Paypal Email Scams: 5 Red Flags You Should Watch Out For
Last week I received a PayPal spam email in my inbox. Here is exactly what it said:
service <[email protected]> to Jul 20
We regret to inform you that access to your account has been temporarily limited.This has been done due to several failed log-in attempts.
To restore your account please log in correctly.
If you fail to log in correctly your account will be suspended for fraud prevention.
You will be able to register again for PayPal only after you authenticate your profile.
We apologize for the inconvenience, this measure was taken for your protection.
PayPal Security Team
Scams Using Paypal
If you have received this email beware that this is a paypal email scam. I almost fell for this scam myself. In the email paypal tells you that your account has been limited because of to many log in attempts.
The fake paypal email will then ask you to log back in after you authentic your profile. This is where all of these paypal phishing scams get you. However don’t log in, this is exactly what they want you to do. By clicking on the link provided in the paypal email scam they will then be able to track and capture your log in information.
Once inside your account they will be able to lock you out of your account and will have all of you financial information from your bank account number, credit card info, and social security number.
How Do You Know If A Paypal Email Is Authentic
Their are a couple of things you should look for if you want to know if a paypal email is authentic or not. As in this paypal spam email it raised a few red flags with me right away. So remember these tips and you can avoid being ripped off by paypal phishing scams.
- The paypal email address was a fake. In the paypal spam email the address was [email protected] This made me suspicious right away. This email address is to plain but it also doesn’t even contain the word paypal in it.
- No Greeting using your name. In a real paypal email address they will include your first and last name or business name in the greeting of the email. In this email their was no greeting or name at all. Often times paypal phishing emails will will say something along the lines, “Dear Paypal User”, or “Dear Paypal Member.”
- No safe log in. When logging in to Paypal they would never direct you to a different website other than paypal.com in order to sign in to your account. In the paypal phishing email the link went to a completely different website. If someone is asking you to log in through their website don’t do it.
- Never give your personal information. Paypal will never ask for your personal info no matter what. They already have it on file and their is no need to ask for it again. I also want to mention here that you will want to be careful who you give your Paypal log in and password to. When setting up a Paypal account make sure the log in and user name are completely original form any other password and user name you already have.
- Never download or click the links of the Paypal spam email. Paypal will never ask you to down load any programs. These sites may contain viruses that could expose your account information. The Paypal email scam may also include a link which my use what is known as a tracking cookie to compromise your username and password as well.
What You Should Do If You’ve Been Hit By This Paypal Email Scam
First off, if you haven’t been hit by this Paypal email scam yet but you have received this email and have clicked on the link inside of it you will want to run your anti-virus software to make sure they aren’t using any tracking software to hack into your Paypal account. If you don’t know how to do this talk to a friend or family member who can help you out.
Second, if you have been hit by this scam it is important you take a few quick actions to prevent the PayPal scammers from getting anything from you. First, you need to call your credit card company and put a freeze on your credit card account. This way the hackers can’t use it.
Next, inform any banks involved with your Paypal account. If you have accounts linked to your Paypal account it is important that you tell your bank that your PayPal account has been hacked and you want the account frozen.
Finally, contact PayPal about what has happened to you. They have some of the best people combating scams and fraud. Paypal also has a protection policy for those that qualify and will actually fight chargebacks on your behalf.
Chris
I found a deal on a dress that i now know too good to be true. A woman offers to make dresses for you and send them to you from china. I was going to a wedding in a couple of months and so I wanted a great dress without spending a whole lot of money. Well, this seller was a scam. 141.00 later i am without a dress and short 141.00. Her email address is [email protected]. Her contact number is based out in california and is not her number. It’s a number for paypal. she strung me along until the time was up to get my money back (three months) then stopped responding to my emails. My bank said because she is overseas I can’t get my money back. Ebay was not helpful nor was paypal. I bought using paypal because your purchase is “protected”. I will never buy anything again from ebay. I feel so stupid and embarrassed that I havent really spoken of it to others but if others can learn from my mistakes then I will share my story.
Shelley, I’m sorry to hear about your situation. I have bought many things on ebay and have not once been scammed, luckily. I this situation their may not be a lot you can do but as you said get the story out and tell others about the scam. I will do a little digging for you and check out ebay to learn a little bit more about this scammer.
Also I’m wondering did you contact ebay and tell them about your situation? You still may not be able to get your money back but at least you’d be able to get this ebay seller band from ebay. Thanks for the info I will defiantly get something posted to help other ebay users.
Hey Chris, thanks for the response. I did a little more digging myself and the name she gave me, Li Tao, i now realize is the name of a famous basketball player. I filed a complaint with ebay and the sellers name, createw8, is no longer available. I checked last night. I did file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I believe you have up to one year to file a complaint with the BBB and filing charges with them increases your chances of getting your money back. I learned a valuable lesson in all of this, never buy from someone who is overseas if you don’t know them. I now have a motto too, scam me once, shame on you, scam me twice, shame on me. Just goes to show you these people are everywhere.
Thanks for the info Shelley I’ll look into this more. Sounds like you are right on top of things by telling ebay and the BBB, they will be your best chance of seeing any money. Also let me know how your situation turns out with the BBB.
Is this a real email from paypal?
From: [email protected]
Medium riskYou may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as junk
Sent: Mon 10/05/09 7:50 AM
To: [email protected]
This email confirms that you have sent a payment for $12.23 USD to [email protected].
The payment will be completed once the recipient has accepted the payment.
———————————–
Payment Details
———————————–
Amount: $12.23 USD
Transaction ID: (deleted for privacy)
A review of the transaction raised a suspicion that it may have not been authorized.
Click here to cancel this transaction.
Thank you for using PayPal!
