Beware of scam using PayPal!

[RyanT]

A few days ago I got an email to upddate my account info with PayPal or my account will be suspended. Everything looked just like PayPal's website does. Everything was normal until it asked for my PIN number to my debit card because it's a new security device and PayPal is the largest online money transfer resource in the world...all that stuff. I thought it was strange but I did it anyway. I'm on the phone right now with my bank because there is $800 worth of charges I didn't make. A company in India, Switzerland and Florida have $800 of my money. That's the only thing I can figure happened. So just letting everyone here know to watch out if you receive this email. I know I only have a PayPal account to buy snakes with and I'm sure alot of you do too. From the information I'm getting, this is going to be alot of fun to resolve. Guess I'm finding out what it's like to be scammed and have your identity stolen. Heads up.

 

[Wilomn]

That's a tough break Ryan.

Thanks for the heads up and for the record, NEVER give anyone your pin number. No one needs it for anything done online but you.

 

[hhmoore]

sorry you got taken on that one - there have been a few posts on here about those emails. I actually get them pretty regularly...there is one about updating account info, and another that threatens that your account will be suspended. when you get them, forward them (with full headers) to [email protected]. Don't click on the links or send any info. The usual giveaway is that the greeting is Dear PayPal Customer (or similar) - any real emails will use your name in the greeting (this is also the case for ebay and various bank items that also come in cycles).

 

[Laura Fopiano]

I've had that happen to me, but after hearing a news story on it, I immediately log off and then log on directly to pay pal itself.

I hope you can get your money back! Keep us informed and good luck!!

 

[Jim O]

That sucks, and sadly, it is a common scam. A good friend of mine fell for a PayPal scam and he is an allegedly knowledgeable attorney, one of whose specialties is internet law.

For your (and others') reference, here is some info from https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/general/SecuritySpoof-outside.

Protect Yourself from Fraudulent Emails Back to Security Center

What is a fraudulent email?

A fraudulent (spoof) email pretends to be from a well-known company, such as PayPal or eBay, in an attempt to get personal information from you. People who send spoof emails hope to use your information - such as credit and debit card numbers or account passwords - to commit identity theft.

You can prevent spoof from affecting you

Spoof, or "phishing," emails - and the spoof websites often associated with them - are deceptive in appearance. However, they contain content that reveals they're fake. The most important thing to do to protect yourself is be able to spot this misleading content.

Know a spoof when you see it

Frequently, a spoof email looks something like this:

What to watch out for

1. Generic greetings. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as: "Dear PayPal member."

2. A false sense of urgency. Most spoof emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don't update it ASAP.

3. Fake links. The text in a link may attempt to look valid, then send you to a spoof address. Always check where a link is going before you click. Move your mouse over it and look at the URL in your browser or email status bar. If the link looks suspicious, don't click on it. And be aware that a fake link may even have the word "PayPal" in it.


Learn more ways to spot spoof

Read PayPal's 10 ways to recognize fake (spoof) emails now.

Questions PayPal will never ask you in an email

To help you better identify fake emails, we follow strict rules. We will never ask for the following personal information in emails:

* Credit and debit card numbers
* Bank account numbers
* Driver's License numbers
* Email addresses
* Passwords
* Your full name


Ways to fight spoof

* Report it. Forward the entire email - including the header information - or the site's URL to [email protected] We investigate every spoof reported. Please note that the automatic response you get from us may not address you by name.

* Use Account Guard on the eBay toolbar. If you use Internet Explorer, download the eBay toolbar. Account Guard helps ensure you are on PayPal or eBay. Download the eBay toolbar now

* Use the SafetyBar. Email security provider Cloudmark has engineered a toolbar for Microsoft Outlook you can use to report spoof emails. Should you receive a spoof, click the SafetyBar's "Block Fraud" button to automatically report it to us. Download the Cloudmark SafetyBar now



We're dedicated to protecting you

PayPal works hard to educate you on the best ways to recognize and fight spoof. Learn more about how PayPal fights fraud for you around the clock.

