Link SMS confirm payment / Phishing?

[AlexSchröder]

This morning, 60 euros were transferred to me by a contact. That is also all correct. However, he had already tried to send me the money once on 13.2.23. At that time I had received an SMS from [removed] with a link (**deleted*..) and the request to accept the money (I had never received such a request before). I did not do that at the time. I therefore received the same message again on 20.2.23 with a similar link, which I clicked. I then had to log in to my account, confirm my phone number. But then came the message that the payment could not be processed. He was also refunded the money by Paypal. The money arrived this morning after he did not go through my phone number but my mail address. At the same time, I received another SMS via [removed] : You've got money! Accept at: sent you. Without a link. I am now wondering if this is all correct or if this is phishing. Can you help me?

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @AlexSchröder,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the Community Forum! I appreciate you laying out the details of your issue. I can understand how you might be concerned that it might be phishing.

If the person sending you the funds is not well known to you, it may well be phishing. You were asked to log into your account after following a link, which was potentially a way to capture your login credentials. If you ever receive an SMS or email from PayPal referencing activity in your account, you can open the PayPal app or a fresh browser window and visit PayPal.com without following the link. That's a safer way to access your account to thwart fraudsters.

Since you logged in from the link, I would suggest changing your password. If you also answered security questions, change those as well. Please also check your account for any unauthorized activity. If you find any, you can report it by following the steps in this linked article.

I hope it was on the level, but if it was not, this information will help protect you!

Olivia