Kate,
The question is do you have a Paypal account and did they actually take money from your account? If they did contact Paypal security immediatly. If not then they are just trying to get your information because this email looks as if they didn’t ask for you by name which Paypal would do, and finally the email address from the sender is a fake email because is says payal.web.com It shouldn’t read anything other than payal.com. Also the silverhost.com email looks to be a fake as well.
Mark the email as spam and discard it and don’t give them your info that’s obvousily what they want you to do. Thanks for the comment and the info.
Chris
I just got ripped-off on EBay a few days ago. I bought a $17 book from a seller that was listed the EBay site, and paid through PayPal. The next day, I got an email from EBay saying the seller was unauthorized, that I should try to cancel the transaction, and that they wouldn’t be responsible for any losses. I sent an email to the seller just to see if I got a response, and never did.
Anyway, EBay and PalPal have been no help at all. I got scammed about $20 after using PayPal for a purchase a few years ago, and they were useless. They haven’t improved. Meg Whitman won’t get my vote for California Governor. As Governor she’ll stick it to California residents the same way EBay and PalPay sticks it to their customers. After receiving useless form emails along the lines of “Thank you for contacting PayPal/EBay. We are not responsible. Please contact us if you need further assistance,” I’m more annoyed at EBay and PalPal than I am the scam artists. At least with a credit card I’d be able to call the credit card company and try to reverse the transaction.
It seems like they ought to hold payments in escrow for a week or two in case problems like this arise.
Steve, I’m sorry to hear about your situation. I’m just wondering, have you filed a dispute with PayPal? The reason I ask is because you have 45 days from the time you buy the product through PayPal to file a dispute, then once you file a dispute after 10 days if the seller doesn’t respond you can escalate the dispute to a claim. The scam is called an eBay seller scam. You can read more about file a dispute at this article: https://stumbleforward.com/2009/09/25/how-to-avoid-ebay-seller-scams/
I hope this helps let me know how things go.
Look out for http://www.paypaI.com a capital I instead of a L….sneaky
Chis,
Good eye Chris. Most people won’t catch on to that little misspelling, I know I didn’t when I saw it the fist time. I had to look twice to figure it out. I tried looking for the site but it’s already been taken down. Thanks for the info.
Good Afternoon,
I recently listed an item on ebay for $3900 and buy it now for $4000.
These are some emails from two different addresses I have recieved that I am suspicious about. The paypal link appears to link to the correct website. The only thing I can think of is later on they may request bank details?
Regards Justin
Emailer A
Hi thanks for mailing back,i am an oceanographer, i am at sea right now,i am buying this for my son as a surprise gift and I am glad you accepted my offer.I can only pay through paypal at the moment as i dont have access to my bank account online(i dont have internet banking with it),but i have it attached to my paypal account, and this is why i insisted on using paypal to pay,all i will need is your paypal email address to make the payments,and if you dont have a paypal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com.au,i will be expecting your email.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been sorted.
Emailer A
Hi Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer $5,500 for this,payments will be through paypal and i will arrange the pick up well. Cheers, Mark.
Emailer B
Dear seller,
i was just glancing through ebay.com.au because i need to buy your item,it a very lovely item you have gotten here and I am interested in buying it outrightly.For a quick sale, I will pay you 8000.00aud for it. I was planning going on physically to purchase the item but could not due to the nature of my work as i am always on the move cos I am a marine engineer and I work with an International shipping company.the item will be picked up at your location by my pick up agent I will be paying with my paypal account.so please do reply me asap with your paypal account or send me a payment request from your paypal account so i can effect payment to you rightaway.I await your reply
NB:Honestly, I do not know the actual worth of this item because I?m always busy sailing. If my offer is not ok, Let me know so i can shoot up abit or bring it down as the case maybe.Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
WOW
I got same email too. I was suspicious this contact way I just look this is scammer or not.. anyway this is fraud.. I will show what i got
First
Hi Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of $3,300 for this vehicle,payments will be made through paypal and i will arrange for the pick up as well. Cheers,
David.
Second
Hi thanks for mailing back,i am an oceanographer, i am at sea right now,i am buying this for my son as a surprise gift and I am glad you accepted my offer.I can only pay through paypal at the moment as i dont have access to my bank account online(i dont have internet banking with it),but i have it attached to my paypal account, and this is why i insisted on using paypal to pay,all i will need is your paypal email address to make the payments,and if you dont have a paypal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com,i will be expecting your email.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been sorted.
I got an email from “PayPal”…
Dear PayPal user,
We recently reviewed your account and suspect that your PayPal account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security of your account and of the PayPal network is our primary concern therefore we have temporarily limited access to sensitive PayPal account features.
To restore your account access please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised:
1. Confirm your identity by completing the account verification process.
2. Click the “Confirm” button at the bottom of this page. You will be taken to the Data Security and Encryption page.
3. Login to your PayPal account and review your recent account history for any unauthorized payments sent or received and check your account profile to make sure no changes have been made. If any unauthorized activity has taken place on your account report this to PayPal immediately.
To get started please click the “Get Started” link below.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire PayPal system. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Thank you for using PayPal!
PayPal Support
It looked official. I stupidly clicked the link provided and went to log in…then it asked me to update my banking info and personal info. That is when I closed it and went to PayPal directly. Logged in and it has no history ever on it! Now I am going to get an antivirus software. I am not happy about this.
i listed my car for sale on a local website.
i recieved an email as soon as the add went up this morning, the email aske if the car was available and then i got this:
Thanks for the prompt response.I will like to know more about its condition and possibly have more pictures of it I will be very glad to have more pictures of it.Do as well advise on the least amount you will like to give it away. I will be very glad to conclude this as soon as possible.Due to the nature of my work, I’m an oceanist,i am at sea right now, and I am glad if you can let me know the actual price you want to give the car out and i will be paying through paypal at the moment as i do not have access to my bank account online,but i have it attached to my paypal account,and this is why i insisted on using paypal to pay,all i will need is your paypal email address to make the payment,and if you do not have a paypal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com,i will be expecting your email.I have a pick up agent that willcome for the pick up after payment has been sorted.Email me
here.