Steps to take to prevent spoof from affecting you

* Keep your security software current. Update your firewalls and security patches frequently. Consider using software from companies like McAfee and Symantec.

* Monitor your account. Check your account periodically to see if there is any suspicious activity.

* Change your password often. And, if you think your security may have been breached, create a new password immediately.

* Use a unique password. Your PayPal password should be one-of-a-kind, and not used on any of your other accounts. A good password contains letters and numbers. This makes it more difficult for people to guess it.

* Take action. If your information is compromised, get a fraud alert placed on your credit report.


Get more information on how to prevent fraud

To download security tools, report fraud, and learn more about how we protect you, visit the PayPal Security Center today.

Good luck getting your money back.

 

[Griz]

Good luck is right. My understanding of the debit card rules is that once the money is out of the account then there is no getting it back. I wish you luck. Certainly an expensive lesson to learn.

Griz

 

[Junkyard]

Sorry, that is a big bummer. Good luck. Paypal is fun to deal with sometimes.

 

[RyanT]

Well, I feel like an idiot. I knew that was really strange for them to ask for my PIN but it all looked legit. I'm waiting for the cops to show up now to file a police report and then take it to my bank to fill out their paperwork. They said it will take about 10 days for everything to be resolved but until then, I have $2.50 in my pocket right now and can't access the money that's supposed to be in my account cause it's not there anymore. So I have 8 days of being totally broke until I get paid again. All the people I work with are telling me if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all. I just realized how many times I've heard "Hope it all works out for ya". Anyway, it looks like it'll get taken care of eventually. I really hate computers. Thanks for the support everyone.

 

[montezuma]

I got one the other day telling me to click on something to confirm or deny an email address being added to my account... talk about misleading! I would think most people will click on that just to go change their info or set Paypal straight. I don't know what the outcome of clicking on that link would have been but hell if I want to be the one to find out!

 

[Wilomn]

I get them from ebay and earthlink and any number of banks.

With most of them, some I just delete, I simply forward the to fraud@ and then whomever it is SUPPOSED to be from. Let them know, ebay, earthlink the banks, where these things are coming from. If nothing else it gives the banks something to do.

NEVER NEVER NEVER give your personal info to anyone without VERIFYING who they are if THEY initiate contact with you.

 

[Milwaukee Reptiles]

I like to fill these out with as much information as I can. Usually I use the information of Senators, congressmen, government officals (obviously I make up a pin, credit card number, ssn, etc). But the phone, address, and contact info I give as the business office of whatever govornment official I can. I figure if they actually try to contact the person it'd be pretty funny (and bad for the bad guy) if he's trying to get info out of a senator. Plus, it will take a senator getting hit before lawmakers actually take this stuff seriously.

 

[IntriguingReptiles]

Ryan,

Wow, that sucks to hear they got you with that email. Best of luck getting the funds back. I almost feel for it also a while back, but I noticed a few things that gave it away as being a scam before I even clicked on the link.

1.) It ended up in my spam folder. However some do still make it to the Inbox as well.

2.) This is how I pick out a scam link. Put your mouse over the link they want you to click on that might say www.paypal.com in blue/link text. While your mouse is over that link look at the status bar on your monitor. If the link isn't a direct link to paypal(ie www.paypal.com) or whatever the blue test link says, then it's probably a scam. A scam link in the status bar will usually have an IP address proceeding the word paypal. The scam link in the status bar might look like http://10.60.178.156?www.paypal.com. If you see something like that in the status bar, don't click the link cause it is taking you to the IP address/fake website, not paypal. Hope this helps someone.

Justin

 

[IntriguingReptiles]

....Oops I guess I should have read the whole thread first, LOL. I feel like an idiot now. I see that my information is no new secret, as it's already posted on the first page in the post that has the paypal screenshot. Oh well, now you heard it twice and are more likely to remember Hopefully they won't get you next time(...and there will be a next time. I get at least one of those emails a week). Later!


