Paypal Fraud E-Mail!

[Ian]

I received an e-mail from "paypal" saying that my account needed to be validated etc... Of course, anything like this and I usually delete it.

Worrying though, I received a real one 3 weeks ago (needed to do a call back), and when actually logging in I was informed of this. This e-mail was almost exactly the same as I recieved 3 weeks ago for real, so of course I paid a little more attention.

Logging into my account from the usual address showed no signs of needing to verify my account. Out of curiosity I clicked on the link in the e-mail...

I honestly would not have figured that the page displayed was not for real! It appeared as if the URL was at paypal.com and that the site was secure. It somehow removed the status bar and URL bar and replaced them with standard Windows XP images/text boxes. It looked scarily real, and I can imagine a HUGE number of people falling for this. This was not some crappy paypal scam e-mail with spelling mistakes and using a terrible IP hosted paypal.com clone site.

 

[muckshifter]

Scam emails which attempt to fool EBay and PayPal customers into handing over sensitive account information has been sent to thousands of Web users.

The fake emails, which appear to have been spammed at users at random, purport to be part of a security check. EBay customers receiving the emails are been encouraged to enter their details to fraudulent sites. As is common with such scams, the URL used in the emails is cleverly encoded to disguise the true location of the sites. The destination pages are designed to look like the genuine Barclays site. Only tell-tale signs, easily overlooked, like spelling mistakes, give the game away.

EBay are aware of the scam. Ebay advises users to avoid divulging account information in response to these emails. Users are advised to contact the company directly if they have any questions or concerns.

Remember, reputable companies will NEVER ask you to provide security details via such means - if in doubt, be safe and ask first.

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fraud-prevention-outside