BS: Nasty scam using PayPal

Subject: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Anne Lister
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:10 PM

I was checking my PayPal account tonight and came across an unpaid invoice for the sum of £20 to the Down's Syndrome Association. Couldn't understand what it was for or why it was there, so I cancelled it, feeling pretty bad because it was a payment to a charity. Almost paid it, thinking hey, it's almost Christmas and it's a charity, but something in the wording of the "detail" struck me as odd. Something about "£20 can help an adult" ... and I wondered how. And I couldn't understand why I would be indebted to the charity without knowing when this had happened.
So I lobbed an email at PayPal and then googled the Down's Syndrome Association, which exists (of course). Luckily then on their home page I spotted a reference to a PayPal scam and it turns out I'm not the only one to be scammed in this way.
What a rotten, filthy, nasty trick to be playing at this time of year and with a deserving charity as your "cover".
If you have a PayPal account you might just want to check whether you, too, have been scammed with an invoice and make sure you don't pay it. The email address for the Down's Syndrome Association is wrong, and that's your best clue (apart, of course, from not having volunteered the money in the first place).

Anne

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: GUEST,MarkS (on the road)
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:36 PM

There is also a whole lot of phishing going on by scammers who are using a counterfiet paypal website. They email you and tell you that your paypal account will soon be closed. Then they ask you to follow a link and confirm your financial information. I forwarded one such message to the real paypal security (through their website) and paypal confirmed these messages were a fraud.
Take care

Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Genie
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 12:04 AM

I've been dealing with that sort of PayPal scam for a couple years now. Unfortunately, for reasons I still can't fathom, I still can't use either my PayPal account or my eBay account, because I can't figure out how to rectify whatever false info they have or supply whatever info they need without taking the chance of sending confidential info to someone posing as PayPal or eBay.   They keep sending me emails trying to get me to "update" my info, but I wont do that in response to an unsolicited email.
If I email PayPal or eBay to inquire about the matter, I still can't tell their legitimate replies from the fake (phishing) ones.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 02:34 AM

I never access sites through emailed links. Always always always, put authentic address in URL.

Think it is horrendous this outfit is using a legitimate Chaity as their front. Disgusting.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 04:40 AM

It is (at last) possible to find telephone numbers for ebay and paypal on their sites if you persist

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 04:52 AM

Friend of mine got an e-mail yesterday saying that a new address had been added to her Paypal account, which she hasn't used for yonks.
Another scam one assumes.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: semi-submersible
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:11 AM

Genie:
Simple. Just type "paypal.com" or "ebay.com" into the address bar in your browser, and you'll leave all the phishers behind. Then you can log in and check that your account information is still right.

(If you want to keep things that simple, please ignore the rest of this post.)

You can also check whether you're still on the company's own website (e.g. after clicking links on a web page). Look at the address at the top of your browser window. If it starts with their domain (that is, if paypal or ebay is the last word before the ".com/" or country code) then you're still with the right company.

For example, look at the position of "ebay" in addresses like http.my.ebay.uk/ or https://signin.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SignIn. You know you're okay because "ebay.ca" (or .uk or .com or any other extension) is the domain (the last word before the .com or equivalent). Anything before that domain name, and anything after the first slash, just tells where you are within that domain.

On the other hand, if you ever happen to see an address such as www.ebay.xxx.com or xxx.com/ebay/ then be very suspicious, and report it to ebay.com immediately. Those web pages would be in Xxx.com's domain. Ebay'll be happy to sic the law on company Xxx.com for copyright violation or fraud, whichever can be proven.

Regarding incoming emails, the first thing to do is check the "From" address to make sure it is from the right domain. [e-mail] is okay; [e-mail] is not.

If you weren't expecting an email from them, or something else makes you suspicious, your email program will allow you to "show all headers" on the suspicious email. In a few cases, the "From" field may be spoofed, but even in these cases the real originating domain can still be read in the other headers.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:19 AM

If you get anything like this just forward it to [e-mail]. They will deal with it.

Blessings
Rhiannon

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:18 AM

I found show all headers (View-headers-all in Thunderbird) & it makes interesting reading - I just wished I'd not deleted junk mail earlier today as it would have made interesting reading.

sandra

ps. Google ads for 'Paypal - official site' & 'Ebay suspension exposed. Convert your Ebay suspension' I assume they're legit, but I'm not clicking on 'em to find out!

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: artbrooks
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:38 AM

Depending upon the browser you are using - I use Firefox - you may be able to discover the "true" address of a link without clicking on it. Run the mouse over it and see if it shows up in a box or in the bar at the bottom of your screen. Then follow semi-sub's guidance. Experiment with the "make a link ("blue clicky")" under this box, and look for "http://www.mudcat.org/blickifier.cfm" to pop up somewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: artbrooks
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:46 AM

That should be "under the "Reply to Thread" box, of course...it is still very early here.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Amos
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 10:46 AM

ALways "View Source" on emails that have an embedded link. You will find in scams the embedded link does not go to the right URL for Paypal, or whoever, but is actually somewhere in the .ru domain or some such.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 11:30 AM

A couple years ago, someone used my Paypal account to purchase jewelry on Ebay and charge it to my credit-card. The fraud was quickly rectified, but the matter produced hours of work and frustration for me.

It was a real eye-opener to see that Paypal, my ISP and the credit-reporting bureaus had no interest in helping me out. For example, my ISP refused to give me a new e-mail address, and Paypal refused to close my account. (With Paypal, I finally beat my way to a screen that said my account would lapse if I didn't fix it. I let it lapse.)

I now have a new ISP and I don't have a Paypal account anymore. I feel safer that way.

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:29 PM

Tabster -

A recent Symantec "white paper" on "the underground economy" reports that a "small donation to a charity" is a fairly common method used by persons buying and selling stolen account information, to verify that the stolen information is for an active account and that all the information is valid.

According to this report, there are a number of "operatives" who advertise this kind of "verification" as a "service for hire."

Merely removing the charge, while necessary of course, does not affect the fact that someone was able to have the charge accepted and posted by Paypal (and applies to any other method of transaction).

While it's impossible to conclude that your account has been "compromised," it would be quite likely a "good thing to do" for you to immediately change your password(s)/PIN numbers or other access codes on this and perhaps on any other accounts where you might have used the same (or derivative similar) passwords or other codes.

This use is not a "proof" - but is evidence - that someone may have more information than you want them to have, about your account.

(The white paper is about 85 pages and mostly pretty boring. I can probably dig out a link if anyone really wants to look up the full scoop.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Anne Lister
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 02:47 AM

Thanks, John - in fact what appeared on my account was an invoice, so that suggests that what the offenders have is my email address (which is fairly easy to acquire).   The money didn't go out of my account.
I will, however, take your advice and change passwords (again).

Anne

Subject: RE: BS: Nasty scam using PayPal
From: Janice in NJ
Date: 11 Dec 08 - 06:18 AM

Bogus PayPal invoices are just the latest version of false billing schemes, a type of mail fraud that flourished for as long as the postal service existed. Usually the amounts involved were small, but the number of victims enormous. La plus ça change...!