Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Very good PayPal scam. Please read so you don't get caught out. I almost gave away £750...

240 replies

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:21

Was almost scammed to the tune of £750. This is a good one and I was sooooo close to falling for it. Was on the phone to the scammers! Woke up to an email from PayPal saying there's been what looked like fraudulent activity on my account. I checked the email address by clicking on it and it did look legit. I then decided I'd go to PayPal from Google rather than clicking any links in the email. Logged in and saw a pending transaction for £750. Not one I recognised and definitely wasn't me. So I clicked on the transaction and there is a note saying "this is fraudulent activity" and call this number. So I call the number, go through security, get sent a security code, I am then transferred to someone senior, they tell me my bank card number, confirm all my name and address etc. Then they ask for the 3 digits on the back of my card. I pause, with alarm bells ringing. This is the absolute crème de la crème of information you can give someone because once they have that they can make purchases. I said no, this sounds like a scam. Then all of a sudden the guy is like "well you called us with the number from PayPal. You've called us because you got an email saying fraudulent activity detected and you can see on your account there has been". Whilst I was on the phone I decided to check my PayPal account and I had been logged out and couldn't get back in. He told me that was an added security measure. Anyway, I said no it's a scam and he ended with "ok then you will lose all your money". I said ok and hung up. Changed my password immediately, found the £750 transaction and this is where I had gone wrong. The phone number to call "PayPal" was on a NOTE on the transaction but this note is from the scammers! So they put their number in there and then act as PayPal. Honestly I was sooo close to saying those three digits but that's the only thing that hasn't allowed this scam to be successful. All I had to do was click "cancel" against the money request!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
CatsEatDogs · 06/12/2022 12:25

I had a request like this recently op, a request for £900. Never had anything like this before but luckily saw there was a cancel option so I did this and then changed password etc.
thanks for the heads up, hopefully you’ve saved someone from getting scammed

girlmom21 · 06/12/2022 12:27

Wow OP that's very clever of them.
Good on you for not falling for it!

Soothsayer1 · 06/12/2022 12:28

So did the scammers send something to your PayPal account?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

GhostBridezilla · 06/12/2022 12:28

That’s super helpful. Thanks. I’m always worried I’ll fall for these things.

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 06/12/2022 12:30

Thank you for this warning.

CatsEatDogs · 06/12/2022 12:30

Soothsayer1 · 06/12/2022 12:28

So did the scammers send something to your PayPal account?

They did with me, a genuine PayPal request. I intually thought it was a scam email but it was from PayPal and the request was sitting there in my account when I logged in separately.
its still showing as a request although cancelled, in my account. I think they rely on people just paying it, or calling the number as per op, and giving all their details out

Motnight · 06/12/2022 12:31

I had this. Googled the phone number and it came up as a scam.

Swissnotswiss · 06/12/2022 12:31

Thanks OP!

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:33

This reply has been deleted

MNHQ has removed this as it's rather too identifying. The OP should feel free to repost with her email obscured.

Soothsayer1 · 06/12/2022 12:34

CatsEatDogs · 06/12/2022 12:30

They did with me, a genuine PayPal request. I intually thought it was a scam email but it was from PayPal and the request was sitting there in my account when I logged in separately.
its still showing as a request although cancelled, in my account. I think they rely on people just paying it, or calling the number as per op, and giving all their details out

Presumably they harvest the PayPal email addresses from places like ebay or perhaps just send to any and all email addresses that they can harvest and the ones that are attached to PayPal accounts will result in PayPal requests?

alasangne · 06/12/2022 12:35

Ooooh that's sneaky!

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:36

And they actually did get into my account because they click the forgot password thing. So then PayPal send you a verification code and they ask you for the number and so then they get in.
Then they asked me my father's first name.
And I fucking gave them it. Honestly it's crazy because reading this now in hindsight it is super obvious but at the time I thought I was giving them security info to verify I am the correct account holder!

The bastards

OP posts:
Pr0fessionalLurker · 06/12/2022 12:36

But the wording is so unprofessional!

ShaunaTheSheep · 06/12/2022 12:37

But they didn't just have your email, they had all your contact and bank details, did they?

Well done for spotting it.

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:39

Soothsayer1 · 06/12/2022 12:34

Presumably they harvest the PayPal email addresses from places like ebay or perhaps just send to any and all email addresses that they can harvest and the ones that are attached to PayPal accounts will result in PayPal requests?

This is the bit I am not sure about. My husband asked me how they got my details and stuff and wondered if a company I had bought something from maybe had less strict security and they were hacked.

Shortly after I got to the bottom of this scam I then had £2.35 put into my account from a random person and then they raised a case to get it back. I could see their email address so I emailed them and asked why they transferred the money and they replied "I was hacked this morning" and then PayPal returned the money to them.

So there's obviously a few things going on here. I've never had any issues with PayPal before.

OP posts:
ShaunaTheSheep · 06/12/2022 12:39

Wait, you gave them the log in verification number that was text to you? Sneaky gits.

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:39

Pr0fessionalLurker · 06/12/2022 12:36

But the wording is so unprofessional!

Yes but when you see an actual transaction on your account with that note think it is legit.

OP posts:
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:41

ShaunaTheSheep · 06/12/2022 12:39

Wait, you gave them the log in verification number that was text to you? Sneaky gits.

Yes they sent a code to my phone but that was obviously when they were doing a password reset!
I tried to log in and said I couldnt and the guy is like yes we have locked your account for extra security.
That was alarm bell 1 then he not long after asked for the three digit bank code.
They knew the beginning and end of my long card number, knew my address etc

OP posts:
ShaunaTheSheep · 06/12/2022 12:41

Don't feel bad, it happens to all sorts of people. These scammers are so sophisticated.

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:42

And honestly I am quite savvy with stuff like this. When I watch that TV show in the morning about scams I watch and listen and think it is so obvious it is a scam.
The thing that made me think it was real was the fact there WAS a debit of £749 on my account...

OP posts:
WetBandits · 06/12/2022 12:43

This reply has been deleted

MNHQ has removed this as it's rather too identifying. The OP should feel free to repost with her email obscured.

It’s full of spelling mistakes and it’s from a random personal email address, though!

Glad you didn’t fall for it but it looked like a scam from the outset.

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 06/12/2022 12:43

Yes that's what my husband said. They have to be clever or people see through it.

I don't know whether to ask my bank for a new bank card though because I did read off the 16 digit number as a whole 🤦

But I guess they do need the 3 digits code to make any purchases

OP posts:
validnumber · 06/12/2022 12:44

Thanks for the info.
Have you complained to PayPal about this? Maybe report it to them so they are aware.

hoochyhag · 06/12/2022 12:44

Thanks for this.
I would also go to the bank and flag this up.
I had an amount taken from my barclaycard that was a scam, and they issued me a new card etc as my bank details had been hacked.

Notanotherone6 · 06/12/2022 12:44

The bit that always sticks out to me on these type of scams is when they say 'if this isn't you, please do xyz'. Why would anyone say that who was legitimate?!

Swipe left for the next trending thread