Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I got another email from 'PayPal' saying that my account had been fraudulently accessed and my account was suspended until I logged on and re-activated it.
I was suspicious, so emailed PayPal with my concerns and finally got the following reply;
Thank you for contacting PayPal, my name is Monica and I am happy to assist you today.
We apologise for the delay of our response. It is our intention to reply to our customers within 24 hours. However, due to an increase in email volume, our response time has been delayed and we are diligently working to reply to each email received. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
I see that you received an email stating a limited accessed to your account due to unauthorized card use detected from your account.
We have thoroughly reviewed your account and found no suspicious activitiesnor unauthorized card use. The email notification you received is not from us therefore is a spoof or fake email. Please be assured that your account security has not been compromised in any way by spoof email you received. I
have listed information below that would help you determine if an email is officially from PayPal or not.
Please remember these steps to help protect your PayPal account from Unauthorised Account Access.
Emails - Make sure they are sent from PayPal
1. If you receive an email and are unsure whether it is from PayPal, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com.au/ Don't click on any link in an
email which seems suspicious to you!
2. Some spoof websites will send emails that pretend to come from PayPal to entice you to log in at the spoof URL. Be extremely cautious of emails that direct you to a website that asks for sensitive information.
3. Stay safe; don't respond to emails asking for any of the following:
* Your password and email address combination
* Credit card numbers
* Bank account numbers
* Social security numbers
* Drivers licence number
* First and Last Names
If you have surrendered financial or password information to a suspicious email or website, promptly report this to the issuing institution as well as change your password and security answers on your PayPal account. This can be completed in the Profile section of your account.
Email Greeting -
7 PayPal will never send you an email with the greeting "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member". Emails initiated by PayPal will address you by your first and last name, or the business name associated with your PayPal account.
7 Please note that the automatic response you get from us may not address you by name. Always log into the PayPal site
7 PayPal will only ask for information AFTER you have securely logged in.
7 For your security, PayPal will never ask you to re-enter your full bank account, credit, or debit card number without providing you at least the LAST TWO DIGITS of the number. These digits let you know that we already know the full number and are asking you for the rest of it. Beware of any website or email asking for these numbers for 'verification' that does not PROVE that it knows the number by providing at least the last two digits
7 Use Account Guard on the eBay toolbar. If you use Internet Explorer, download the eBay toolbar. Account Guard helps ensure you are on PayPal or eBay
Website pages - make sure that they are hosted by PayPal
1. When using the PayPal service, always ensure that the URL address listed at the top of the browser is https://www.paypal.com.au/ The 's' ensures that the website is secure. Evenif the URL contains the word 'PayPal', it may not be a PayPal webpage.
2. Look for the 'lock' symbol that appears in the lower right hand corner of the browser. This symbol indicates that it is a secure site.
Do not download attachments, software updates, or any application to your computer via a link you received in an email. PayPal will never send you anattachment or software update to install on your computer.
Passwords - keep it on PayPal
1. Use a unique password for the PayPal account and change it every 30-60 days.
2. The password should be one that is not used on any other site, service, or login.
If you think you have received a fraudulent email, forward the entire email, including the header information to spoof@paypal.com and then deletethe email from your mailbox. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email. |
Warning - PayPal scam
