Spotting PayPal Spoof eMails

There is a common type of Online fraud called phishing. Phishing is a computer geek spelling of the word "fishing." This involves sending fake emails asking for users to update their Paypal information. These Spoof emails look like real emails, but clicking on the links takes you to sites away from Paypal.

The spoof sender wants your Paypal account information so he can commit fraud, or steal your account balance

If you get an email that appears to be from PayPal asking for sensitive information, it is probably a spoof. You can check the status of your PayPal account by going online - do not use the link within the email - type paypal.com into your browser's address bar, and logging in to your account.

I have removed the links to the scam site so clicking on them will result in an error site not found. If you point your mouse at the links, your browser will show "http://LINK IS SHOWN HERE" in the lower left corner above the start button. The real Paypal site is at: https://www.paypal.com/

Notice the misspelled words and poor grammar. My notes are in red.

Example Of A PayPal Spoof eMail

LINK TO LEFT DOESN'T POINT AT https://www.paypal.com/ PayPal is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of customers. To protect the security of your account, PayPal employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the PayPal system for unusual activity. We are contacting you to remind you that on May 18 2006 our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with PayPal's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to your account was limited. Your account access will remain limited until this issue has been resolved. To secure your account and quickly restore full access, we may require some additional information from you for the following reason: We have been notified that a card associated with your account has been reported as lost or stolen, or that there were additional problems with your card. This process is mandatory, and if not completed within the nearest time your account or credit card may be subject for temporary suspension. To securely confirm your PayPal information please click on the link bellow: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd= _login-run LINK ABOVE DOESN'T POINT AT https://www.paypal.com/ We encourage you to log in and perform the steps necessary to restore your account access as soon as possible. Allowing your account access to remain limited for an extended period of time may result in further limitations on the use of your account and possible account closure. For more information about how to protect your account please visit PayPal Security Center. We apologize for any incovenience this may cause, and we apriciate your assistance in helping us to maintain the integrity of the entire PayPal system. Thank you for using PayPal! The PayPal Team

Stopping Paypal Spoofs

Paypal and many other online firms have special email addresses to shut down these phishing spoofs. Forward questionable emails to spoof@paypal.com

It is important that you forward suspicious emails to Paypal. This helps Paypal shut down the phishing website so others don't become victims.

Other links relating to phishing and scams:

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