Brellia.
It was from something like sves@paypal, and I recieved it a few mins ago. It said there had been a paypal account security breach and the email started with ‘Dear Paypal Account Owner’. It asked me to go onto http://www.paypal.co.uk and enter personal details & account details and reset my account. It was very realistic and it was the first time I’ve ever seen a scam email.
Hey, I clicked on the link provided in the e-mail but entered no further information. After scanning with On-Demand Scan, nothing was found. I also deleted my cookies and the like.
Should I be worried about accessing accounts with my computer now?
Please be aware of [email protected], they email you with the subject “[Urgent] Update Your Information”
I have been scammed by them of £299.90 the other day. Because my paypal has been limited for several months and i have been trying to contact paypal and resolve this error.
Well this scammer emailed me, briefly quoting on the email:
“Dear (My full name)
It has come to our attention that your Billing Information is out of date, in order to remove the limitations on your account. We will require you to update your Billing Information as soon as possible. This update is a security statement which goes according to the established norms on our terms of service (TOS) to reduce the instance of fraud on our website.
To securely confirm your Billing Information visit the yellow block bellow:
Renew your information here”
Being half asleep and stupid, i thought this was real without checking the url’s.
The link directed me to a duplicate of paypal’s official website but the url was:(http://codex.ouba.com/), to me it looked genuine, so i entered my login info for paypal and then i was directed to a Security Measures page. It said my account access is limited and i had to fill in a form asking me for alot. Name, card details, NI Number, card address. So i added the details and it said it was complete.
Then i thought i could login to my paypal but the same error kept occurin. I was then skeptical about what i did but still i just left it at that.
Afew days later i checked my online banking and £299.90 was sent to John Lewis from Poole in the UK…. That just pissed me off. the transaction happened 3 days after i filled the details.
Now i have contacted my bank (Halifax) and the women helped me alot. She issued me with a new card and checked for any other pending transations (luckily not). I now need to wait for the department to contact me and hopefully i am covered for the loss.
I will update my situation later.
“®Serive@Int’lPayPal.Com”
Definitely be on the look out for them. They got me just recently out of my psp. I’ve learned a lot from this. this isn’t even paypal. They got me but I’ve reported them and hopefully I’ll get my psp back. and they always started with Dear. [email protected]
I got an email tonight from PayPal saying that my acct was suspended and I needed to update my acct info. It asked for address, credit card on file, security questions, social security number, phone number. It looked offical so I filled it out. Then logged onto PayPal like it said to. I researched this email on PayPal and they said it was a scam! I feel so violated, this creep has my SSN and my address. I cancelled that credit card and put alerts on my SSN and credit report. I filled out a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center too. Even though I’m going through all these steps I still feel so creeped out. I’m going to have to check my credit report for the rest of my life! This person has my SSN and can mess with my information for as long as he/she has it. I feel so helpless. I just wanted to warn people to double check the web/email address and research it FIRST before ever filling anything out. This totally sucks! The email was [email protected] The IP address is 67.195.13.132
Hey I go this one. I’m baiting this scammer i was I could burn them. This is what’s going on.
Thanks for your response, I am quite okay with your price, I need you to understand that i am willing and ready to purchase it right away, put it off the AD site, consider me as your favorite buyer, and Please note that i have a shipper/mover who handles my shipping arrangement anywhere in the world, he would be coming for the pickup, after you have received payment, which would be through paypal, If this is acceptable, advice soon as i am an hydrographer and i am buying this for my Dad,i am at work right now .I can only pay through pay pal at the moment as i do not have access to my bank account online,but i have it attached to my pay pal account, and this is why i insisted on using pay pal to pay,all i will need is your pay pal email address to make the payments,and if you do not have a pay pal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com,i will be expecting your email.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been sorted.
I want you to provide me with the following information for me to proceed with the Payment…
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
full name:
I have a pick up agent that will come and pick it up after i have made the payments…
ok so I replied:
Sorry I have another buyer he is offering a bit more for my item, but because you said you can have someoine pick it up the other buyer needs it shipped ill sell it to you for 19000.00( like 7000.00 more then original price)
waiting for reply
I HATE THESE BASTARDS! IF I COULD DO SOMETHING MY GOD I WOULD!
I just got that email from [email protected]. Like a dummy, I filled it out also. It really looked like the real thing. I went to paypal and transferred money from my account to my bank account which told me it was not suspended like that email said. I am now calling my CC company and getting a new card. I notice, from the above comments, that people are getting that email but with different email addresses. I really wish there were a way to catch these crumbs before anyone gets really hurt.
I just got an email from “paypal” saying that I had made a payment for over $NZD200 to Apple.com, which I haven’t, and if I thought this was wrong to click the link and to cancel it. I clicked the link to have a look and it went to what looked like the paypal site- obviously one made to look like it, where I’m guessing I would have logged on, giving them my username and password.
I received the oceanographer email too about a truck we were selling. she asked for my paypal address but there was no link to click on. sadly, I sent my email before I checked into it being a scam. I’m trying to call paypal now to see if they can take anything with just an email address.
I just received an email from [email protected]. Obviously this is a fake and I discarded it immediately. It told me that I need to update my profile and password details and had an attachment for download. The fake email stated that I needed to update my profile in the attached form, save it and I assume, send it back.
Now, I’m pretty web savvy and saw straight away what this was but I thought I should find something, somewhere, to let people know what these bleepers are trying on this time. You were the first google search result so here it is. Spread the word folks.
