Is an 'Auction Payment' real

[gregluke1]

I have an email supposedly from PayPal that says I have an 'Auction Payment' waiting. I need to send them a proof of shipment, meaning a UPS or FedEx tracking number, and payment will then be released. I'm thinking scam, but I do very little on PayPal. Is an auction payment real?

[sharpiemarker]

@gregluke1 

Scam. If someone REALLY paid, your payment will show up fairly quickly in your PayPal available or pending Balance (if PayPal puts a hold on it) and PayPal doesn't ask for tracking info before you see payment. That's some fantasy scammers dreamt up. Always check if your PayPal account corroborates with the email. Don't just believe emails. Believe your PayPal account. No payment? Don't ship. You need the payment transaction in account activity to provide tracking info, not through email, for your protection.

[gregluke1]

I assumed that, but again, I use PayPal so little that it sounds plausible that a way to verify an item has shipped will trigger a payment from PayPal. I didn't really believe PayPay would 'hold' the money and thereby have some concern about shipping, but who knows. Crazy world. Thanks.