Possible Fake Paypal email

JamesMurray · April 16, 2011 3:14PM

I don't generally start threads but it might be worth mentioning this one.As far as i knew Paypal wont ask you to sign in via email but this mail has links everywhere.It arrived today so will be doing the rounds currently.

commoncents05 · April 16, 2011 3:17PM

Looks like a spoof to me.

-Paul

glmueller · April 16, 2011 3:59PM

That is a FAKE!!!

LindeDad · April 16, 2011 4:33PM

Got one simalier the other day but it was deleted as usual for me. If I need the site I have a trusted link stored.

JamesMurray · April 16, 2011 4:39PM

I wonder how they get the name correct in the mail , the name on our paypal is not the same name that email is registered to but it is correct and it is the email associated with our paypal.

DuPapa · April 16, 2011 9:00PM

<< I wonder how they get the name correct in the mail , the name on our paypal is not the same name that email is registered to but it is correct and it is the email associated with our paypal. >>

could be someone that purchased or sold an item from you?

ianrussell · April 16, 2011 9:29PM

It's always best practice to never click on any banking related links from e-mails. If something does interest you in the e-mail, just type the URL in the browser from scratch.

The spoof e-mails are getting better all the time.

- Ian

keets · April 16, 2011 10:13PM

did you recently use PayPal??

when i logged into my account yesterday(from the tab on the "My eBay" page just like i always do) to send money a page loaded which asked me if i wanted to receive notifications electronically. i think there were a couple of choices. i checked the "Yes" box, was acknowledged, thanked and then went on to my account. later in the day i checked my e-mail and had a message from PayPal similar if not identical to yours.

i deleted it as is my normal thing to do. i always access PayPal from eBay and would suggest that little inconvenience for everyone, but i don't think this is another of the spoof PayPal e-mails like we've become used to receiving. i seem to get one or two a year.

RRich2004 · April 16, 2011 11:13PM

PayPal doesn't send email like that to their customers. It's a spoof, hoping you sign in from one of those links, and your account is emptied out.

WillieBoyd2 · April 16, 2011 11:27PM

However, I got something similar when I logged onto the real Paypal.

"Electronic Communication Delivery Policy (E-sign disclosure and consent) / Accept?"

Paypal apparently wants to send account statements by email only, not paper.

giorgio11 · April 16, 2011 11:38PM

I got the same a couple of days ago and it didn't smell right. But when I went to PayPal I did NOT get any Electronic blah blah, unlike one of the posters above. I always just go to the site to pay/check my balances anyway ... And yes, my real name was also on the e-mail as well.

BAJJERFAN · April 16, 2011 11:51PM

<< I got the same a couple of days ago and it didn't smell right. But when I went to PayPal I did NOT get any Electronic blah blah, unlike one of the posters above. I always just go to the site to pay/check my balances anyway ... And yes, my real name was also on the e-mail as well. >>

I sent it to spoof@paypal.com but it appears to be real. If you have your PP account linked to eBay you may have signed something like that recently. I have never gotten paper statements from either PP or eBay.

BAJJERFAN · April 16, 2011 11:53PM

<< 

<< I wonder how they get the name correct in the mail , the name on our paypal is not the same name that email is registered to but it is correct and it is the email associated with our paypal. >>

could be someone that purchased or sold an item from you? >>

Or someone who works for PP stole it and sold it.

DorkGirl · April 17, 2011 12:19AM

I got one of those too. I just deleted it.

smirkingchamp · April 17, 2011 12:33AM

I found this article, it appears to be legit.

PayPal IRS 2012

farthing · April 17, 2011 1:23AM

It's legit. According to Paypal they will suspend your account on 1/1/2012 if you dou not agree to receive statements electronically.

OPA · April 17, 2011 3:00AM

"The IRS set a minimum threshold, requiring payment-service providers to submit the 1099-K form only for merchants with 200 or more transactions in a year that totaled at least $20,000. Both conditions must be met to trigger the reporting requirement."

BTW I don't believe you email was a fake ... Another thing, I don't believe, that emails from PayPal end up in your eBay message inbox. I could be wrong, but I don't ever remember receiving one in my eBay message sent or received box.

keets · April 17, 2011 4:45AM

to all those who posted SPOOF or something else, please try to be a little more responsible and at least know what you're talking about.

