"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam

The email message below with the subject: "Your PayPal account will be Closed," is a fake and a phishing scam. The email message claims that the recipients received the message because of missing or incorrect information on their accounts. But, the email message was not sent by PayPal and is a scam created by cyber-criminals to steal the recipients' PayPal usernames, passwords and credit card information. Once the scammers have the victims' information, they will use it to hijack their accounts and use their credit card information and PayPal accounts fraudulently.

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Your PayPal Account Will be Closed Phishing Scam

The PayPal Phishing Email Message

From: support@royalmailemailform .datasquirt.co.uk
Subject: Your PayPal account will be Closed !

Your PayPal account will be Closed !

Dear Customer,

Some information on your account appears to be missing or incorrect.

Please update your information promptly so that you can continue to enjoy.

all the benefits of your paypal account.

If you don't update your information within 72 hours, we will limit it.

What you can do with your paypal account?

We aim to review your account within 24 hours.

Please click the link below to see the steps you'll need to complete your update.

If no steps are currently listed, please check back in 24 hours.

Take the Tour
Check It Here

If you follow the instruction in the fake email message, you will be taken to a fake PayPal website and ask to sign-in with your PayPal username and password. You will then be asked to update your credit card information by entering it on the bogus PayPal page.

All the information entered on the bogus PayPal page, will be sent to the cybercriminals behind the scam. Once they have your PayPal credentials, they use it to hijack your account and use it for fraudulent purposes. This includes stealing money from your account, using your PayPal and credit card to make fraudulent purchases.

If you have already entered your PayPal user name,password and credit card information on the fake website, please change your PayPal password and contact your bank immediately.

Please note that PayPal will always address you by your name, and will never refer to you using the following:

  • Dear [Email Address]
  • Dear PayPal user
  • Dear PayPal customer
  • Dear Valued Customer
  • Dear Member
  • Dear User
  • Dear Customer

To avoid getting tricked by these phishing scams, never click on a link in an email message to sign into your PayPal account. Always go to www.paypal.com and sign into your account from there. PayPal will display important messages or notifications to you once you have signed into your account.

This PayPal phishing scam is similar to the following:

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 6)

To protect your privacy, please remove sensitive or identifiable information from your comments, questions, or reviews. We will use your IP address to display your approximate location to other users when you make a post. That location is not enough to find you.

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November 21, 2016 at 5:17 AM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
an anonymous user from: Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

How to close my paypal account.

Delete

November 21, 2016 at 6:16 AM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
info

Please contact PayPal for help.

Delete

August 22, 2016 at 10:15 AM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
info

Here is another scam:

"From: PaypaI.com

Sent: Monday, August 15, 2016 9:12 PM

Subject: Your PayPal account will be Closed!

Dear customer,,

We will close your account until we hear from you. To update your information.

Please visit the following website to complete the survey. Simply click on the web address below :

Verify my account

We appreciate your participation and look forward to hear from you.

John McCabe

Senior Vice President

Customer Service and Operations"

Delete

May 19, 2016 at 9:38 AM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
info

Here is another scam:

"Fw: Your Account has limitation

Your PayPal Account Will Be Closed in 24 Hours!

Hello PayPal Customer,

We are sorry to inform you that you can not access all your paypal advantages like sending money and purchasing,due to account limitation."

Delete

March 21, 2016 at 6:53 PM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
info

Here is another PayPal scam:

"We have recently encountered a problem in your account.

Service (donotreply@e-paypal.net)

Dear User Confirm your identity to unlock all your account benefits.

your PayPaI Account Will Be Closed in 24 Hours.

Hello PayPaI Customer,We are sorry to inform you that you can not access all your paypal advantages like sending money and purchasing,due to account Iimitation to get started.."

Delete

March 8, 2016 at 6:24 AM by
"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam
info

Here is another phishing scam:

"Dear Customer,

Your PayPaI Account Will Be Closed in 24 Hours .

We are sorry to inform you that you can not access all your PayPaI advantages like sending money and purchasing,due to account Iimitation You have to confirm all your account details on our secure server by click the link below or (copy & past) the link into your browser and following all the steps. If The Link Don't Work On Gmail Please Click On ("Non-Spam" & "The Show Images Noted Below" [Afficher les images ci-dessous]) due to our new security update.

CHECK ACCOUNT"

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

"Your PayPal Account Will be Closed" Phishing Scam