Fake PayPal emails??

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Ok, so occasionally I receive emails from Paypal.
The ones that I know are FOR REAL are like when someone pays me,
Or I pay someone else, or transfer funds.
But once in a blue moon (same with E-bay) I will get a strange email.
Most of the time I just shrug it off & pay no mind, as I know its a fake.
Here is the email I received today.
You will notice the date in the letter says 29 FEB 2008,
which today's date is only the 25th so I am assuming this is a F A K E.
Not to mention that this whole subject is bullsh*t.
I am NOT using a lost or stolen card, lol....

Does anyone else get emails like this & is there anything that I or we
can do to stop these? And any other ways to spot a FAKE???

Cause although this appears to be a fake to me, what if it were real?
I did click on the link & although it LOOKED like the usual paypal log in page, the url was different.
I am no fool so I wouldnt have LOGGED in & verified any information.
But some other people may not be so aware, so be careful!!!

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/5371/paypalml1.gif

[Nora]

Its really hard to tell.. I get them all the time.
If you're unsure, just email them and ask.. just never log in from a link in one of those emails.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Yeah, Nora. I clicked on the link, not because I thought it was a real email,
but just to see what would happen. And altho it looked like a real login page, you can tell from the url that it is not!!

Im jsut worried that some younger, inexperiened users would miss all these signs & end up getting scammed!

[Nora]

Gmail does a really good job spotting fake ones, the ones I get are automatically moved to spam and give a warning message. Hopefully that will protect less experienced users :)

I really don't see why people post emails like that.. it's so mean to take advantage of other people that way :S

[nina]

Me too!^ When i check my spam, it's like WOW, but i hardly see any in my inbox. =))

[Anne]

I got the same fake email today... If you hover over the links in the message of the email, you can see that it's not an actual paypal URL..


If you get an email from PayPal, and you are not sure it's real, open a NEW browser window, type the URL to PayPal in yourself, log in and if there is a problem with your account, there will be some type of notification for you on you Account Manager page.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Yes, Anne, that's what I figured also.

This email actually showed up in my spam, but it looks so close to the real thing; I just hope NO ONE falls for this.

Everyone be careful!

[TaintedPearls]

I get those all the time. i had gotten several before i had even opened a PayPal account. I get the forgotten password one from Ebay occasionally as well. I used to send them in to the security departments but I quit after I kept receiving them. It's like they do nothing but send a canned message saying to not click on the link/enter your login info.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Yeah, I get them now from Ebay, saying that someone has reported me for not sending a paid item, and stuff like that. But I never fall for it.

If there arent any real messages on your account that this actual bullsh*t is supposably coming from, then it is DEf fake.

[applebooty]

Careful clicking links, too. ;) Just mark it as spam and it should go into your spam folder from there on out, if it's from the same person... or whatever.

[offthedome]

forward it to spoof@paypal.com. They can't always trace the source, but I'm sure it helps prevent future paypal spoofs.

[SamOwen]

I get these all the time. Just hover over the link and check the status bar to see where it truly goes, if it isn't PayPal it's fake. I always forward them to PayPal, they'll take care of it.

Don't click the link, you could be hit with some kind of virus.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Thanks, offthedome & samowen.

[Kasami2k4]

Firefox will tell you its a forgery ;p

[heliosangel]

i get these every now and then as well (although i haven't gotten one from ebay yet) and i've noticed that over the years they seem to be getting more and more convincing. here are some ways (from paypal's website) on how to spot fake emails:

https://www.paypalobjects.com/WEBSCR-500-20080222-1/en_US/i/demo/demo_spoof_600x500.gif

Also, some info on how to spot a fake paypal website:

https://www.paypalobjects.com/WEBSCR-500-20080222-1/en_US/i/header/spot_l4phishingGdePrt2screensht.gif

A phishing email will usually try to direct you to a fraudulent website that mimics the appearance of a popular website or company. The spoof website will request your personal information, such as credit card number, Social Security number, or account password.

You think you are giving information to a trusted company when, in fact, you are supplying it to an online criminal.

1. Deceptive URLs.

Be cautious. Some fraudsters will insert a fake browser address bar over the real one, making it appear that you’re on a legitimate website. Follow these precautions: Even if an URL contains the word "PayPal," it may not be a PayPal site.
* Examples of fake PayPal addresses:
o http://signin.paypal.com@10.19.32.4/
o http://83.16.123.18/pp/update.htm?=https:// www.paypal.com/=cmd_login_access
o www.secure-paypal.com
* Always log in to PayPal by opening a new browser and typing in the following: https://www.paypal.com.
* The term "https" should precede any web address (or URL) where you enter personal information. The "s" stands for secure. If you don't see "https," you're not in a secure web session, and you should not enter data.
2. Out-of-place lock icon.

Make sure there is a secure lock icon in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. Many fake sites will put this icon inside the window to deceive you.


If you want more information such as security tools and other links, you can visit paypal's website and click on "security center" at the top of the page. Hopefully this will help someone out or at least give everyone a reminder that this type of thing still happens and we all need to be at least one step ahead of the fakers. Some people probably don't know that these type of fake emails even exist, so everyone please be careful,and remember when in doubt, just delete the email and email paypal yourself for clarification.

[spotlight-shure]

My email is really good of blocking fake emails and fake paypal emails. They go right into my junk box but once in a while if i'm unsure i'll open it but usually it really is fake/junk and i'll just delete them.

I get these stupid British Lottery scams all the time! I hate it.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

Thanks HELIOSANGEL that is awesome information!

And update; I did forward mine to SPOOF@PAYPAL.COM and they did reply saying that it was a phishing email!

[tacoflavoredkisses]

ive never gotten anything like that but, i got an email that said:
Dear PayPal Member,


This email confirms that you have sent an eBay payment of $47.85 USD to
achad13@yahoo.com for an eBay item.



-----------------------------------
Payment Details
-----------------------------------


Amount: $47.85 USD

Transaction ID: 2LC956793J776333Y

Subject: Digimax 130





Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund

Dispute transaction (Encrypted Link )

*SSL connection:
PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential information
in transit from your computer to ours using the Secure
Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length
of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available)

-----------------------------------
Item Information
-----------------------------------


eBay User ID: scratchandgnaw2


----------------------------------------------------------------
Edward Harrell's UNCONFIRMED Address
----------------------------------------------------------------

Edward Harrell
BLEEP
BLEEP
United States

Important Note: Edward Harrell has provided an Unconfirmed Address. If
you are planning on shipping items to Edward Harrell, please check the
Transaction Details page of this payment to find out whether you will
be covered by the PayPal Seller Protection Policy.




----------------------------------------------------------------
This payment was sent using your bank account.

By using your bank account to send money, you just:

- Paid easily and securely

- Sent money faster than writing and mailing paper checks
- Paid instantly -- your purchase won't show up on bills at the end of
the month.

Thanks for using your bank account!



----------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal Email ID PP118

i reactivated my old yahoo email account, and this was in the inbox.
so if i read it right, they said i bought something when i didnt.
i tried replying to it, but the email wouldnt send. its weird.

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

There's tons of Ebay phishing emails, be careful! Unless you are extremely active on Ebay you should not get random emails. This happens to me alot, I ignore them. If it isnt in my Ebay account when I log in, then it isnt true.

[tacoflavoredkisses]

okay it really freaked me out when i read it lol, i knew it wasnt possible cause i dont use ebay.
weirdness.

[MastaGrillz]

i hate scammers they need to get a life and get away from the computer once in a while