Staying informed about current events can sometimes be challenging, especially when staying vigilant against the latest online scams.

Recently, the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) took to its social media channels to raise awareness about a phishing scam that attempts to deceive victims by posing as an official PayPal invoice.

An example of a current PayPal scam email. Credit: NASC.

How does this scam operate? According to NASC, individuals have been receiving emails that appear to be from 'PayPal'. These emails contain invoices indicating unpaid amounts and even provide a fraudulent phone number to call to reverse the charge.

At the bottom of the invoice, an option allows the recipient to click a link if they don't recognise the invoice and wish to report it. However, clicking on any of the links in the email can pose risks to the recipient.

The NASC provided an example of a scam email they encountered. In the displayed email, it said: 'Hello, Hello, PayPal user You've Sent $689.00 to Sainsbury's eGift Card. Call +61 860 073 601 to reverse a transfer.'

It's important to note that the phone number provided is not associated with PayPal. Additionally, the invoice attached to the email falsely indicated a payment of $689.

The NASC advises that if you receive a similar email, refrain from calling the provided phone number or clicking on any links. Their recommended action is to disregard, delete, and block the email.

PayPal warns its users that these phishing emails can be persuasive. They might appear to come from a source that seems trustworthy, like 'PayPal Service', but PayPal wants you to be cautious if something feels off.

Here are a few things to watch out for:

1. Check the sender's email address: Even if the email claims to be from PayPal, look at the email address it's coming from. Be wary if it doesn't match what you'd expect from PayPal.
2. Personalised greetings: Legitimate PayPal emails will address you by your registered first and last names or your business name. Be suspicious of emails that use generic greetings like 'Dear user'.
3. Appearance matters: Be cautious if the email contains incorrect logos, outdated design elements, or looks out of place. These could be signs that something isn't right.
4. Urgent or upsetting language: Phishing emails often try to pressure you into immediate action. Be cautious if an email demands urgent attention, asks for personal or financial information, or uses bad grammar.
5. Hover before you click: Before clicking any links in the email, hover your cursor over them. This reveals the true destination of the link. Some phishing emails might have legitimate links but lead to fraudulent websites.

If you ever receive an email that you suspect might be a phishing attempt, you can help by forwarding it to PayPal's dedicated phishing inbox: [email protected]. Staying vigilant and following these steps can help you protect yourself from potential scams.

Key Takeaways

• The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), run by the federal government, has warned Australians of a new PayPal scam involving fake invoices sent via email.
• These phishing emails contain fake invoices with unpaid amounts and a false phone number intended to bait victims into calling.
• If the email is received, the NASC advises not to click any links or call the number. The email should be ignored, deleted, and blocked.
• If suspicious, PayPal users are urged to forward the email to [email protected]. PayPal also advises users to always hover over a link before clicking on it to verify its legitimacy.

Remember, you have the power to shield yourself and your loved ones from phishing scams. Stay watchful and never dial any unfamiliar numbers, regardless of how authentic the email appears! Always prioritise your online safety.

Here at the SDC, we also provide a platform called the Scam Watch forum. This serves as a valuable resource to keep members updated on the most recent instances of scams, fraud cases, and related news.

Members, have you come across emails resembling these? How did you handle them? If you have additional insights and suggestions, we welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

 

[Handsome181]

I have had several from different sources and delete them all the one that really annoys me is from I cloud they are so persistent and the latest is from Netflix they don’t give up .

 

[Lillie]

I am always on the lookout for scams. if in doubt I just delete.

 

[DavidEsplin]

If these people could be as industrious with a legitimate business as they are with their scamming, they'd be very well off.

 

[Neville Butler]

Staying informed about current events can sometimes be challenging, especially when staying vigilant against the latest online scams.

Recently, the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) took to its social media channels to raise awareness about a phishing scam that attempts to deceive victims by posing as an official PayPal invoice.

View attachment 27047

An example of a current PayPal scam email. Credit: NASC.

How does this scam operate? According to NASC, individuals have been receiving emails that appear to be from 'PayPal'. These emails contain invoices indicating unpaid amounts and even provide a fraudulent phone number to call to reverse the charge.

At the bottom of the invoice, an option allows the recipient to click a link if they don't recognise the invoice and wish to report it. However, clicking on any of the links in the email can pose risks to the recipient.

The NASC provided an example of a scam email they encountered. In the displayed email, it said: 'Hello, Hello, PayPal user You've Sent $689.00 to Sainsbury's eGift Card. Call +61 860 073 601 to reverse a transfer.'