Thanks for the info R. Paypal scams are very real in fact I’ve seen where they set up entire websites that look exactly like the real thing but are completely fake.
Here is another spam email. I never clicked it and just went right to paypal myself and saw No such activity. Figured it was spam after that
Dear Member
We recently received notice from your credit card company that you filed a chargeback stating that you did not authorize the transaction shown below.
We have taken steps to ensure that your PayPal account has not been compromised and to protect your funds. One of the steps we have taken is to limit access to your PayPal account.
Please review the details of this transaction plus what steps you need to do next to help us resolve this chargeback and ensure that your account has not been compromised.
———————————–
Details of Dispute Transaction
———————————–
Seller’s Name: Justin Morris
Seller’s Email: [email protected]
Transaction Date: Mar, 17, 2011
Your Transaction ID: *********387UK49
Seller’s Transaction ID: ********5NC5963337
Transaction Amount: -$1252.00 USDCase #: PP-332-846-721
———————————–
What to Do Next
———————————–
Please click here: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run
and complete the Steps to Remove Limitations. This allows us to confirm your identity and verify that you own the credit card associated with this transaction.
Sincerely,
PayPal
Chargeback Department
Kristen Massey December 1, 2010 at 12:45 pm
I received the oceanographer email too about a truck we were selling. she asked for my paypal address but there was no link to click on. sadly, I sent my email before I checked into it being a scam. I’m trying to call paypal now to see if they can take anything with just an email address.
Please tell me what did paypal told you? I had the same situation and I called paypal before I give my email address to the buyer and paypal said they can’t say if it’s real or scam and they said you can give him the email address
I would live to know what happened with you was it scam?
Hello Everyone,
I just wanted to post something on this site about another paypal fraud. We are selling a couch and he made an offer on it. He says his name is Randy Chamberlain and he is in the military and only has limited access to internet and phone and is on a secret mission…blah blah blah. Anyway, he gave me a link to the “paypal” site and said that he had a moving company on stand-by. Sounds almost EXACTLY like the oceanographer story but this guy is in the miliray. Beware!
Omg please help me I just got a paypal scammer about buying my car.
This is what I said- Hey the car is in perfect condition, I really love this car but as we need money that’s why we have to sale it. You can come and view it on Sunday at 3:00pm if you like.
Cheers!!!!
And this is what (he/she) replied………
how i wish i could come and inspect and testdrive this car but currently i’m working away from the country. I’m a marine engineer who’s on a ship right now in Bahamas.so i’ll be buying the car without seeing it, Also I’ll be paying via PayPal and i’m more than happy to pay the PayPal transfer charges too. Due to the distance as me being in Bahamas presently, i’ll arrange the pick-up of the car with a Private Courier Service as soon as you get your payment, I need you to provide the following details so that i can proceed with the Payment…
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Your Mobile Number :
Price is ok
Soon as i make the payment and you get the funds, the Courier Service will come and pick up the car at your home at your convenient time also the courier will help me sign the required papers.
Have a nice day
I got hit by this one but did not click on the link to fill out the form.
First of all I changed e-mail accounts and never told Paypal so how were they able to send it to my new address?
Second just recently I listed an item on Craigs list and gave out my e-mail address.
BIG MISTAKE!! I got so many spams from that one listing and probably this spam from Pay Pal lookalike.
I got hit by this one where they say your account has been hot by someone trying different passwords to access your account. Then they have a very authentic looking PayPal logo and they put up a link to download a form with al your personal information on it. .
First of all I changed e-mail accounts and never told PayPal so how were they able to send it to my new address?
Second just recently I listed an item on Craig list and gave out my e-mail address.
BIG MISTAKE!! I got so many spams from that one listing and probably this spam from Pay Pal lookalike.
Just got this one from “Andrew” regarding some gear I’d put on ebay. Watch out for these scammers – this is identical to some of the ones listed above. The ‘from’ address is the email address he sent me – perhaps someone can now scam him???
From: [email protected]
To: ****@***.com
Thanks for the mail, i am buying this for my son as his birthday gift because i would not be around to celebrate with him i am a petroleum engineer currently on a rig offshore in UK and due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. In case if you will want to call me to talk to me on phone you can easily call me on this number +447024041070. I really want this item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the item until it gets delivered to him , i am sure he will be more than happy with the item.I insisted on paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my PayPal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item and pls if you don’t have PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up, go on http://www.paypal.com and get it set up ,after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with PayPal so as to put the money through.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up immediately you have receive the payment in full.what is your final price including the paypal charges?.
This was from [email protected] and it looks real but it asks me to log into their link. I did not log into their link but signed on with Pay Pal directly and everything seemed fine. It did not address me with my name and it just seemed fishy. I hadn’t used my Pay Pal in about a year but bought something a few days ago – this email arrived this morning. Luckily I did not provide any of my information. Is there something else that I need to do?
As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.
Recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.
We requested information from you for the following reason:
Our system detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account.
Reference Number: PP-259-187-991
PayPal is constantly working to ensure security by regularly screening the accounts is our
system. We recently reviewed your account, and we need more information to help How
can I restore my account access ?
..Click Here, login and complete the next step to “Remove Limitations.”……..
Completing all of the information’s required will automatically restore your account access.
You will be redirected to a secure, private PayPal server on a random port due security
issues.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
PayPal, an eBay company
Copyright 1999-2011 PayPal, All Right reserved.
Information about FDCI pass-through insurance
I can’t understand, why each time I use PayPal I got within 3-5 minutes spam email with request to login? I think somebody monitoted my PayPal payments internally in PayPal
THIS IS A SCAM!!!!!!
Dear Member,
This email confirms that you have sent an eBay payment of $67.99 USD to [email protected] for an eBay item.
