PayPal Spam

There’s one stark difference between an email which is really coming from Paypal.com and email from Paypal spammer: an email from Paypal.com will call / mention your name (in accordance with the name you give to Paypal during registration) in the first sentence of its letter, like Hi Fatih Syuhud, while Paypal spammer does not call you by name. At best, Paypal spam will say “Hi there”, or “Hello there”. Scroll down to see the sample of real email from Paypal.com

Here’s the latest example of Paypal spammers email I got just now:

information about your account:
Security Center

Attention! Your PayPal account was limited!

As part of our security measures, we regularly check the work of the screen PayPal. We have requested information from you for the following reason:

Our system has detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account.

Reference Number: PP-259-187-991

This is the last reminder to log into PayPal, as soon as possible. Once you connect. PayPal will provide measures to restore access to your account.

Once connected, follow the steps to activate your account. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure security.

Clik Here To Activate (with a link to allegedly phising website which if you click will crack your Paypal data account)

We appreciate your attention to this issue. Please understand that this is a security measure designed to protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience ..

Department review PayPal accounts
Copyright © 1999-2009 PayPal. All rights reserved.
PayPal FSA Register Number: 226056.
PayPal Email ID PP059

Another way to make sure an email come from Paypal or not is to check the email senders. When I click “show details” here’s what appear:

from PayPal Billing Department
to fatihsyuhud@gmail.com
date Wed, May 20, 2009 at 6:37 AM
subject Please Restore Your Account Access
mailed-by b13.banan.cz

So, be careful with an email claiming itself from Paypal especially if you have a verified Paypal account meaning you’ve entered your credit card information in it.

Sample of real email from Paypal

Sender’s details:

from service@intl.paypal.com
to”A.Fatih Syuhud” < ....@gmail.com>

dateSun, May 3, 2009 at 6:30 PM
subjectPayPal electronic funds transfer
mailed-byintl.paypal.com
signed-byintl.paypal.com

Content of Paypal real email

Dear A.Fatih Syuhud, (Paypal calls / mentions my name)

We are processing the request you made on May 3, 2009 to transfer Rp—- IDR from your PayPal account to your bank account ending in 6973.

This request usually takes 2-4 business days to process but may vary by bank.

We estimate that these funds will be deposited in your bank account by May 10, 2009.

We will notify you by email if we have any problems processing your request.

Have you raised your withdrawal and receiving limits? Just log in to your PayPal account and click View Limits on the Account Overview page.

Sincerely,
PayPal

—–

PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD

NEVER give your password to anyone, including PayPal employees. Protect yourself against fraudulent websites by opening a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and typing in the PayPal URL every time you log in to your account.
—–

Notes:
1. The sender’s email clearly from Paypal (i.e. service@intl.paypal.com)
2. There’s NO LINK whatsoever in the email to click. Fraudelent Paypal spam requests you to click a link to a particular website.