JamesMurray · April 17, 2011 5:05AM

<< did you recently use PayPal??

when i logged into my account yesterday(from the tab on the "My eBay" page just like i always do) to send money a page loaded which asked me if i wanted to receive notifications electronically. i think there were a couple of choices. i checked the "Yes" box, was acknowledged, thanked and then went on to my account. later in the day i checked my e-mail and had a message from PayPal similar if not identical to yours.

i deleted it as is my normal thing to do. i always access PayPal from eBay and would suggest that little inconvenience for everyone, but i don't think this is another of the spoof PayPal e-mails like we've become used to receiving. i seem to get one or two a year. >>

I havnt used paypal for a while , a week or two maybe i got 2 or 3 items from the BST , I dont remember clicking or agreeing to anything,it's possible but unlikely.If this is genuine , i mean it staggers imagination doesnt it ? All along Paypal has said "we will never ask you to sign in via email" and "beware of spoof/fake emails"

Well this opens the doors for the crooks and scammers big time doesnt it ?

keets · April 17, 2011 5:14AM

tobe honest, i didn't read the things over concisely and STILL don't intend to access my PayPal account any differently now, but if you look at the page that you pasted it seems to indicate you'll be able to view your statement electronically. perhaps that's all it's about, not being able to access your account through a link in an e-mail, just a viewable online account statement and nothing else. if that's the case all the furor is much ado about nothing. if it isn't the case, members still need to excercise caution and don't follow a link like always.

OPA · April 17, 2011 5:46AM

PayPal institutes new policy..thanks to IRS reporting requirements.

Link

PCcoins · April 17, 2011 6:09AM

I received one too, and I wasn't sure if it was real or not so I deleted it.

BAJJERFAN · April 17, 2011 6:14AM

So in essence then, starting in 2012 if you don't want your PP receipts reported to the IRS then don't take any money via your PP account.

JamesMurray · April 17, 2011 7:06AM

<< tobe honest, i didn't read the things over concisely and STILL don't intend to access my PayPal account any differently now, but if you look at the page that you pasted it seems to indicate you'll be able to view your statement electronically. perhaps that's all it's about, not being able to access your account through a link in an e-mail, just a viewable online account statement and nothing else. if that's the case all the furor is much ado about nothing. if it isn't the case, members still need to excercise caution and don't follow a link like always. >>

Yep , good advice man.What bothered me is there are 2 or 3 links to sign in , what if for sayings sake , someone uses paypal but doesnt in fact have to interact with the IRS ? Ive paid taxes all my life but not to the IRS , they wont have a clue who i am cos ive never filed taxes here since the early 80's and that was in the navy.After that i went home.Are my paypal days over ?

GrumpyEd · April 17, 2011 11:24AM

It's real.
As a general rule never click links in email, if it's important you'll get the same message in your account next time you log in through your own link.

They're foolish to send emails with links. It gets people used to it and the next email might be a phishing one or someone will copy this email and use their own phishing links in it.

ProofArtworkonCircs · April 17, 2011 2:17PM

I got my letter a few days ago. I don't know if it was a spoof or not, but I really believe it was. I was fooled momentarily and initially clicked on it. Immediately I got a timed out message and directions to re-sign in. My name was given and I was to furnish my password. That is when I got suspicious. I checked the URL's for the other links and they all looked the same. But they were too long to check letter by letter to see if one was different.

I forwarded it to spoof@paypal and have yet to receive any answer which is unusual.

RGJohn · April 17, 2011 11:17PM

<< I got my letter a few days ago. I don't know if it was a spoof or not, but I really believe it was. I was fooled momentarily and initially clicked on it. Immediately I got a timed out message and directions to re-sign in. My name was given and I was to furnish my password. That is when I got suspicious. I checked the URL's for the other links and they all looked the same. But they were too long to check letter by letter to see if one was different.

I forwarded it to spoof@paypal and have yet to receive any answer which is unusual. >>

My IT dept always said ' NEVER click on a link inside your e-mail'.
Copy the link, close your email and then paste it into the address bar. Otherwise trojans and malware can/will infect your account. They also steal all your addys from your address book and spam them royally.

ProofArtworkonCircs · April 18, 2011 3:52AM

<<My IT dept always said ' NEVER click on a link inside your e-mail'.
Copy the link, close your email and then paste it into the address bar. Otherwise trojans and malware can/will infect your account. They also steal all your addys from your address book and spam them royally.>>

Excellent advice. The only reason I clicked was that I thought the letter was legit. Then I saw the URL flashed as I click and I said whoa even before it asked for my password. Did PayPal use Epsilon. I wonder if this letter was a by-product of that caper. That would explain how they are coming up with specific to PayPal addresses.

stevek · April 18, 2011 4:39AM

Place your cursor over the link and you'll see in your URL indicator below, that the URL is usually not what the link text states. Also with a scammer, say 9 out of 10 links may be legit, but the one that isn't and you click on that and signin, that's where they nail ya good.

Yes, never click on links such as that...if ya think the email could really be from PayPal...don't be lazy, just signin to your PayPal account the normal way, and if the email really is from PayPal, the announcement will be there near the top of the PayPal front page.

Possible Fake Paypal email

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