———————————–
Payment Details
———————————–
Amount: $67.99 USD
Transaction ID: CGY8163318276332E
Subject: iPhone 4 Bag
eBay User ID: ramad_ashek
—————————————————————-
Ramad Ashek’s UNCONFIRMED Address
—————————————————————-
Ramad Ashek
22 Hills Road
Rochester, NY 14443
United States
—————————————————————-
Note:
If you haven’t authorized this charge, please complete the Paypal refund form here so we can process the refund.
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal Email ID PP3262
Copyright ©1999-2011 PayPal.
unsubscribe
powered by GraphicMail
This mailing system may only be used for sending permission based email.
If you did not give permission to receive emails from this sender, Please notify us.
This email was sent to @hotmail.com by [email protected] | Read our Privacy Policy
Paypal Inc. – 48 SWINFORD GARDENS, LONDON, SW9 7LB, United Kingdom
ive just had an email from “andrew” for a car ive advertised saying he will buy it for full price but can only pay by paypal and will send someone to collect it. ive sent him an email back saing cash or bankers draft only as i dont have a paypal account. i have just had a reply with the same message as sir julians above and from the same email address.
Is it worth contacting paypal about this?
Hi, looks like Andrew Smith, aka William Bright, aka David Butt, all names using gmail accounts, are well at it. Had the same email as many others.
I have reported David Butt & the 2 email addresses he used, to PayPal, if we all do it maybe they will get the message.
If anyone has been scammed then try contacting the Fraud Office in London.
Hi
I have had an e-mail from “andrew smith” using e-mail address [email protected]
this is in respons to a car i had for ale on e-bay. from previous comments looks like this is a scam too his e-mail reads:
Hi,Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of the exactly amount you want to sell it,payment will be made through paypal and i will arrange for the pick up as well. Cheers, Andrew.
I have not got paypal so not an issue but defo an e-mail address to look out for!
Lisa
I put up an add on craigslist for a netbook and I got an offer that I was wondering if it was a scam:
Alright. I live in North Georgia United State, i am quite okay with
the condition if its still in good working condition but i won’t mind to see
the pics of the item because it would stand to verify that the item is in a
good condition, i am buying this for my stepson outside the state i
will offer you the amount $330, including packing materials without
you paying for any shipping charges b’cos i already add the shipping
cost via USPS, i will like to go ahead with the payment by sending
you the money by PayPal but i will be needing your PayPal mail for the
Payment as soon as possible.
Thanks.
Hi there i have just received this email:
Thanks for the mail, i am buying this for my son as his birthday gift because i would not be around to celebrate with him i am a petroleum engineer currently on a rig offshore in UK and due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. In case if you will want to call me to talk to me on phone you can easily call me on this number +447024041070. I really want this item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the item until it gets delivered to him , i am sure he will be more than happy with the item.I insisted on paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my PayPal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item and pls if you don’t have PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up, go on http://www.paypal.com and get it set up ,after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with PayPal so as to put the money through.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up immediately you have receive the payment in full.what is your final price including the paypal charges?.
Very similar isnt it … I knew straight away that it was not a genuine person as i received it after putting my car on ebay. The do not mention the car at all only gift or item and they have also put paypal website onto the email itself therefore trying to make me click on it.
I have received another one also today half an hour after this was sent from a woman called LISA BEELEY also about my car and also calling it a gift/item for her son who was Graduating.
Thanks for the mail, am really interested in it and i will appreciate
it if you can send me more pictures if you have, i am buying it as a
gift for my son who just graduated from the University of Auckland in
New Zealand,i want it to be a surprise gift for him, he wont know
anything about it until it is delivered to him, but due to the nature
of my job,phone calls and visiting of website are restricted but i
squeezed out time to check this advert i cant be able to come and view
it and pay in cash but i have contact a pick up company they will be
coming to pick it after i have paid for it,,i can only pay through
Paypal as i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t
have internet banking,but i have my bank acct attached to my paypal
account and this is why i insisted on paying you through Paypal,so
kindly get back to me with your full name and paypal email address so
i can proceed with the payment now, but if you dont have an account
with them you can set up a paypal account via http://www.paypal.com it very
easy and fast, it wont take you than 3 minute to do that, i will
proceed with the payment as soon as you send me your paypal email
address and contact the pick up agent to arrange a convenient pickup
time with you,once payment has been transferred and cashed.
I believe i can trust you on this transaction cause i need a faithful
and loyal person to transact business with not fraudster. I hope to
read back from you soon
I really cant believe the nerve of some of these people. Why do they have to do this to earn a living. Why can they not be like normal people and live by the rules we do and earn money in decent way. It makes me sick that these people do actually get innocent and vunerable people caught up in their lies.
I knew that neither of these emails were not genuine as you know you get that feeling so i played along and asked them both to contact me through ebay. The womans reply was her ebay was not working properly and can only do things through paypal and his reply was GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH ME WITH PAYPAL EMAIL AND THE TOTAL COST. !!!
Paypal do something about this
Just received an email … Rang him which i believe is not a uk number definitely not a uk ringing tone and it did cost me suggesting it’s an international line and spoke with the gentleman who sounded Nigerian in which he hung up …. after i burst his bubble advising of this information i had found on this site ( Thank God ) however i have given him my email address for PAYPAL Am i still at risk from this scammer
From: Andrew Smith
Subject: Re: FIAT PUNTO 1.2 ELX 8V BLACK 3 Door Yr 2000 W Reg
To: “Alex Brabin”
Date: Wednesday, 6 July, 2011, 19:10
Thanks for the mail, i am buying this for my son as his birthday gift because i would not be around to celebrate with him i am a petroleum engineer currently on a rig offshore in UK and due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. In case if you will want to call me to talk to me on phone you can easily call me on this number +447024041070. I really want this item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the item until it gets delivered to him , i am sure he will be more than happy with the item.I insisted on paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my PayPal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item and pls if you don’t have PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up, go on http://www.paypal.com and get it set up ,after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with PayPal so as to put the money through.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up immediately you have receive the payment in full.what is your final price including the paypal charges?
