Is this a fake email from Paypal? Has anyone else received this?
Asked by
AshlynM (
10684
)
March 14th, 2011
Should I be worried?
Dear valued PayPal Customer,
Due to a policy update we need to verify your PayPal account.Please download the attached file , open it using your browser ,fill in the required information and click update .Should you decide you do not wish to accept the verification process you can notify us before 11/01/2011 to close your account immediately without incurring any additional charges.We do hope, however, that you continue to use PayPal and enjoy the following benefits:
It’s safer
When you pay with PayPal your financial details are never shared with sellers or retailers, so your more protected against fraud.
It’s faster
You don’t have to type in your card details each time you pay, so you can check out faster online. You can also get eBay items delivered more quickly, as you can pay the seller instantly.
It’s easier
PayPal is the preferred web payment method in the world because it? a smarter, savvier way to pay online in just a few clicks. All you need is your email address and a password.
(Your case ID for this reason is PP-000–987-911–120)
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14 Answers
Yes, that is a phishing scam. Do not click on anything or download anything or type in your information in any form.
Legitimate companies won’t do that. They’ll tell you to sign on at the usual secured location to update any info they need.
Definitely a scam. Legitimate companies would only tell you to log in n the main page, and they certainly wouldn’t give you file attachments like that. Definitely do not download that attachment!
I would report it to PayPal by going to paypal.com and sending them the sender information from the e-mail. Once you go the website, the “Contact Us” information is at the bottom. PayPal is all about secured server relationships; there is no earthly reason for them to send you a form to fill out as an attachment and return to them.
If you ignored the email then no, you’ve no need to be worried. If, however, you clicked on the link and entered your details you need to:
a) Get in touch with PayPal through their website IMMEDIATELY to close/suspend your account
b) If the form asked for other financial details (credit cards, bank account etc.) you also need to cancel/suspend those cards/accounts.
c) Run a good anti-virus program on your computer.
I received the same email and quickly deleted it.
Think, before you click.
Paypal doesn’t talk like this: “a smarter, savvier way ”
They showed some teenage boys on tv who were sending this kind of email. They were laughing about it and were not from the US.
The very first phishing email I ever saw was a paypal one. I would have fallen for it except it was sent to an email address that wasn’t registered for paypal.
It’s very clever – you “log in” to the fake site, it skims your info, then logs you into the real PayPal. Everything looks legit, but…
“Dear valued PayPal Customer,”
Way too corny, definitely a scam. That’s the first thing that would tell me it’s fake.
It’s a phishing email, and no, you shouldn’t be worried. Those sites are usually taken down in a matter of hours or even minutes. All it means is your email software isn’t very good at catching the things before they hit your inbox. I’ve gotten phishing scams from companies I don’t even do business with. They send them out by the millions using botnets, hoping to snare a few unsuspecting suckers in the few minutes they have before they’re detected and blocked.
When you get email like that you can forward them to spoof@paypal.com. It can help them keep up on scams, and a lot of the time they’ll write back to tell you whether the email rally came from them… and some tips about what to do if it didn’t.
Also, if a site you’re signed up with sends something directly to you (and it’s real), they’ll generally address it to you by name or username. That’s just one more clue.
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