Ever spotted a phishing email in your inbox? There’s a new one in town. Read why you should be wary of emails purporting to be from PayPal that ask for personal information.
Anthony Johnson told us: I believe that I had a near miss recently after an expired credit card was due to be replaced. I received a genuine email from PayPal noting that my card was due to expire and asking me to update my profile.
But another email, allegedly from PayPal, soon arrived. It also asked me to update my details. It was only when bank details were requested that my suspicions were aroused.
On realising that the latest email was addressed ‘Dear Customer’, I broke off all contact and deleted the email. Instead, I entered the new credit card expiry date directly onto the PayPal website without difficulty.
Our say on phishing emails
A number of Which? members have let us know they’ve been contacted by scammers purporting to be from PayPal. Some emails ask customers to confirm their details. Others suggest that a recent payment has failed.
Anthony was correct to be suspicious about this second email, because any communications from PayPal will always address customers by their full name. It’s also worth noting that PayPal will never ask you to download an email attachment or give away personal information without first logging in to its website.
These phishing emails often look almost identical to official ones. If you’re suspicious about an email asking you for personal details, it’s always best to contact the company directly before taking action. Help PayPal tackle these scams by forwarding emails to spoof@paypal.com.
Have you ever been sent a suspicious email claiming to be from PayPal? Are you a dab hand at avoiding scam emails, or have you ever been fooled?
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