It's important to note that the phone number provided is not associated with PayPal. Additionally, the invoice attached to the email falsely indicated a payment of $689.

The NASC advises that if you receive a similar email, refrain from calling the provided phone number or clicking on any links. Their recommended action is to disregard, delete, and block the email.

PayPal warns its users that these phishing emails can be persuasive. They might appear to come from a source that seems trustworthy, like 'PayPal Service', but PayPal wants you to be cautious if something feels off.

Here are a few things to watch out for:

1. Check the sender's email address: Even if the email claims to be from PayPal, look at the email address it's coming from. Be wary if it doesn't match what you'd expect from PayPal.
2. Personalised greetings: Legitimate PayPal emails will address you by your registered first and last names or your business name. Be suspicious of emails that use generic greetings like 'Dear user'.
3. Appearance matters: Be cautious if the email contains incorrect logos, outdated design elements, or looks out of place. These could be signs that something isn't right.
4. Urgent or upsetting language: Phishing emails often try to pressure you into immediate action. Be cautious if an email demands urgent attention, asks for personal or financial information, or uses bad grammar.
5. Hover before you click: Before clicking any links in the email, hover your cursor over them. This reveals the true destination of the link. Some phishing emails might have legitimate links but lead to fraudulent websites.

If you ever receive an email that you suspect might be a phishing attempt, you can help by forwarding it to PayPal's dedicated phishing inbox: [email protected]. Staying vigilant and following these steps can help you protect yourself from potential scams.

Key Takeaways

• The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), run by the federal government, has warned Australians of a new PayPal scam involving fake invoices sent via email.
• These phishing emails contain fake invoices with unpaid amounts and a false phone number intended to bait victims into calling.
• If the email is received, the NASC advises not to click any links or call the number. The email should be ignored, deleted, and blocked.
• If suspicious, PayPal users are urged to forward the email to [email protected]. PayPal also advises users to always hover over a link before clicking on it to verify its legitimacy.

Remember, you have the power to shield yourself and your loved ones from phishing scams. Stay watchful and never dial any unfamiliar numbers, regardless of how authentic the email appears! Always prioritise your online safety.

Here at the SDC, we also provide a platform called the Scam Watch forum. This serves as a valuable resource to keep members updated on the most recent instances of scams, fraud cases, and related news.

Members, have you come across emails resembling these? How did you handle them? If you have additional insights and suggestions, we welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

a little while ago now, i recieved a simmilar email from, (supposadly Pay Pal.....The only thing was, i HAD NOT ordered ANYTHING from pay pal for a long time. it pays to remember.

 

[siameezer]

PayPal trustworthy? Ha ha!

Is this Thursday's joke of the day?

You are obviously oblivious to what PayPal are and how reliable they are. I have been using PayPal for 25 years and they are the safest payment option for online payments. If you haven't had experience with them then you can't comment on how safe they actually are.

 

[freedy50]

I always use PayPal to buy most things online. It's very convenient as I just press one button and it's paid, instead of having to input all debit card details every time.

The dodgy emails that's supposed to be from them I forward them all to [email protected]

 

[Barbara V]

Most of these scams are doing the rounds again,they seem to drop off for awhile then they emerge again. I've just received the parcel one the McAfee one and the false BBC Ad of Paul Hogan offering bit coin deals also this morning won a free mobile phone offer just pay delivery cost

 

[Noraya]

I have been using Paypal for years, they are extremely trustworthy.

I

I use PayPal all the time, never had any issues with it, recently I have had these emails I don’t click on them just delete, sick of all these scams lately, even when someone rings on your phone if I don’t know the number I don’t answer and just block the number but they ring back with a different number

I totally trust Paypal. Prefer to use them instead of my credit card online. In all those years I only fell for some company once (I ordered a gift, the company then got a regular payment set up (only about $2, so it took a while for me to notice. I contacted Paypal, and they not only stopped the payments, they even got my money back! Nowadays if someone I dont know doesnt accept paying via Paypal I dont buy from them!

 

[JamieM]

The scam has also used Mac Affee and PayPal in the same manner which nearly caught me out!

I’ve had these too. But since it’s years since I used MacAffee, a warning that my subscription was about to expire was a red alert. Also the language and spelling on the PayPal one also made it obvious. Also check your bank account as, if you have, supposedly, sent money through them it will immediately appear on your account. First action if something suspicious - delete. More specific communication will come from genuine businesses.