I was trying to sell a solitaire $2000 ring on craigslist and got emails from [email protected]. He said he could only use paypal. I sent him an invoice through paypal and he sent me a fraudulant paypal email from service@paypal. Paypal emails come from [email protected].
I just happened to have a few emails from paypal to compare these to and it was amazing how closely they compared. BE AWARE!!!
Another redflag was that he wanted the item shipped to NIGERIA!
I’ve been receiving emails from [email protected] is this a genuine email address?
Worried coz I sold a camera for £200 and I sent delivery tracking number etc. I received an email at 8pm saying funds will be credited to my account within 5 hours. It is nor almost 4am and my paypal balance still reads £0.00
What should I do???
I just got this email and unfortunately clicked on the link. Luckily, as soon as I saw they wanted all information including credit card details, I got suspicious. I checked my account on the Paypal website and everything seems fine. I am at this moment running a complete scan for viruses. Nobody else seems to have mentioned this scam so I thought I’d let you know.
Your PayPal email has been successfuly changed.
X
InboxX
Reply |[email protected] [email protected] via gator1034.hostgator.com to me
show details 9:37 AM (9 hours ago)
Images are not displayed.
Display images below – Always display images from [email protected]
Dear user,
Please read carefully!.
You have added [email protected] as a new email address for your PayPal account.
If you did not authorize this change, check with family members and others who may have access to your account first.
If you still feel that an unauthorized person has changed your email,
Please restore your original PayPal account email by Clicking here
Thank you.
Turns out it had been a scam this whole time. Got robbed of my camera 🙁
Hi all – well if something seems too good to be true – it usually is.
I just received this from our friend Andrew……
—————————————————————–
Thanks for the mail,My name is andrew smith and i’m currently on navy training base. I’v been looking for a car that seems to be reliable for my son to drive around. I am willing to make the payment through paypal and pay for a company to come and pick it up and deliver it to the base.I will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item.If you need to contact me you can easily reach me on this number +447024041070. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
Andrew Smith.
————————————————————————–
I googled the email address before I did anything (something I always do) and saw this site which confirmed my suspicions. I even called the number (withholding my number) and eventually a voice sounding Nigerian or similar answered which put the final nail in the coffin.
Needless to say I did not supply my paypal address!
Sandi
Mr Andrew Smith at it again today trying to buy my sons car. On a Naval training base wants the car for his son, pay-pal only no cash, car has a small problem but he agreed the deal. Thank you every one for the comments on this site it has saved me a great deal of money
I opened a PayPal account during a one year visit to the UK. I worked at a view websites to earn extra cash. Returning to South Africa, I could not login to PayPal as it was suspended for whatever reason I don’t know. I still receive notifications of expenditure and I don’t know what to do! I tried to contact PayPal but to no avail. I do feel someone is having a great party with my hard earned cash or maybe all the emails I receive is just a scam. This is quite a headache of a situation.
received this last night after putting my car on autotrader…googled the email address because the email sounded dodgy, and found this site. You would think they would at least use a different email address every time…very lazy!
From: Andrew Smith
Subject: Re: MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS C220 CDI SE 3dr Diesel Sport Coupe £5400
To: XXX
Date: Monday, 1 August, 2011, 23:49
Thanks for the mail,My name is andrew smith and i’m currently on navy training base. I’v been looking for a car that seems to be reliable for my son to drive around. I am willing to make the payment through paypal and pay for a company to come and pick it up and deliver it to the base.I will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item.If you need to contact me you can easily reach me on this number +447024041070. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
Andrew Smith.
My Mum received the following email in response to an ad in autotrader- from the previos comments on this site,I’m sure the content is already familiar!!!! She did give her email but has subsequently closed her Paypal account so fingers x-ed this should be it!!
Thanks for the mail, i am buying this for my son as his birthday gift because i would not be around to celebrate with him i am a petroleum engineer currently on a rig offshore in UK and due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. In case if you will want to call me to talk to me on phone you can easily call me on this number +447024041070. I really want this item to be a surprise gift for my son so i wont let him know anything about the item until it gets delivered to him , i am sure he will be more than happy with the item.I insisted on paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my PayPal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your PayPal email address so i can make the payment as soon as possible for the item and pls if you don’t have PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up, go on http://www.paypal.com and get it set up ,after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with PayPal so as to put the money through.I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up immediately you have receive the payment in full.what is your final price including the paypal charges?.
[email protected] – Another scammer – trying to pay for cars via paypal – without even wanting to check the condition ..
this is a paypal scammer be aware of : [email protected]
I received an email notifying me that I changed my paypal email address to [email protected]. It stated that if that was incorrect I should click the attachement (which I did not). The email address it came from was [email protected]. I notified PayPal of the email.
I received this email and I don’t even have a paypal account… immediately raised a red flag with me.
I received the email saying that my account was limited because of unusual credit card activity…and I never used PayPal before. It was also suspicious because the subject line say “Your account has been limiNted”. I would think paypal would spellcheck any correspondence with members before sending out emails.
Just recieved this email regarding the car I am selling on Autotrader;
Hi,Do you still have it for sale? i will like to make an offer of the exactly amount you want to sell it,payment will be made through paypal and i will arrange for the pick up as well. Cheers, Andrew.
Email address; Andrew Smith
Just to warn people this is a scam, not sure exactly how its done but beware
This is an email I’ve just got today. It also ounds like a scam.
Dear PayPal user,
As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system. We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.
