This PayPal phishing scam tricks users into clicking a fake link and asks for login details — Don’t fall for it!
PayPal is probably the most regular recipient of phish scams and perhaps by now its users are also well aware of this fact. However, it is still important to learn about the newest of all phishing scam campaigns that are affecting the popular money transfer website.
In the current campaign, scammers are sending bogus PayPal notification email to users in which they are warned that their account’s security questions and answers have been modified on a particular date. The email states that if the recipient didn’t allow this change then it is important to immediately contact PayPal by calling on the special helpline.
“Do not open or download files from an unknown email”It is also stated that this helpline will let them resolve the matter, but here is the catch, to access the number you need to click on a “Log in Now” button that is embedded in that email. When the recipient clicks on this button, it redirects him/her to a fake website that looks exactly like the original PayPal login page. When the user enters his/her credentials thinking that this is the real PayPal website, cybercriminals collect this info and then hijack the real PayPal account.
This is unfortunate that user won’t ever get the helpline number even after visiting that fake PayPal login page and will be taken to the real PayPal website.
How to Stay Protected?
You need to become capable of ignoring these kinds of phish emails and for this, you must be cautious and understand the difference between genuine PayPal emails. For instance, real PayPal emails won’t ever address you by your full name. In original PayPal emails, the customer would never be addressed as “Hello” or “Dear Customer.”
Also, if you want to access your PayPal account, you must enter the website by typing its address into your browser’s address bar or through an official app. Never click on any link present in an email. If you have received an email like the sample we have uploaded here, please be informed that this is the same phishing scam we want to warn you about. Report this email by visiting PayPal’s official website.
It is safe and advisable to login your PayPal account by entering the web address into your browser’s address bar or via an official PayPal app. The PayPal website has a verified green signature as shown in the screenshot below:
