# Beware of this fake pay pal email



## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

I recieved this email today saying it was from pay pal telling me my account has been suspended and to submit my personal information in order for my account to be returned to normal. " YEAH RIGHT " I DON'T even have a pay pal account. yjey also included an attachment they asked me to download. Some people fall for this scam everyday and these crooks are almost impossible to catch, but IF they ever DO catch them, they should be ( insert your kind of punishment ) but whatever the punishment, it is NOT severe enough. I am pasting the text part of this bogus email below here without the attachment of course so that everyone here can reconize it if it shows up in their email inbox.
Bert
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
**


*Identity Issue PP-658-119-347*























Please complete the attached form to verify your Profile information and restore your account access.
Personal Information Profile

Make sure you enter the information accurately, and according to the formats required.
Fill in all the required fields.

Dear customer , 
As part of our efforts to provide a safe and secure environment for the online community, we regularly screen account activity. Our review of your account has identified an issue regarding its safe use. We have placed a restriction on your account as a precaution. 

To lift the restriction we will require some further information from you.

Once we review your further information and we're confident that the use of your account does not present a safety risk to our service and customers, we'll be happy to reinstate your account.

We have sent you an attachment which contains all the necessary steps in order to restore your account access. Download and open it in your browser. After we have gathered the necessary information, you will regain full access to your account. 


We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. 
Sincerely,
PayPal Review Department


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Thanks for the Heads up:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Denis


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

You just got one of these now? This has been going around for almost 10 years. You get similar fake ones from eBay. IIRC you forward the fake emails to [email protected]


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## Joe Brown (Nov 16, 1999)

There's another phone scam going around where you are told they are calling because *your* computer is sending them virus alerts. Basically, they want to install a remote access program to your machine.

I was tempted to respond with "But my Cray computer isn't hooked up to the web, it crashes the whole internet every time I go on-line." But life is too short to enjoy messing with scammers like I used to, so I pointed out I am an IT person and I know a scam when I hear one. I wasn't lying - as far as my wife and some local friends are concerned, I am their IT guy. :wave:

More details on this scam:

http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/microsoft.asp

https://www.securelist.com/en/blog/..._the_fake_Microsoft_support_scammers#page_top


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

QUOTE=Joe Brown:There's another phone scam going around where you are told they are calling because *your* computer is sending them virus alerts. Basically, they want to install a remote access program to your machine.

I had a guy call about a month ago doing exactly this. I am somewhat of a computer expert and spyware expert having fixed so many machines with the garbage on them. I told him to bug off and that no one was going to get into my machine remotely and also told him I was malware free. I hung up. He actually called back a couple of minutes later telling me how horrible things were going to happen if I didn't work with him. Again and rather irately I told him to bug off and he was a scammer and hung up. And......... once again a couple of minutes later. This time I told him to screw himself and I would report him if he bugged me anymore! I suppose maybe some innocent computer user who is afraid of all the awful tales about malware might succumb but he had the wrong person trying to pull that garbage on me.


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## deadmanincfan (Mar 11, 2008)

I've gotten something like this several times, yet oddly they always arrive in my Spam box...anything legit from PayPal arrives in my regular email, so I ain't buyin' the spam stuff...always deleted before it's opened.


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

deadmanincfan said:


> I've gotten something like this several times, yet oddly they always arrive in my Spam box...anything legit from PayPal arrives in my regular email, so I ain't buyin' the spam stuff...always deleted before it's opened.


The fact that the letter they send is sent to "dear Customer" instead of your own name if you had an account is reason enough to know its fake!


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

deadmanincfan said:


> I've gotten something like this several times, yet oddly they always arrive in my Spam box...anything legit from PayPal arrives in my regular email, so I ain't buyin' the spam stuff...always deleted before it's opened.


That's because their email address always has something a little bit off that the spam filter can spot!


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

And dont trust everything with your name on it. 99% start with dear customer, but every once in awhile, I get one with my name on it. NEVER use the email link, if you think you might have a legit problem, you go directly to the site with your own link and check into it. I've had 100's of these scam emails. Never once was there any real problems with my account..


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Whats funny is that the ONE time I had a real issue with my bank account they never bothered to notify me about anything. 

If you use your online banking, Pay Pal, eBay, Amazon, etc. on a regular basis you would find out if there was a problem with your account when you went directly to the site and tried to do whatever... For example, I recently moved and hadn't updated my credit card zip code and mailing address on itunes. I went to buy something and it kicked the request back with an error.


