Examples of Suspected Fraud/Fake Emails

[PayPal_Adrian]

Hello everyone!

One of the greatest strengths consumers possess against fraud and phishing is education and collaboration.  To help support your safety online, I'm going to open this special thread up for you.  Here, you can post examples of what you believe to be attempts by individuals to defraud you or others of their hard earned valuables and money. 

Before we begin, a few housekeeping points:

• We will be using this as a "master thread," so if we find an example in other areas of the boards, we may merge the post into this one.

• For everyone's safety, please remove any last names or contact information (including email addresses) from your examples.  In many instances, the names provided by fraudsters are fake or may actually be the name of someone they already defrauded. 

• On that same note, please don't ever attempt to confront a fraudster or attempt to track them down.  Instead, turn the information you do have over to your local authorities. 

• Please also remove any links from your posts, as these could potentially go to spoofed or phishing websites.

Other than that, we only ask that you keep it productive and stay within the Forum Decorum and posting guidelines.  I'll be stopping in on a regular basis to clean house and comment on posts, so don't be surprised if you see my mug - or another moderator - stopping in to say hello! 

With that said, I'm going to start moving posts in, so you might see some older examples mixed in with the new posts.  I hope this thread becomes a great resource for everyone!

Stay safe,

Adrian

[thanhthaole]

I received the same email when I wanted to sell violin via kijiji. this is a scam so dont send any money out.

[cjw0624]

Anthony G28?  Are you there?  I have a question for you.

Thanks

[Coleen1]

I received an email today, supposedly from Paypal with this message:

Notification

Dear Customer,

We are sorry to inform you that you've to check your information in order to continue using our service. for some security reasons we put your account on hold untill we hear from you

 I am suspicious of this message as the wording is awkward; no capital letter at begiining of second sentence and they mis spelled 'until'. I doubt its legitamacy but thought I'd check.

[Beanee]

Hi.i recently sold an item on Ebay and received an email stating that a payment had been received to my paypal. Awesome I thought, but having further inspected the email there were a number of red flags: 1. The amount was more than I had invoices him. 2. No transaction ID present in the email. 3. A different username to the buyer. 4. A French username, yet an American shipping address. 5. Senders email was <removed> 6. The biggest tell was that or the email or the sender, stated "Paypal Services". Checking other emails against this one I knew it wasnt legitimate. Recieved an email around 20 minutes later, stating that the sale had been cancelled due to an illegitimate bid. Turns out I was right and it was a dodgy account. Just wanted to put this out there for some people who arent sure what the signs are. The email looked legitimate but luckily I know what to look for.

[Ed-N]

I received an email from what looked like PayPal stating a payment of $195 has been made. The transaction cited the payee as Hotel Encanto Bahia, and it was to pay for a maintenance fee. I have no affiliation with this hotel. The bottom of the email contained a place for me to click to cancel the payment. When I hit that I was redirected to what looked like a paypal log in, then once complete I was asked to put in all my personal information including banking information. It didn't seem right, so I exited that and logged onto PayPal through my own web search. The transaction for $195 was not listed. Am I a victim of a phishing scam? How should I proceed if I am. I did not put in any banking information, but if this is fake, they have my log in information.

Any information would be appreciated

Ed-N

[aivanova]

Hi guys, I sold an item on eBay and I got an email containing the following: Estimated funds availability you establish a successful transaction history, you may not have access to your money until you follow the steps below so funds can reflect in your account. Help get your money faster Ship out the item to the address provided by the buyer. Manually email the tracking number to us at <removed> for verification by PayPal Once shipment has been confirmed,funds will be released into your account. I am almost certain this is scam, but would like to ask here too. Any information is appreciated.

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone!

There have been so many examples of fraudulent emails posted in this thread! I wanted to chime in and make sure that you know how to identify a spoof/phishing email, and know what to do if you receive one.

First of all, for some tips on identifying a fake email, please take a look here. There is a list of stuff to check for that is common in spoof emails. You can also open a fresh browser window and log into your account (not through a link in the email) and check to see if there are any alerts or messages, or if there are any corresponding transactions. If what you see in your account doesn't match up with what you saw in the email, it's a good bet that it's a fake.