We requested information from you for the following reason:
We recently received a report of unauthorized credit card use associated with this account. As a precaution, we have limited access to your PayPal account in order to protect against future unauthorized transactions.
Case ID Number: PP-503-410-563
This is a reminder to restore your account as soon as possible.
Please download the form attached to this email and open it in a web browser. Once opened, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure account safety.
In accordance with PayPal’s User Agreement, your account access will remain limited until the issue has been resolved. Unfortunately, if access to your account remains limited for an extended period of time, it may result in further limitations or eventual account closure. We encourage you to restore your PayPal account as soon as possible to help avoid this.
We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department
PayPal Email ID PP638
I just received (11/23/11) the same e-mail that Becky did. They’re up to their old tricks! In looking through past history, the exact same e-mail/scam was used in 2003. I did click on the link, but once I saw the information they wanted, I realized this was a fraud. I sent eBay and PayPal a note and the website is now unavailable and marked “Phishing”.
Just got caught in the PayPal email scam. The link actually took me to a legitimate looking PayPal login screen. Went back to my email and tried clicking on the link again. This time I got a warning screen about it being a fraudulent website.
This is the content of the scam email I received:
Dear PayPal member:
Warning! Your PayPal account has been limited! As part of our security measures, we proceed regularly screen activity to learn PayPal recently contacted you after having identified a problem on your Account. demand information from you for following reason: -Our system detected unusual charges to a card credit linked to your PayPal account..
Your PayPal account
Cordialement,
Tip offs to me that it was a scam – did not address me with by name; the word cordialement (seemed odd); the email address it was sent from did not match any of my actual paypal email. Plus I monitor my accounts (credit card & paypal, etc) regularly for actual suspicious activity, so it is unlikely I wouldn’t notice/catch any discrepancies myself.
Must say that the overall look and content of this scam email could fool people who don’t take time to carefully check it out, or who don’t stay informed on their personal accounts.
It even included a “paypal ID #” etc. (not accurate though).
Below follows an e-mail sent to me as I was interested in selling our car. STrange as the previous buyer where i wanted to sell a motor bike was exactly the same. Same story etc. The transaction never sent throughand we eventually cancelled the deal. Thank goodness. I think its a scam gathering from the exact same message I received when advertising my car.
HELLO,
Thanks for the pictures and your information given to me regarding the vehcile
I am on the sea and i work as a Marine Engineer but I still have my family house in South Africa where I
lived for many years before relocating to the United States of America to
join my husband, and accordingly, I will be pleased to make the payment in
the United States dollars equivalent which is easily convertible to South
African Rands.
I will however be paying you by PayPal and insist on this payment medium
because I don’t have access to my bank account online as I don’t have
Internet banking. But I can pay from my PayPal account because my bank
account is fully linked and attached to it, and besides, the payment system
is perfectly secured for both of us.
I will therefore need you to give me
your PayPal email address and your acceptable exchange rate of South African
Rands to United States Dollars so that I can make the payment as soon as
possible. In case you don’t have PayPal account, you can easily set one up
within a minute at any branch of First National Bank in South Africa or go
to http://www.PayPal.com . Should you also wish to have
more information about PayPal which is now widely used for payments in South
Africa, the First National Bank in South Africa would be glad to help, you
could also obtain first hand information from FNB website on thins link
https://www.fnb.co.za/news/archive/2010/20100325paypal.html Please don’t
worry about the PayPal charges because it is my responsibility to add it to
your price so that you can have your complete money. I need only your PayPal
email address to make the payment, and nothing else.
There is already a shipping agent for the vehicle to ship it to our family
house in South Africa after you have satisfactorily received your payment.
The shipping fee will however will be included in my payment to you
according to PayPal requirements and it will be their ultimate
responsibility to ensure the successful shipment of the vehicle.
Please let me know any other relevant conditions about the vehicle and the
total amount of your price in United States Dollars equivalent. The vehicle
is a surprise birthday gift for my parents forthcoming birthday during
which every members of the family will be celebrating with him. Therefore, I
will be pleased to make your payment immediately so that you can thereafter
release the vehicle to the shipping agent as soon as you have your money in your
bank account through PayPal.
I will be pleased if you could still send me some few more pictures of the
vehicle for my personal viewing.
Thanks a lot.
This is an email I received. It even had a name to contact. Wish things like this were for real. If it was, I’m sure they would be calling me instead:
Hello, Customer
This is to inform you that your PayPal Invoice number 0001Â has won the sum of $78,000.00 USD in this month Happy customer promo going on till the 28th of this month. below is your promotion information as registered on our server database.
I was almost scammed today while trying to sell an item on craigslist if you get an email from anyone named Jenny James its a scam also Walter duru is a scam
Posted a car on craiglist today, hour later received and email asking if the car was still available and if why I was selling, I told them yes and why I was selling. The emailed back saying great and they needed to pay through paypal to send them my email, name and phone number so they can send the money, then they will have someone pick it up, they did ask for pictures, but they don’t even want to see the damn car. I emailed them back telling them I would send them an invoice, this would be the only way, no answer yet, i’m 100% sure its a scam.
I’ve almost been scammed via PayPal TWICE in the past 2 days by people like this!! Only it was also somewhat connected to Craigslist. I should know better but I keep giving it second chances. lol.
