With over 400 million active users, online payment service paypal Meanwhile already known as Top Dog. we use paypal Almost every day – be it online shopping or money transfer to friends or relatives. Accordingly, this can be a serious problem if PayPal arbitrarily restricts its own user accounts. But that’s exactly what the online payment service is currently notifying some customers – at least that’s what it looks like at first glance.
The notification is nothing more than a phishing email with the subject “Account Alert”. Despite the well-known design and logo, it does not come from PayPal itself, but from cybercriminals who take advantage of the credibility of their victims.
according to information Consumer Advice Center NRW, such emails are currently in circulation again. The scam works as follows: You will receive a message that states, for example, a temporary ban or only an identity confirmation for your PayPal account. A link then redirects users to the respective company page where they are asked to log in. Only this is not the actual company website, but a copy. All user data entered here ends up with fraudsters and can then be misused.
Banned PayPal Account? Beware of this phishing scam
In the present case, cybercriminals can gain access to your PayPal account and make purchases on the Internet at your expense or simply transfer money to your own account. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to thwart such operations in most cases. “Attention” is the keyword here: is the sender really PayPal? Is there a spelling mistake in the email? What about direct customer contact? Does the linked website belong to an online payment service or is the URL rather cryptic?
If you are not sure, it is advisable to contact the relevant company – PayPal here – directly. On the other hand, you should only click on archived links if you are absolutely sure that the email is valid. Another insider tip against phishing goes by the name “two-factor authentication“.
The original of this post first appeared here inside digital.
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