 

[Veggiepatch]

The only time I was scammed was when my St George credit card showed a US$95 for a porn subscription! I reported it and was reimbursed the money, almost $150 Australian at the time.

Why would I pay for it? If I wanted to view it, I suppose there are 1000s of free sites out there in Internetland.

 

[Macarj]

Simply PAYPAL don't send invoices

 

[ElleJay]

I often see people saying they don't answer calls if they don't recognise the number. I recently had a hospital booking and had calls from the hospital and the surgeon's rooms, both numbers I didn't know. I also had a car repair that was an insurance claim and had a number of calls from the insurance company and the car repairer, again, numbers I did not recognise. These are busy companies and may not necessarily leave a message, so I would rather answer those unknown numbers, it is very easy to just hang up if it is a scam.

 

[Bassia]

Staying informed about current events can sometimes be challenging, especially when staying vigilant against the latest online scams.

Recently, the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) took to its social media channels to raise awareness about a phishing scam that attempts to deceive victims by posing as an official PayPal invoice.

View attachment 27047

An example of a current PayPal scam email. Credit: NASC.

How does this scam operate? According to NASC, individuals have been receiving emails that appear to be from 'PayPal'. These emails contain invoices indicating unpaid amounts and even provide a fraudulent phone number to call to reverse the charge.

At the bottom of the invoice, an option allows the recipient to click a link if they don't recognise the invoice and wish to report it. However, clicking on any of the links in the email can pose risks to the recipient.

The NASC provided an example of a scam email they encountered. In the displayed email, it said: 'Hello, Hello, PayPal user You've Sent $689.00 to Sainsbury's eGift Card. Call +61 860 073 601 to reverse a transfer.'

It's important to note that the phone number provided is not associated with PayPal. Additionally, the invoice attached to the email falsely indicated a payment of $689.

The NASC advises that if you receive a similar email, refrain from calling the provided phone number or clicking on any links. Their recommended action is to disregard, delete, and block the email.

PayPal warns its users that these phishing emails can be persuasive. They might appear to come from a source that seems trustworthy, like 'PayPal Service', but PayPal wants you to be cautious if something feels off.

Here are a few things to watch out for:

1. Check the sender's email address: Even if the email claims to be from PayPal, look at the email address it's coming from. Be wary if it doesn't match what you'd expect from PayPal.
2. Personalised greetings: Legitimate PayPal emails will address you by your registered first and last names or your business name. Be suspicious of emails that use generic greetings like 'Dear user'.
3. Appearance matters: Be cautious if the email contains incorrect logos, outdated design elements, or looks out of place. These could be signs that something isn't right.
4. Urgent or upsetting language: Phishing emails often try to pressure you into immediate action. Be cautious if an email demands urgent attention, asks for personal or financial information, or uses bad grammar.
5. Hover before you click: Before clicking any links in the email, hover your cursor over them. This reveals the true destination of the link. Some phishing emails might have legitimate links but lead to fraudulent websites.

If you ever receive an email that you suspect might be a phishing attempt, you can help by forwarding it to PayPal's dedicated phishing inbox: [email protected]. Staying vigilant and following these steps can help you protect yourself from potential scams.

Key Takeaways

• The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC), run by the federal government, has warned Australians of a new PayPal scam involving fake invoices sent via email.
• These phishing emails contain fake invoices with unpaid amounts and a false phone number intended to bait victims into calling.
• If the email is received, the NASC advises not to click any links or call the number. The email should be ignored, deleted, and blocked.
• If suspicious, PayPal users are urged to forward the email to [email protected]. PayPal also advises users to always hover over a link before clicking on it to verify its legitimacy.

Remember, you have the power to shield yourself and your loved ones from phishing scams. Stay watchful and never dial any unfamiliar numbers, regardless of how authentic the email appears! Always prioritise your online safety.

Here at the SDC, we also provide a platform called the Scam Watch forum. This serves as a valuable resource to keep members updated on the most recent instances of scams, fraud cases, and related news.

Members, have you come across emails resembling these? How did you handle them? If you have additional insights and suggestions, we welcome you to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

If you have never dealt with PayPal at all then you would delete it immediately - if you are a user like me for over 20 years then you know what you are looking at. We recently had a run in with someone wanting to buy something we had on Gumtree - they tried it on with PayPal payments to us and it was obvious they were trying to scam us - replied to them indicating nice try scumbag but you have failed the test now rack off and this has been forwarded to Gumtree and PayPal and the Fed authorities - she has disappeared into the ether. I did turn up that she was based in SA with minor alterations in the name.

