Scam Alert

Colleagues, I have done a ton of transactions with PayPal. I use it often and regularly. It is my main payment platform for everything because it serves as an intermediary between my credit card and the vendor, hopefully keeping my credit card secure. That said, I am not here to defend PayPal necessarily but to say, that I think the source of many of the problems that some of you are having, it seems, is unsecure computing practices. First of all, you need to know who is sending you emails to know if they are legitimate. Get an email client which lets you click on an email sender to see their email address. One such client that I use to do this is Newton. It’s a paid client. But very much worth the price. Another thing is be sure who is sending you an email before you click on a link.  This is how scammers get ahold of you in the first place. Also by visiting and clicking on fake websites. Use a VPN. Make sure your Wifi network is secure. Plus if you are a frequent seller consider accepting PayPal friends and family. This way you avoid getting on the US Internal Revenue Service radar for tax on the revenue (not income) you generated from your sales in engaging in your hobby. So to me, it seems that issue isn’t PayPal. The issue is the need for more secure computing practices. 

I had a call on my cell phone a couple weeks ago from "Amazon". The dude said a purchase of a tablet and an iphone were just charged to my account. I played along and while he was on the phone I was on the computer checking my account. Of course there were no charges. So when I called BS on his scam, he redirected. He said the charges were made from a residence in Atlanta and did I have any rental property there? At that point it was time to hang up.

Hello Bon, thanks for the heads up!

Don’t even open emails or click on anything in ones you know are BS. Highlight the sender to see where it came from first  & 9 /10 of the time, it will be some crazy address so you know it’s a scam., Trash it immediately. Opening up unknown links in emails is a primary way you can get malware. 

Always best to go straight to your account and avoid any email links like the plague.  Forward the suspect email to spoof@paypal.com so they can follow up on their end to help others avoid the same scam.