Since this scam doesn't go through PayPal's systems at all, there's nothing they can do to protect sellers from it. Another fake email scam involves sending sellers an email that appears to be from PayPal indicating that funds have been transferred into their account pending confirmation, with a link or button for the seller to click that will make the money available to them.
Traditional phishing scams offering millions of dollars for a small investment in time and money have been around almost as long as email. Now, these scammers are targeting PayPal users. These fraudsters will ask for a small amount for some sort of processing fee or documentation with the promise of big financial returns in terms of lost inheritances or other found money. Obviously, they never plan on sending you any money, and simply walk away with the smaller amount you sent.
Despite the fact that this scheme has become fairly well-known, millions of people still fall victim to it every year. A seller might receive notice of a purchase and ship an item, only to later be told by PayPal that the transaction was fraudulent and that the transaction must be reversed.
PayPal's Seller Protection Program can reimburse merchants in these situations if the transaction is eligible. Merchants using PayPal should ensure that they are meeting all the requirements of the Seller Protection Program in order to protect themselves from purchases made with hacked accounts. While not exclusive to PayPal, fake charities are a common scam, especially after widely publicized disasters.
Scammers set up a PayPal account and one or more social media pages claiming to be a charity organization devoted to helping people impacted by the disaster. They then use paid advertising or bot accounts to spread posts by the fake charity account encouraging people to donate. The trickiest part about this scheme is that most people never even realize they've been scammed, thinking their money went to charity when in fact it went into a scammer's pocket.
The good news about PayPal scams is that there are several actionable steps merchants can take to prevent or avoid them. If you know what to look for, you can exercise caution and protect yourself from scammers, thieves, and hackers. You can also report it to Action Fraud on or use their online reporting tool.
Your email provider can help too. Most email providers have a report function where you can mark the email as junk then once in your junk folders you can mark it as a phishing scam, which will then report the sender. For more details see our guide on how to report a scam or fraud. Check the history of your payments and make sure to create a strong password to help secure your account.
Check out our full commenting guidelines. By clicking on 'Post Comment', you're agreeing to our Commenting Policy. We typically use email to contact our customers. Some email clients make it hard to see the real name. Sophisticated fraudsters can fake the entire name to look like a legitimate sender, so be careful. When you check your account, always enter " www.
Advance fee fraud. Most of us are careful if a stranger approaches on the street and offers a deal that's just too good to be true. But we're much less cautious online, which puts us at risk. If you get an offer for free money, there's probably a catch. Typically, fraudsters will ask you to send some smaller amount for taxes, for legal documents, etc. Verify through your PayPal account. If you receive an email that says that you've received a PayPal payment, take a moment to log in to your PayPal account before you ship any merchandise.
Remember not to follow email links. The safest way to access your account is always to open a browser window, navigate to PayPal. Be aware of telltale signs of fraud. Messages asking you to pay a small handling fee to collect some fabulous prize are usually a scam.
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