Question
I received the following email this morning from "service*paypal.com" with the subject line:
"Notification of PayPal Limited Account Access."
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>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, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to
sensitive PayPal account features.
Click below in order to regain access to your account:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run
For more information about how to protect your account, please visit
PayPal's Security Center, accessible via the "Security Center" link located
at the bottom of each page of the PayPal website.
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.
Sincerely,
The PayPal Team
Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be
answered. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the
"Help" link in the header of any page.
PayPal Email ID PP198
PayPal Email ID PP316 <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
It doesn't have the usual hallmarks of the scam: no poor spelling or grammar, and the links seem to be genuine. I signed on to Paypal through the normal means (not this link), and nothing seems wrong with my account. I'll change the password just in case.
But Paypal's own email security tips give me one hint. They say:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Look for a PayPal Greeting: PayPal will never send an email with the greeting "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member". Real PayPal emails will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
So my question is: if it's a scam, what's the giveaway? Except for the greeting -- is that all? If it is a scam, it's unusually well-done. Anyone from Paypal on this forum at present?
I'm still not going to follow the request, but I am curious. Thanks in advance.
lambie
Answer
I would say it is most likely scam. Forward it to spoof*paypal.com just in case, and they will let you know.
Paypal or eBay does not send emails with click on links to their site. They are only supposed to tell you to go to the site and sign in to access anything.
For eBay scams forward to spoof*ebay.com
It seems 99% of emails supposedly from them are scams now. Always beware and be on the safe side. Even if it is from them, they will let you know if you forward it on.
Grace
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