PayPal Subscription Scam Alert: Fake Purchase Emails Are Being Sent to Users

[johny899]

Have you ever opened an email from PayPal saying, "You have Transferred $1300 to PayPal"? That is scary and gives you an anxious feeling when you receive that first alert. That sentiment is commonplace among individuals, including myself.

Currently, scammers have developed a new technique that allows them to create fraudulent paypal validation messages that appear to come from PayPal (and actually do) creating confusion for consumers.

What Are Scammers Doing With This Technique?​

Scammers create a fraudulent Paypal subscription, the scammer then sends the subscriber an email message that appears as if it was sent by Paypal Token. The email will contain something like:

• Your purchase was successful
• Your purchased a laptop or cellular device
• Call this number to cancel this transaction

This number is not associated with Paypal and does not belong to Paypal. It connects the individual directly to the scammer.

What Makes This Scam Successful?​

There are a few key reasons why this scam is effective:

• The email is coming from one of PayPal's legitimate systems.
• The message circumvented all forms of email filters.
• The email itself looks legitimate.
• 4. The size of the amount in the email can be intimidating and elicit a panicked response from the recipient.

How Can You Prevent Yourself​

I personally follow these steps every time I receive this type of email, and it has never failed me:

• Do Not contact any phone number listed in the email for assistance.
• Do Notclick any link(s) found in ANY of these emails.
• Open a browser window and go directly to paypal.com.
• Check your PayPal account.

If you do not see any activity on your PayPal account, then rest assured that you are NOT at risk. You can report these emails by forwarding them to [email protected] and deleting them immediately.

Conclusion​

Scammers are becoming more clever, but by quickly verifying your PayPal account through the PayPal website, you can ensure that you are safe and protect yourself from unnecessary anxiety.