 

[MaggieAmalia]

" ... if it doesn't match what you'd expect from PayPal". If you don't know exactly what something from PayPal would look like, what hope have you got? Is that statement a bit on the vague

I've given up trying to report scams as the options of type of scams directs me to be a link i need to follow, a scam is a scam and when u want to see what scams there are then i can choose which scam to check out.. my tolerance level goes out the window as a result.. my gripe

 

[MaggieAmalia]

I often see people saying they don't answer calls if they don't recognise the number. I recently had a hospital booking and had calls from the hospital and the surgeon's rooms, both numbers I didn't know. I also had a car repair that was an insurance claim and had a number of calls from the insurance company and the car repairer, again, numbers I did not recognise. These are busy companies and may not necessarily leave a message, so I would rather answer those unknown numbers, it is very easy to just hang up if it is a scam.

That's true and what I've seen scammers and the networking site rarely if at all ever leave any number.

I was inundated with telemarketers at y daughters place and she said she never picked up her house phone to answer as thats all thar ever happened.... just telemarketers.

When she was out i answered such a call and i told the person i was busy but would love to have conversation later with her about the service/product and could she please give me her private home phone number. Dead silence and so u repeated myself and then she confusedly but politely stated that was sonething she never did was give out her private phone number to anyone ... so i asked her then what right did she have in ringing me up on my private house phone number simply to try to solicit a sale from me, and as she did not a know me i found her tactics highly offensive and dishonest she to please note on her phone list of numbers to call that no one absolutely was to call me from that call centre and to not im seem my phone number to anyone and i had already redirected her call details to my legal department .. she freaked out and hung up on me. My daughter said no one rings her j house phone any more. I'm not about to own up to my tactics in resolving that nuisance factor. On another note i do understand that people are trying to earn money but that is exploiting me and are opportunists who i do not welcome.

 

[MariaG]

You don't have to buy online. You can still be a target if you have a mobile phone.
My son and his family never buy online, have no PayPal account, have no credit card and keep their electronic footprint to a bare minimum.
My boy had his phone hacked. He could not turn it off to reboot, could not stop what was trying to be done. He went to an expert who had to hack the hacker and send an attack back against the hacker.
It seems there are bad guys out there who try to access banking apps through mobiles.
They would have had a problem with our boy because he does not use apps at all.
We need to be ever alert. PayPal does not send invoices, sellers do. So if you have not bought anything treat is as spam.

 

[Da Freddo]

If you preload a DEBIT CARD with the amount you want to spend then you pay that amount
you have no problems, if you get scammed you only lose the amount you preloaded,
YOUR C/C REMAINS INTACT.
You will only get scammed if you reply to a dodgy site,
for goodness sake write down what you have bought and from whom,
so, when a "DODGY" email or "text" comes thru, you will know it's not kosha...
I've said this before
PLEASE TAKE NOTE
It's not rocket science!!
As Alexander Meerkat say's SIMPLES

 

[Rusty-anne]

PayPal support scammers, so it's rather ironic. I bought the same perfume from 3 different sites. The first was broken & fake, the other 2 , I tried to cancel through paypal, but they didn't see the email for 2 days, and it was already sent, they said! PayPal said send it back, we'll get your money..so I complied only to be told 2 days later, that I wasn't getting anything back. I'm thinking of totally losing internet...it's just all full of fakes and I'm over it.

 

[mylittletibbies]

PayPal support scammers, so it's rather ironic. I bought the same perfume from 3 different sites. The first was broken & fake, the other 2 , I tried to cancel through paypal, but they didn't see the email for 2 days, and it was already sent, they said! PayPal said send it back, we'll get your money..so I complied only to be told 2 days later, that I wasn't getting anything back. I'm thinking of totally losing internet...it's just all full of fakes and I'm over it.

Why would you buy the same perfume from 3 different sites and pay three lots of freight
You need to know the conditions of the particular sites you are dealing with, some do not take returns just because you changed your mind, in which case PayPal cannot get your money back. It is not their responsibility to know the conditions of all the sites they have to deal with, as the purchaser this is your responsibility, not paypals fault.

 

[BruceC]

Mate I've been saying this all along, Hello is anyone listening???
Just let it go, if they " the uneducated" continue they have only themselves to blame !!
Getting so tired of Twits losing money WAKE UP AND THINK!!!

Totally agree with you.