I’m trying to sell my car on craigslist & several people have contacted me about it. You can tell English IS NOT their first language by the way they word stuff, which is almost always a dead give away!! They start normal saying they’ll only use PayPal because you can’t be scammed through PayPal (I didn’t even know it was possible to be scammed using PayPal until Friday!!!) then out of nowhere you get an email from “PayPal Inc(r)” (with a legit circle R though) & it said our asking price plus $800, then got a second email right away saying there was a hold on our money because of something the sender told PayPal, then a third right after that saying all the funds were on hold until we sent $800 to:
Dora Hardin
Lawrenceburg
Kenturkey
40342
United States
(The Pick-up Agent) via Western Union & took a picture of the Western Union Transaction Receipt to send to PayPal. Once PayPal recieved & confirmed the Western Union Transaction your funds will be released to your account… IT’S A SCAM!!!!!!!!!! It’s ridiculous & we almost fell for it but pay close attention. My husband’s name is on the account but when they asked for my name I told them mine (which is NOT on the account) so the e-mails from “PayPal Inc (r)” said “Dear Tiffany C******, (TiffanyC***@*******.com),” therefore we KNEW it was a fake becaus it said MY name & my e-mail at the top of the letter.
BEWARE!!!!!! Hope this helps someone since there are no stories like this thus far on this page.
I got an email from [email protected] is this fake? There was a camilla smith who wants to buy our bmw.97 car… From florida.. Im not sure if she’s a swindler and trying to cheat or something…please help if you know something about camilla smith or john nilson.
First time I have used Craigslist. Listed a desk for sale. I got two emails from a [email protected] in response to my listing:
Thanks for the prompt response..I am ready to buy it now as a birthday gift for my Dad.Also,am OK with the condition of the furniture and the price given.i am at sea at the moment as i am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it. I really want the furniture to be a surprise for my Dad so i won’t let him know anything about the furniture until it gets delivered to him, i am sure he will be more than happy with the furniture. I chose paypal because i don’t have access to my bank account online as i don’t have internet banking, but i can pay from my paypal account, as i have my bank a/c attached to it, i will need you to give me your paypal email address
so i can make the payment asap for the furniture and please if you don’t have paypal account yet, it is very easy to set up, go to http://www.paypal.com and get it set up, after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail address you use for registration with paypal so as to put the money through. I have a pick up agent that will come and pick the furniture up after i have make the payment.I would be glad if my request is favorably considered. Get back to me asap.Thanks
Thank god that I googled Jenjay030 and found this site. What a scam. Thanks to all who have posted on this website. It gives us folks who are unaware of these scams a chance to avoid a messy situation.
Got another email with similarila wording from:
Peter Anderson
“Hello,
Alright,I’m interested in it and do you have a Pay Pal account?, As i will be paying the with Pay Pal and Mover will come for the pick up, If you are okay with this get back with the information below:
Pay Pal Name:
Pay Pal Email:
Asking Price:
Await to read back from you asap.
Regards”
[email protected] is trying to buy my bunk-bed for her dad as a birthday present! Lol I am sure her dad would love a bunk-bed! I got the same scam as the rest of you. I responded cash up front only for my Craigslist postings. I actually got a response from her stating very frustratedly that it was through pay pal so it was safe. She couldn’t have any one drop off the money to me but she could have an agent pick it up. So why can’t the agent drop off the money when they come to pick up? Ok so your dad who wants a bunk bed for his birthday from his daughter the engineer who obviously isn’t skilled enough to make one is going to buy one over seas through pay pal while her agent can not pay for the item at pick up and also who is getting upset because I asked for cash up front at pick up. Lol boy if that doesn’t reek of wrong I don’t know what does!
hey im concerned, someone offered my 450 for a laptop barely worth 200, he wants my name and paypal email?
I also have received several text messages and emails after listing a car and furniture on Craigslist. I received a text from someone asking if the car was still available and if so they wanted my Paypal email address so they could pay me now. After several attempts to ask them how we were going to transfer the title and why they weren’t concerned with the condition of the vehicle I kept getting the same response, Give me your Paypal address right now for payment. I told them I wanted cash at pick up or cashiers check and guess what, never got a response. They gave me the name David and that was all. In a matter of 30 seconds I received a call from a RESTRICTED number and after answering I was supposedly speaking with a woman named Lisa. There was so much background noise it sounded like a telemarketing center. She said she could sell my vehicle for my initial listing price of $17300. All she would need was $500 up front but after the car was sold they would reimburse my $500. So I would actually receive $17800. Yeah right!!!!! So she continued on to ask for my email address so she could send out some more information. I hung up on her. Since when does someone offer a service like this and not charge for it. Just a heads up!!!! This was the first time I ever received a call like that after having someone request my Paypal email address.
Thanks for the update Tiffany, I really appreciate it.
I AM EXPOSING SCAMMERS HERE!!!
THE FOLLOWIN MIGHT USE THIS OR A SIMILAR ADDRESS
OlaOlu Martins,
Address: 156,ring road
City: Ibadan,
State:Oyo,
Zipcode:23402.
Country: Nigeria
THE ONES THAT HAVE SCAMMED ARE
Lisa Beeley using [email protected]
Mark Smith/ Mark Mills using [email protected] and [email protected]
The email [email protected] is being used in Australia on Gumtree
Guys please be careful when buying/selling on the internet first thing you should do is type their email address in a search engine to see if they are on scammerlists!!
Thanks for the update Polly I really appreciate it.
Beware of the Scammer: Jenny James (and husband)
Phone: 1-438-896-1117
Email: [email protected]
Standard email response: Hi, I am Jenny James. I’m satisfied with the price of this particular item and i’m really interested in buying it. I would have love to come for the viewing by the weekend, but My place is way too far from there in which i am located in London Ontario. So i thought of how to make this transaction work between us, which i came to conclusion with my husband to use a courier company to pick up the item from your place but we will send the money to your account first and after you get the money in your account, the pick up company will come to help us carry it. Since i’d not be seeing the item before i purchase it, i would like you to send some recent pictures of its present state to be sure you still have it and its in good condition. If the pictures pleases me, then we can go ahead with the transaction and will send the money to you without delay…. Lest i forget, i would be transferring the funds to you through PayPal. Please reply with your opinion ASAP Thanks.
Jenny…………