Yesterday my inbox was full of PayPal money requests from things I didn’t order and companies I’d never heard of. After some research, I discovered it was just a PayPal money request scam.

The e-mails had worried at first because they appear to legitimately come from PayPal and look like real money requests. Clicking the links will take you to the real PayPal website. But there’s a twist!

The Note in the PayPal Money Request Scam

First thing I did was click “Decline” and it took me to PayPal. Then I got nervous it was a scam site, closed it and reopened PayPal in a fresh tab. I then changed my password just for good measure.

I searched through my “activity” and could not located any of these money requests. So, I went back and reread the e-mails and took a closer look at the “notes” section. A-ha!

That note is actually from the scammer, not PayPal.

First, PayPal is never going to “proceed with the transaction” on a money request without action on your part. You have to actually pay it; they don’t automatically take out money. That would be pretty bad if they did business that way!

If you Google the phone numbers, you can see in the notes someone has commented that the number is used in a phishing scam: (888) 632-2513 – RoboKiller Lookup.

The real PayPal support number is 1 (888) 221-1161.

Just Another Phishing Scam

A phishing scam is a type of cybercrime where attackers impersonate trustworthy entities (like PayPal) to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or social security details.

These scams typically occur through fake emails, text messages, or websites designed to look legitimate. The goal is to manipulate the victim into clicking on malicious links, downloading harmful attachments, or providing personal data.

The scammer here wants you to call the number in the notes, where they will impersonate PayPal and most likely have you divulge all your personal info while verifying your account. So don’t call those numbers!

If you end up with one of these PayPal phishing scam e-mails, forward it to phishing@paypal.com and they will investigate it. And don’t worry about that request, just delete the e-mail and let PayPal handle the rest.

I sent all of my e-mails to PayPal and this was the reply:

Thanks for your submission.

We’re continuously working to counteract fraud, including phishing emails, websites, and text messages. We work with law enforcement around the world to stop online criminals.

If you disclosed any financial or personal data, or entered your details on a suspicious website:

– Change your PayPal password immediately.

– Contact your bank and let them know what happened.

– Review your recent PayPal payments. Report any unauthorized payments in the Resolution Center.

Thanks,

PayPal Security

A Note of Caution

If you are ending up with several of these, like me (I got 5!), your e-mail may have been compromised. My notifications came through on an old e-mail that I don’t really use anymore, because it had been leaked in one of those “data breach” situations.

To avoid future scam requests, I went ahead and removed it from being connected to my PayPal account. That isn’t totally necessary, but I do suggest at least changing your passwords if you start getting these phishing e-mails.