Fake PayPal email

[12noon]

Just wanted to tell you about the fake email i've just got.

Dear PayPal Member

We are currently performing regular maintenance of our security measures. Your account has been randomly selected for this maintenance, and you will now be taken through a series of identity verification pages.

To complete the verification process as a PayPal Member you must provide us with a debit card issued by your primary checking account. Don't worry, your debit card will not be charged! Protecting the security of your PayPal account is our primary concern, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

You must click the link below and enter your informations on the following page to confirm your identity.

It's FAKE
If you get an email like this, then don't give your password out and don't give your credit card details.

Hope this helps anyone else who gets the same email.


Here's what it says on the Paypal website :-

Recently, PayPal members have reported suspicious-looking emails and fake websites. These fraudulent emails may address you with the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member." These emails are not from PayPal. PayPal will only address you by your first and last name, or the business name associated with the account.

Use the following tips to protect your PayPal account:
Safely access the PayPal website or your PayPal account by opening up a new web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/

Never give out the following information in an email:

PayPal Password

Credit card, bank account, and PIN number

Driving licence number

Do not download attachments, software updates or any application to your computer via a link you receive in an email. PayPal never ask you to download anything for your account to work.

Choose a unique password and change it every 30-60 days.
If you think you have received a fraudulent email, please forward the entire email to spoof@paypal.com and then delete it.

You can move this post to another forum if you want !

[Queen Bee]

My aunt got an e-mail similar to that, except it was regarding her Paypal account's frozen status. The interesting thing about it is that she doesn't even have a Paypal account. It seems these cons send out e-mails to everyone, presuming the majority of internet users have an account with Paypal.

[SensoVision]

hey just mention this mail and it seems that I've recieved something like this as well... and I also don't have PayPal account...

[12noon]

The fake paypal email looks very real and even takes you to a website that looks like the paypal website. Thats a fake website as well.
I had an idea it was fake and checked the real paypal website to find out. I didn't give out any of my details.
I hope this helps anyone else though and after reading this, will stop people thinking that the email is genuine.

[Hope]

There is a similar email going around for Earthlink.net (and ISP in the states), AOL and eBay. Be very careful.

Remember, NONE of these companies will ever send you and email asking for your passwords, credit card numbers, bank account information or other personal information. If they do send a request to update information, they will send you to the MAIN page of their websites.

If you ever get an email requesting updating information on your accounts, don't click on the link in the email. Go directly to the company webpage and log in to your account and see if you need to update your information.

[JUlio]

These bastards are sending more spoof emails!! I just got one and it starts with dear +your email add. I hope they catch these Mother#*%#@*^%!! They prey on all of us that bust our asses working to come up with this  B S!! I think paypal should be able to do a better job of controling these little *$#&@!! I am so mad right now!!! 

[Queen Bee]

I know how you feel, JUlio-- What's most frustrating about it is how easy e-mail fraud can be, and how hard it is to track someone doing it (Find out enough information to prosecute, that is). You just have to be extra careful when receiving e-mails from companies (or someone pretending to be them) that hold your valued information...

[Allin1Joe]

Yep .. I got one of these a couple of days ago.  VERY real looking.  I logged into my Paypal account (through normal means of course ) and reported it to them.

[ryan]

can anybody tell me what the fake website is? I wanna look at it.

[Allin1Joe]

Dear <My e-mail used in PayPal>,


 We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your PayPal account may
 have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security
 of your account and of the PayPal network is our primary concern.
 Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to
 sensitive PayPal account features.
 Click below in order to regain access to your account:
 https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run 
 
 For more information about how to protect your account, please visit
 PayPal's Security Center, accessible via the "Security Center" link located
 at the bottom of each page of the PayPal website.
 
 We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your
 assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire PayPal
 system. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
 
 Sincerely,
 The PayPal Team
 
 
 Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be
 answered. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the
 "Help" link in the header of any page.
 
 
 PayPal Email ID PP198
 PayPal Email ID PP316
 

[12noon]

can anybody tell me what the fake website is? I wanna look at it.

I can't remember what it was, but it looked almost like the normal paypal URL.

[ryan]

I'm aware of that, but nobody seems to be able to tell me what it is.

[Allin1Joe]

It was in the message I posted .. 2 messages up

[ryan]

It goes to the real site though ... where is the fake site?

[Allin1Joe]

It goes to the real site though ... where is the fake site?

Well dang, maybe mine wasn't a fake after all   The weird part about it is that I logged in the normal way and my account was fine.  So, I just assumed it was a fake.

I guess it's time to change my password