Phishing Scam - "Dear PayPal customer?" or "Update Your Information"
PayPal users, the email with the subject "Dear PayPal customer" or "Update Your Information," is a fake and a phishing scam. The email message claims that the recipients' PayPal account billing information is out of date and they should update it as soon as possible. But, the email message was not sent by PayPal and is a scam created by scammers to steal the recipients' PayPal username, password and credit card information, which they(scammers) will use to hijack their accounts.
The PayPal Phishing Email Scam
Dear PayPal customer
Update Your Information
It has came to our attention that your PayPal billing information are out of date. This require you to update your billing information as soon as possible.
This billing update is also a new PayPal security statement which goes according to the established norms on our terms of service (TOS) to reduce the instance of fraud on our website.
Please update your records . A failure to update your records may result on a suspension of your account.
To update your PayPal records click on the following link:
http://www.paypal.co.uk/
This new security statement will helps us continue to offer PayPal as a secure and cost-effective payment service. We appreciate your cooperation and assistance.
Sincerely,
The PayPal Team
If you follow the instruction in this scam, you will be taken to the following fake PayPal website and ask to sign-in with your PayPal username and password:
- http://173.214.178 .24/~wxacad99/images/us/paypal/
You will then be asked to update your credit card information by entering it on a 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 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:
- Your Account Has Been Limited Until We Hear From You
- Our Security System Detected Unusual Charges
- Your Transaction was Declined
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.