Once you've determined that the email you received is a fake, it should be forwarded, exactly the way it is, to spoof@paypal.com. Do not click on any links.

If you have already clicked on a link, don't panic! Here are some tips on what you should do.

• Run a virus scan on your computer to make sure that the link did not subject your computer to any malware.
• If you clicked a link and entered your password and/or security questions for PayPal, log in to your PayPal account from a new browser window and change the password and security questions as soon as possible, after the virus scan. Make sure to pick a unique password that is not used on any other sites... but if you did use the same password anywhere else, make sure to change your password on those sites, too.
• If you entered any other information (such as credit card, bank, social security numbers, etc.), take a look at this page for tips on next steps.

Please stay safe!

Olivia

[RalphDrexel]

I have received 2 emails in the last month, both addressed to my email address, not my first and/or last name.It is my understanding that all correspondence from Paypal is addressed to your name(s). I have reported the emails to Paypal's spoof. The return email from Paypal's spoof is also addressed using my email address as my name.

The subject of each email is:

"Receipt for your payment of $450.78 USD  to Accelerate Space Sdn Bhd"

"You submitted an order in the amount of $400.78 USD to HOTELS.COM USA

Am I being scammed again?

[kernowlass]

@RalphDrexel

If its a spoof, DO NOT USE ANY LINK.

Firstly if the email addressed you as ''Dear Member'' / ''Customer'' / ''Client'' OR your ''email address'' then that confirms its a spoof as paypal would address you by your full name eg Dear John Smith.

Secondly if there was a link OR attachment in that email to ''cancel'' the transaction or ''confirm'' any details then again it would be a spoof.

If there was a problem with your account paypal would not ask you to click on an unsafe link in an email or by downloading an attachment, they would direct you to log in normally and go to the resolution or the message centre for more information.

More info here >>
https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/article/how-to-spot-fake-emails-faq2340/2

[Temp20230526ap]

I've received this email and it doesn't seem legit to me. PayPal You have received a PayPal payment of £1,200.00 GBP sent from Michelle <removed>. Transaction ID: 72W56358RF799193C Status : Pending 75% complete Courier Company Awaiting Payment. Description Quantity Unit Price Amount Wedding Dress 1 £800.00 GBP £800.00 GBP Shipping/handling £360.00 GBP Western Union Transfer charges £40.00 GBP Total £1,200.00 GBPNote from buyer Payment has been completed. Email me once you receive the payment notification from PayPal. PayPal Policy The total sum of £1,200.00 GBP has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but it will not be credited into your account (for security purpose) until you send the requested sum of £360.00 GBP for the PICK UP FEE via Western Union Money Transfer. See below for the information on how to send the funds via Western Union Transfer. As mentioned in the payment receipt and as per the new PayPal payment policy, we have fully deducted the total sum of £1,200.00 GBP from the buyer's account and it cannot be refunded to her due to the terms and conditions for this transaction. Your money is safe and secure with us but it has been put on HOLD for security purpose and will not be credited into your account until you send the requested sum of £360.00 GBP for the PICK UP FEE from you. Below is a step by step guide on how to make the transfer : 1. Visit your nearest Western Union shop / Outlet with cash and request a Western Union form. 2. Fill in the transfer form with the appropriate details such as the receiver's name and address provided below. 3. Choose the Money in Minutes service. 4. Pay with your Credit Card or Cash. 5. You'll be issue a receipt after completing the transfer. Pickup Agent's Info : First Name : SUPENG Last Name : <removed> City : Qingdao Shi State : Shandong Zip Code : 266033 Country : China. A MTCN NUMBER would be given to you by Western Union. Kindly send the below information to us as soon as you have completed the Western Union Transfer so that we can credit your account instantly: - Sender's Name and Address - MTCN Number - Telephone number - Total Amount Sent - Test question and Answer (if applicable) Send the above information to us at : <removed> . You will receive a confirmation email from us as soon as we receive the requested information from you. Status: Pending, Awaiting Approval From You. Here is the status of this transaction... Payment On Pending. Transfer Current Percentage Done: 75% Transfer On Pending... Western Union Transfer