Warning! Possible Paypal Fraud - Warning!

[LaoPo]

Today, April 4, 2007 I received an email from "Paypal" (I NEVER received any message before) and it looks suspicious

Did anbody receive the same ????

********************************************************************************

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Please Update Your Account

Dear valued PayPal member:

The New Anti Fraud System has been added to your Account.

You are required . to .update. your Account Information. to attain the Security Measures and to reduce the instance of .Internet Fraud on our website.

Once Updated, Your Paypal Account .will be liable to the following Security Measures Online:

Our robust proprietary risk models help to protect you by monitoring for unusual activity - and working to stop it.

PayPal's technology evaluates transactions according to hundreds of variables in order to pinpoint potentially fraudulent activity.

Our unique, patent-pending methods for bank account verification provide PayPal members an additional level of security, which lowers risk and increases trust for the entire PayPal community.

We use powerful encryption methods to help protect your sensitive information.

However, failure to update your records will result in your Paypal Account vulnerable to Fraud and Internet Thefts.

To update your PayPal Account Information click on the following link:

website link removed, of course - LaoPo

PayPal, Inc.

P.O. Box 45950

Omaha, NE 68145

Sincerely,

PayPal

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Be aware !!

LaoPo

[qualtrough]

I got one, or one like it, a few days ago. PayPal has an address for spoofs that you can forward those to. Can't remember the address, but you can find it on the PayPal site.

[endure]

If the emails begins:

Dear PAYPAL user

or

Dear EBAY user

IT IS A FRAUD. Both Ebay and Paypal ALWAYS use your username as part of the greeting.

Moreover you should NEVER click on links in emails. Open your browser and type the URL in yourself.

[LaoPo]

If the emails begins:

Dear PAYPAL user

or

Dear EBAY user

IT IS A FRAUD. Both Ebay and Paypal ALWAYS use your username as part of the greeting.

Moreover you should NEVER click on links in emails. Open your browser and type the URL in yourself.

Thanks Gents, Qualtrough & Endure!

NO, I did NOT click on the link; it looked too suspicious.

As a matter of fact I'm just looking into the official website of PayPal and will send them a copy of the email.

Maybe they can do something about it.

I thought it was important enough to warn other Thaivisa members.

Endure: maybe you can post it on a better place on TV to draw more attention and warn TV-members ?

Edit:

I've just sent a 'spoof-email' to my local country website of PayPal.

If someone receive the same FRAUD email, you might want to send an email yourself to the OFFICIAL website of Paypal and report the same:

https://www.paypal.com/ewf/f=pps_spf

Mods: if you think this link should be removed, please feel free to do so of course.

LaoPo

Edited April 4, 2007 by LaoPo

[0Mix1up]

I'm sure they state that emails requesting acc info are not a part of PP policy.

[LaoPo]

UPDATE

In the meantime I have reported the fraudulent email.

I got the following answer from the OFFICIAL website of PayPal:

Dear xxxxxxxxxxx, (I removed my name)

Thank you for taking the time to contact [email protected]. The email you

reported was not sent by PayPal and is a phishing (fraudulent) email.

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

What to do Next

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

Delete the phishing email. If you've already responded to the email,

please log in to your PayPal account and perform some important safety

measures.

1. Go to your Profile and change your password and security questions.

2. Review the payments listed on your Account Overview.

If you notice a payment that you don't recognize, visit the PayPal

Security Center to file a claim. We'll promptly investigate any

suspicious transactions and you won't be held liable for unauthorized

payments sent from your account.

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

Visit the PayPal Security Center

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

In the new PayPal Security Center you'll find fraud-fighting tips,

tools, and technology.

You'll learn:

* Ways to stay safe online

* How to spot fake emails

* What to do if you suspect unauthorized activity in your account

You'll also find tools to help protect against identity theft:

* Equifax credit alerts: Receive notifications about activity on your

credit accounts

* eBay Toolbar: Download a toolbar that warns you when youre on a

potentially fraudulent web site

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

Safeguard Your Account

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

Phishing emails often try to get your attention by telling you that

there's a problem with your account.

One way to figure out if an email is really from PayPal is to open a new

browser and log in to your PayPal account. Any important information

about your account will be displayed once you are logged in.

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

Thank You

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

By alerting us to this phishing email, you're taking an active role in

keeping the PayPal community safe. Users like you are our greatest

partners in combating spoof.

We'll use the information you provided to work with law enforcement to

shut down the fraudulent website.

Sincerely,

PayPal

************************************************************************

Remember, PayPal will never ask you for your password in an e-mail.

There are no exceptions to this policy. If someone claiming to be from

PayPal asks you for your password in response to an e-mail, you should

refuse to provide it and contact us. To contact PayPal, go to the PayPal

Help Center and click the "Contact Us" link.

************************************************************************

This

email is sent to you by the contracting entity to your User Agreement,

either PayPal Inc or PayPal (Europe) Limited. PayPal (Europe) Limited is

authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the UK

as an electronic money institution.

***********************************************************************

LaoPo

[britmaveric]

Get that rubbish all the time - spoof site, trying trick you into using real account/password.

[jeebusjones]

It's called "phishing," and I get those emails nearly everyday. The first time I nearly fell for it, until I happened to look up at the address bar and noticed that it wasn't paypal.com.

[girlx]

i get them all the time too... just remember to never click on the links. if you need to check out paypal go straight to their site by typing in the address in the address bar, then log in. I get emails like this from eBay too.

[peter991]

Likewise, if you get one you think is real - always check two things:

1. Does the URL start with https:// or http:// ... the first is a SECURE site and you should have a padlock icon on the bottom right of your task bar.

2. NEVER click on the link as it might take you somewhere else (as endure pointed out). I had one recently for eBay, which had an address (similar to) https://www.ebay.com.au.server254/ ... the last bit was the give-away.

If you accidently click on the link and do enter your details, immediately go to the REAL site and change your password.

Peter