Text Messages are a Hacker’s Latest Weapon to Dole out PayPal Phishing Scams.
The easiest way cybercriminals can try to hack your social media or PayPal account is to drop phishing link or malware straight into your inbox but recently these malicious actors seem to have become experimental.
They are probably trying out newer ways to victimize innocent PayPal users and are open to using all kinds of techniques at their disposal. These criminals are currently turning to phone text messages to obtain their nefarious objectives.
Here is the latest example of one such campaign. Reportedly, the scammers delivered text messages to PayPal users purporting to be sent by the PayPal Team. This message was more like a warning to PayPal users because the recipient was informed that his/her account has been locked and a URL link should be followed to restore access.
You have guessed it right, the message hasn’t been sent by the PayPal team at all. When you click on the link you will be shown a fake PayPal web page in your smartphone’s web browser. This page would appear authentic as it will show the original PayPal logo and formatting. You will be asked to log into your personal PayPal account to resolve the issue and get your account “unlocked.”
Once you enter your credentials and log in on this fake page, the malicious actors will become capable of stealing your login details and hijack your real PayPal account using these credentials. Later, the world will be at their feet because they will be able to conduct fraudulent transactions on your behalf.
Always remember that the PayPal team never send a generic message to the users whether email or SMS to request you to click on a link to log in to your account. Moreover, authentic PayPal messages address you by your real name.
To report a phishing scam involving PayPal, you can check out the PayPal website.