"PayPal" Scam Alert!

Internet ^ | 12/2/2004 | Scothia

[Scothia]

Here's what I got, on an email and fraud site purporting to be PayPal:

Notice of Verification Necessity

Please read this important information

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Why did I get the notice?

You have been sent this notice because the records of PayPal, Inc. indicate you are a current or former PayPal account holder. PayPal is conducting a periodic update of the records. To ensure your account's security, it is important that you provide us accurate information. Please take a moment to verify the personal information we have on file. This notice provides instructions on how to verify your current PayPal account.

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What should I do now?

We sincerely ask you, as a PayPal account holder, to login to your account and verify the necessary information. Make the necessary verification within 5 working days, or your account might get temporarily suspended. Proceed with the link below.

Click here to verify your account

Blahblahblahblahblahliesliesliesliesmorelies

All fraudulent. Very clever spoof which nearly fooled me, but the language of the accompanying email and the spoof site itself are obviously not of a native English speaker. Also the URL is a numerical with the word "Agenda" which further alerted me. Do not give them your password!

[Scothia]

Sheeeeeeeeesh. First I get another Nigerian "send me your money" scam, and now this. What happened to good old all-American "Buy Viagara Cheap!" spam?

[cripplecreek]

I got that a few days ago and deleted it without opening it.

[JesseJane]

Here's what I got, on an email and fraud site purporting to be PayPal:

What is the fraud site address?? Has this been reported to PayPal, and the FBI internet fraud department??

[William of Orange]

simple solution, do not click links, but carefully type URL's yourself in operating system window's you opened yourself.

[Scothia]

The fraud address is listed right on the post. I reported it to PayPal but didn't know about the FBI one. How would I go about doing that?

[EllaMinnow]

I get a minimum of 5 ebay scam emails a day, and at least 2 Paypal scam emails a week.

Forward them to spoof@paypal.com, then delete.

[gdani]

These have been circulating for at least 2-3 years now. Forward the e-mail to spoof@paypal.com

They are well aware of the scam. Same thing has been happening to Ebay users for a few years.

[JimWforBush]

I just got one of those today. I have heard about the scam before, so I just deleted it.

[ravingnutter]

I keep getting ones claiming to be from Citibank and other financial institutions...I don't have an account with any of them...so I just delete them. Rule of thumb is...NEVER give out personal info unless you confirm that the request is legit from a verifiable source.

As for the Viagra spam..just be glad you aren't getting the ones about sex between donkeys and teenage girls like I was getting right after I opened my MSN account, LOL! Sick stuff...

[Scothia]

Guys, please listen. I've been online for years and know you should never respond to an email asking for your password. This one spoofed PayPal so well that it sent me to a bogus site which looked exactly like the genuine article. The email even said not to give your password to them via email! I receive legitimate PayPal mail once in a blue moon, so thought it might be the real thing at first. It was the language, obviously written by someone quite proficient with English but not a native speaker, and a couple of typos which alerted me first. Then I saw the URL was numerical with the word "Agenda" in it. DING DING DING!

So if you're one of those "Oh, I never get caught, I'm too smart" types, I'm telling you these guys are getting more sophisticated. Don't let your guard down for a moment.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

This is all you need to see in an email to be sure it is a scam and it should be deleted:

"Click here to verify your account "

[lowbridge]

Oh come on. If it werent real, they wouldnt send it to you. Best to give them your password. Better yet, give it to me, and I'll pass it along for you. No charge. Happy to do this for a fellow FReeper

[lowbridge]

PS: Please email to mec a photo of yourself holding up a sign that reads: lowbridgerules

[AlexW]

I have been using PayPal since it began, but that being said, fraudulent emails requesting verification from PayPal, Ebay, and others, have been quite common for years.

There is a very simple rule....Never click on a link from the Email. Also, official emails from PayPal will address you by your name, not "Dear PayPal member".
If there is ever a question, go to to the site by entering the URL address... Again, never click on an email link.

[supercat]

One thing my credit union does, which I wish more sites would do, is allow the user to set a "security phrase" which will be included in all legitimate emails from the site. Although the "security phrase" is not any form of password, and could be spoofed by someone who intercepted a person's mail, it provides considerable protection against phishing attacks (not that my credit union is popular enough for any spammers to bother spoofing them).

If I receive an email, apparently from my credit union, which contains the phrase "SQUEAMISH OSSIFRAGE" [not my real one], then I know that it's either a real one or else it's a fake sent by someone who had access to my email. It's not a phishing attempt that's blasted to 10,000,000 emails in the hope of getting a 'bite'.