Justin

 

[Sasheena]

Ways they'll get you:

• You've Just Won A Gift Certificate -- Click Here to Claim
• You've Just Paid $Zillion to Joe Nobody (Links included if this is a phony transaction)
• You're Account has been broken into -- Click here to change your password
• Email Account [email protected] has been added to your account (links included if this is a phony email address)
• Security Update -- Click here to update your account.
• Fraud report filed against you. -- Click here to refute fraud claims

If you get an email... go to a NEW browser window. Type in www.paypal.com and then if there is anything you need to attend to, they'll have a notice for you once you log in.

NEVER believe any email you get. EVER.

I had someone pay me THREE times for the same purchase. After the second purchase I refunded her and sent her an email. AFter the third payment I told her I would only refund her if she contacted me. She never did. Rather than get scammed somehow, I kept the money. Wrong? Perhaps. But too many scammers and ways to be scammed for me to mess around with fishy transactions and no verification.

 

[hhmoore]

just got another one, lol

from PayPal Staff, with this heading: Account Review Department-Unauthorized access . They never give up.

 

[RyanT]

I can't believe I was so stupid.

They caught me at the perfect time. I have never seen or heard of these scams before. I get the ones from Nigeria, the UK etc. all the time and always just respond with a F@%& Off or something similar. But I had no knowledge of these. The first one I get and for whatever reason, I wasn't thinking about ANYTHING. I went in, did it real quick and sent it. I sent some dick in India my credit card number and PIN. Actually typed it and sent it to him. I am dead broke for a week until I get paid again and the bank is saying I might not get my $300 that was in my account back because I supplied them with the information. I totally see why people don't trust banks too. Aren't they supposed to protect your money? Why were they even able to overdraw my account $700 in one day before I caught it? I caught it, not them. The checks for my bills are bouncing. At least the bank is taking off the fees for that. This is gonna be a total mess to fix. But whatever. It's my own fault for being a dumbass for 3 minutes. Lesson learned. In a month it'll be all better and on to the next problem. I saw this was back at the top so figured I'd take the opporunity to whine for a minute. Thanks.

 

[HerpVenue]

oh I love those.

I always click on the link.

Then I watch it take me to a site other than paypal (look at the address bar)

Then I fill out all the information they ask for with "valualbe" information

F@x Uou
Bend U over
and so forth and so on.

 

[INSANE CANES]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune and sure hope you can recover your money.

Good luck.

 

[hill4803]

I had put the word out that this was starting a little while (A week?) ago on this site, see the general business section. If you had looked at the address bar when you clicked on the link that would have given you all the information you would have needed to keep from being scammed. I emailed the admin at the website my spoof email originated from with a nice little attachment...go trojans! I hope they opened it & it screwed their computer up! I doubt paypal will be of any help, they're not really costomer friendly, just really greedy...they made money off your fraudulant transactions.

Ro Hill

 

[The BoidSmith]

They certainly do their best to make them look as legitimate ads. It’s understandable that every now and then someone who has never received or heard from one of those will fall for them. That’s the very reason why we keep receiving them, they send out mass mailings to thousands of people. If they would have to send them to one person at a time it would not be cost effective! That’s why reptile dealers known to have scammed people in the past still thrive, the potential market of the internet is huge. There’s a lot we can learn from nature. Just like the alligator snapper wiggles its worm-looking appendix at the end of its tongue jaws wide open until an unsuspected fish falls for it, so do these unscrupulous dealers “wiggle” their merchandise. The more they “wiggle it” (flashy names, non-existent genetics, to good to pass prices, etc.) the greater the chances an unsuspected individual will fall for it. It doesn’t matter if one fish escapes, there will always be plenty on which to thrive on.

Although some might feel annoying to hear repeated e-mails of Nigerian scams, and of these PayPal/Ebay/Banks impersonators it seems there’s a need to post a reminder every now and then. If by doing so one person in a thousand is spared from falling for these, it was very well worth the effort.

Best regards.