Fresh Wave of Phish Campaign Reaches PayPal—Scammer Lure Users with “How to restore your account” Email
PayPal is often being targeted by scammers and cyber criminals mainly because it is a money transaction platform and thus, it is a lucrative target for every threat actor. The latest phishing campaign to hit PayPal is in the form of an email that claims to be sent by the official team of PayPal. It informs the recipient that his or her account has been limited and that the company has implemented limitations so as to make sure that ‘no unauthorized activity is done with your account’.
[q]Tip: Delete any email from PayPal with generic terms like “Dear Customer” “Valued Customer” “Dear Valued Client or Customer.”[/q]
Further, the recipient of this email is informed that it is possible to remove this limitation by simply opening the attached file and providing accurate information in a verification form. Needless to say that this is just another phishing scam and the email hasn’t been sent by PayPal at all. The claim that your account has been limited by the company is nothing else but a blatant lie. The only purpose of this email is to deceive users and trick them into opening the infected file.
So, what happens when you open that attachment?
You will immediately see a form on your browser window, which will include the PayPal logo as well to make it look authentic. The user will be asked to enter his or her name, DOB, home address, phone number and social security number in that form followed by credit card number. When the asked information will be entered, the user will be requested to click on “Submit Form” button. This will lead the user to the real PayPal website.
Fill in the blanks and get phish! / Photo: Waqas Amir
The user would think that the deed has been done but in reality, the scammers would be storing the acquired information for carrying out identity theft and make fake transactions with the credit card.
But how can you avoid being played upon?
It is simple; just remember that PayPal would never ask its users to enter such sensitive information like credit card number or social security number in such an insecure manner. Moreover, the company won’t send you to form via email attachments. Lastly, PayPal will always address its customers by name. So, if you discover any generic term in the content of the email such as “Dear Customer” “Valued Customer” “Dear Valued Client or Customer” then immediately delete that email.
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Also, if you want to access your PayPal account, you must enter the website by typing its address into your browser’s address bar or through an official app. Never click on any link present in an email. If you have received an email like the sample we have uploaded here, please be informed that this is the same phishing scam we want to warn you about. Report this email by visiting PayPal’s official website.
It is safe and advisable to login your PayPal account by entering the web address into your browser’s address bar or via an official PayPal app. The PayPal website has a verified green signature as shown in the screenshot below:
