a link on an unexpected email. This example did advise going to paypal.com but even so, better safe than sorry.

Freddie Francis ● 1504d

Hi Sue, I have had convincing emails with the title "View your recent transactions now" with a link to pay.pal.co.uk, it's hard to spot the dot between pay and pal, I assume it's a scam.

Adam Tripp ● 1504d

Fair enough - but in general it's always a good idea to check where it came from. But even that's not foolproof: Which has listed at least one scam that spoofed its email address, and that's apparently becoming more common. There's useful advice here: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a-scam

Richard Carter ● 1504d

Sorry Richard I can't remember or check it because it's gone forever now.

Sue Hammond ● 1504d

That's very useful, Sue, thank you for posting. Can you see where the email came from (the sender's address) as that's usually a giveaway.

Richard Carter ● 1504d

Update:Contacted PayPal and it is genuine after all!  Changed password as instructed and all transactions look okay. PayPal contact number from mobile is 0203 901 7000.

Sue Hammond ● 1504d

Sorry for the multiple posts but the website message was that the first two  posts had failed.

Sue Hammond ● 1504d