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## Hunch (Apr 6, 2003)

I got one about two weeks ago. Filled it out with a plethera of obsenities that would have made Red Foxx blush!


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I never trust ANY suspect e-mails from businesses I do business with, Paypal, ebay, or my credit union. I always log on at the sit, not from e-mail, and see if it is true, if not, I report it to them. If it sounds suspect, it most likely is.


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## Antimatter (Feb 16, 2008)

"Dear customer" is always a giveaway. This scam has been going on since Ebay was a pup.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Mine was addressed to me by my Pay Pal user name not "dear customer" but it was still bogus


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## spideydroogy (Oct 15, 2010)

I got the phone scam guys calling me too. I asked them to tell me my machine name and IP address. He couldn't do that and hung up. Second time I told them "that's funny, I don't own a computer". I got a response of "Oh" and he hung up.


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## Dyonisis (Nov 11, 2009)

rkoenn said:


> QUOTE=Joe Brown:There's another phone scam going around where you are told they are calling because *your* computer is sending them virus alerts. Basically, they want to install a remote access program to your machine.
> 
> I had a guy call about a month ago doing exactly this. I am somewhat of a computer expert and spyware expert having fixed so many machines with the garbage on them. I told him to bug off and that no one was going to get into my machine remotely and also told him I was malware free. I hung up. He actually called back a couple of minutes later telling me how horrible things were going to happen if I didn't work with him. Again and rather irately I told him to bug off and he was a scammer and hung up. And......... once again a couple of minutes later. This time I told him to screw himself and I would report him if he bugged me anymore! I suppose maybe some innocent computer user who is afraid of all the awful tales about malware might succumb but he had the wrong person trying to pull that garbage on me.


 I can't tell you how many times I've had to do the same with telemarketers, and email scammers! YOU did the right thing by telling him off, but you can also report this type of garbage to your local state attorney generals' office too. Give them the number of whoever called, and they can trace it back to who it is, and prosecute them if neccessary! 



Hunch said:


> I got one about two weeks ago. Filled it out with a plethera of obsenities that would have made Red Foxx blush!


I've done that before. I put so many in that it would make the DEVIL blush! :devil:



Antimatter said:


> "Dear customer" is always a giveaway. This scam has been going on since Ebay was a pup.


 Yes, sir and it's still going on today. I can't count how many times some jackass has sent me this garbage in an attempt to hack my account, and steal it! Hell, I've even had it hacked with some idiot from South Carolina trying to use it to sell ATVs!! Ebay alerted me after nuking the auction, and banning their ISP address from their site - I was blown away!!! That's the ONLY time they've gone to bat for me! 



spideydroogy said:


> I got the phone scam guys calling me too. I asked them to tell me my machine name and IP address. He couldn't do that and hung up. Second time I told them "that's funny, I don't own a computer". I got a response of "Oh" and he hung up.


How about this? A guy calls me up from some waterproofing company. The entire call didn't last much more than a minute. While I had the guy on the phone I decided to have some fun with him!! :devil::roll: The converstaion went like this: 

Me: Hello? 

Salesman: Hello, Sir. I'm from Everdry, and I'm calling because your neighbour told us that your having trouble with water flooding your basement.

Me: Really? 

Salesman: Yes, Sir! We can completely seal your basement, and the surrounding foundation on the outside to keep it from doing this again.

Me: You say that my neighbour told you that I have water in my basement? 

Salesman: Yes, Sir. And for a limited time we can offer you a discount if you accept our offer. We'll even give you $50.00 for everyone that you recommend to us that uses our services. 

Me: Boy, I don't know. I mean that offer is very tempting, but my neighbour needs to keep his big mouth shut! I mean this is embarassing to hear from a stranger! 

Salesman: I understand, Sir. We can fix your basement up as good as new! 

Me: Really?! I mean who told you that my basement was leaking? I mean whoever it was must have X-ray vision, or they must be superman, or out of their mind!! I'll tell you what, IF you can come to my house, and find a basement under my house - I'll give you a $1,000.00! I don't HAVE a basement!! 

Salesman: Your crawlspace? 

Me: Nice try!! Thanks for playing! I'll tell you what - I have a friend that DOES have a basement. Would you like his number? 

Salesman: Uh, no. 

Me: Are you sure? He might be interested in hearing what you have to say.

Salesman: That's OK. Have a good day, Sir. I'm sorry I bothered you! 

phone: *CLICK!!!*

:tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue:​ 
~ Chris​


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