Paypal "Cancel Transaction" Scam

I received an alarming email this morning. It claimed my Paypal online bank account had been billed 699.99 by Wayne E. Bakewell of Brownsville, PA. The email included a helpful link to "CANCEL TRANSACTION." Thankfully, my suspicious nature kicked in and I decided to log into my Paypal account through a previous bookmark. Sure enough, there was no charge - just another attempt by a would be thief to steal my account information. NEVER NEVER NEVER click on the link included in any email claiming to be from your bank or online account. These links are included to lead you to a bogus site where you will be asked to CONFIRM your sensitive account password and other information. ALWAYS access your account by typing the address directly into your browser or through your own bookmark.

Beware Fake Ebay Notices

Please, please, please, DO NOT respond to emails from any source, no matter how "official looking," that request your personal account or password information. NO LEGITIMATE ONLINE SERVICE WILL EVER REQUEST YOUR PASSWORD VIA EMAIL. The fake Ebay announcement above is very similar to the fake PayPal announcement the Signal warned readers about back on October 26, 2003. Obvious warning signs include numerous spelling and grammatical errors and an "eebaay" site address. DO NOT click on the link to the fake eBay site provided in the email. Instead, type the ebay.com address directly into your browser, log in, and check you account status. If there is a problem with your account, you will be notified at the login screen. If you are fooled into responding to one of these emails, it is important that you immediately log into your eBay account and change your password! If you use the same password for your PayPal account, change it also. This particular scam also requests your email ID and password so you will need to change that password as well, then check to see that no sensitive information may have been sitting in your inbox or email archive folders. And finally, notify eBay of the scam by forwarding the fake email to spoof@ebay.com.

Beware Fake Paypal Notices

The following email notice is making the rounds. Despite repeated warnings by online services that "no one will ever ask for your account information or password," there are still those gullible enough to make these scams profitable to internet thieves. Treat ANY email that requests account information for whatever reason with extreme caution. The message below is an obvious fraud that is easily exposed by going to Paypal's homepage and checking your account status (do not click on the fake link provided in the email). You can also go to Snopes.com to search its online database of internet frauds, fakes, and urban legends.


Click here to learn more about this Paypal scam.