I got a perfectly legitimate email from PayPal (checked from address - it was genuine) saying a payment request had been made for a large amount.
I’m careful. Really, really careful. I logged directly into PayPal, and the payment request was there. It had a note attached: ‘If you do not want to make this transaction, Please Cancel the Order now @ +4xxxx’ (phone number in full).
I did want to cancel. Rang the number…the person who answered said they were the PayPal fraud team. They said they would cancel the transaction and put a stop on my account. Then they asked for my credit card details including the cvv security number. It was a phishing attempt. I didn’t give it and hung up.
When someone requests a payment, they can add any message that is NOT really from PayPal at all. This is a quite sophisticated way to get you to trust the person who answers the phone.
Later today, there was another payment request, different but similar name, different sum, different but similar phone number.
I cancelled both requests, removed my credit card from PayPal, and contacted my credit card fraud team to report the attempt and to kill the card and request a new one.
Both emails have also been reported [email protected]
Have a safe and fraud-free Christmas, everyone.