Received invoice from one seller which I didn't make any purchase. Is it a scam?

MichaelCHK
Contributor
Contributor

Hi all. I received a notification from PayPal that someone sent me an invoice to make a payment of USD 500 for purchasing a anti virus software which I didn't make. Could I just leave it like that with out paying or how do I cancel or report this?

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@MsTree 

 

Was it a spoof or does the transaction actually show in your paypal account?

 

If its a spoof then NEVER USE ANY LINK OR ANY PHONE NUMBER.

Firstly if the email/text 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/text to ''cancel'' any transaction or ''confirm'' any details then again it would be a spoof.

Also if they ask you to call the number in the email then it would be fake paypal agents trying to scam you for money to 'fix' something. 

If there was a problem with your account Paypal would not ask you to click on an unsafe link in an email / download an attachment OR phone them on a number in an email, 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/smarthelp/article/how-do-i-spot-and-report-a-fake%2C-fraudulent%2C-or-phis...
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/suspicious-activity



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Zig33
New Community Member

2 Scam invoices similar in last 2 days.  1 Mc Fee  annual fee   and  PayPal invoice thru Ebay to some random person $570 in LA USA.  Had no joy in trying send copy of SCAM to  Paypal  security contact.  Invoice looked real so might get a shock when $570 comes out of my Paypal acc. (no similar Notifications on online account so fingers crossed)

 

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Temp20240229
New Community Member
I received an email saying an invoice was sent to me for $799.00, i assumed it was spam but still checked my paypal acc as a precaution and there it was saying i owed it. I have not made any purchases to that amount. I cant get through to paypal, can anyone help please.
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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@Temp20240229 


Scam money request or invoice that shows in your Paypal account..

Scammers harvest email addresses and send out money requests or invoices hoping that some of those email addresses are linked to an open Paypal account.

The unsuspecting recipient is given a fake Paypal phone number in the 'notes' section added by the scammer.
If you did call that number (DO NOT) to query the transaction the scammer tells you that they need to access your computer / Paypal account to cancel that transaction for you.
They will then hack your computer or Paypal account.

Paypal never put phone numbers on emails or in money requests/invoices, they tell you to contact them via help/contact bottom of their website pages.

As long as you don't click to pay it then no money should be transferred.


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Livin420
New Community Member
I keep getting these invoices in my email from different people multiple times a day with different transactions all different amounts that i never made,has to be a scam right? How can I stop them?, Cause it feels like harassment
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Samio63
Contributor
Contributor
I ve got an email from PayPal telling that there is an invoice 0033 is due to be paid.I don’t have any idea about it
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Tony_FL
New Community Member

Paypal - please implement consistent spam block!

I have a spammer that's been spamming me with invoices. I have blocked that contact on the web. However, my PayPal app (iPhone) still alerting me with the spammer's invoices and reminders. I can't block the spammer on the app, as they're already blocked and NOT appearing in my contacts. However, all their activity is still flowing through the app, including invoices and alerts.

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ashley_reve
New Community Member

Received a money request for $888.88 from Dawn [removed]. The notification had a note saying "Don't recognize this seller? Call[Removed. Phone #s not permitted]. I called the number as I didn't recognize the request so I called the number and it ended up being part of the scam. I unwittingly gave them the code to reset my password and they got access to my account briefly. I realized it was a scam just after realizing the code was a password reset, not a verification. I reset my password and called customer service to report the scam request but didn't get the chance to report the number. How do I report the number as fraud? And also is there a way to know if they accessed anything on my account?

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@ashley_reve 

 

If its a spoof then NEVER USE ANY LINK OR ANY PHONE NUMBER.

Firstly if the email/text 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/text to ''cancel'' any transaction or ''confirm'' any details then again it would be a spoof.

Also if they ask you to call the number in the email then it would be fake paypal agents trying to scam you for money to 'fix' something. 

If there was a problem with your account Paypal would not ask you to click on an unsafe link in an email / download an attachment OR phone them on a number in an email, 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/smarthelp/article/how-do-i-spot-and-report-a-fake%2C-fraudulent%2C-or-phis...
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/suspicious-activity



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Kudos / Solution appreciated.
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weirdwanda
Contributor
Contributor

I know this is a canned response to this issue but please read the actual problem:  Email generated by PAYPAL has an incorrect link.

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