Preventing PayPal Fraud and Identity Scams
A personal experience with two recent fraudulent e-mails within the same month encouraged further research for better protection. It is becoming increasingly important to seek out a strategy for understanding PayPal Fraud, identity theft schemes, and other scams. PayPal’s website offers some great tip son preventing these occurrences as a Buyer, and offers Merchant tips for frequent sellers as well. Still, there are some additional practical tips to keep in mind:
âÂ?¢ Sharing personal information, as always, is a definite ‘no.’ PayPal ensures that they will never ask you for your password or social security number directly via e-mail, and so you should never share this information with any request.
âÂ?¢ Phishing occurs across a variety of websites, moreso related to those with banking information and social security numbers available. E-mails from ‘PayPal’ that are fraudulent often ask you to simply click on an embedded link to ‘update your information for verification.’ Other e-mails even look like they come from the ‘service@paypal.com’ sender, but a closer look reveals that the actual address is typed as ‘service@paypa1.com’granting it absolute fraudulent rights! Without a keen eye and smart attitude for reading e-mails, any consumer can easily get stuck in the web of PayPal abuse.
âÂ?¢ It is possible to increase your chances of security by becoming a Verified PayPal member. In order to do so, simply fill out your banking and address information on the secure site. Always remember that the real PayPal website will always have ‘https://” preceding it. Without the extra ‘s’, the site is considered unsecured and is likely a hoax. The REAL PayPal secure website can be found at: https://www.paypal.com. Bookmark it if you have to, and always make sure to login at this site only! ‘Imitation’ sites are getting better and better at mimicking the real PayPal site; always double-check the URL.
âÂ?¢ PayPal also ensures that it will never send you an attachment; this means you will not be required to perform any type of ‘software update’ or click through to an external site. Any attempts to do so are likely a scam, and only leading you to another site that probably mimics the true PayPal site.
� Always look for the Verisign logo and PayPal security lock box in the corner of the screen when completing a transaction. If you are purchasing on eBay from a PayPal verified vendor, you are much safer than purchasing from an unverified host. An unverified vendor has likely not registered completely with PayPal, and may not deliver your goods. In this case, it will become difficult, if not impossible, to track them down.
âÂ?¢ Watch for the greeting lines in your e-mail. Valid PayPal e-mails will show your real name, addressed directly to you. They will not reference a ‘Dear PayPal member’ or use this as a subject. From personal experience, this has happened frequently; many e-mail scam lists have populated their databases with your e-mail address and can generate a bulk e-mail using this format.
âÂ?¢ Check in to your PayPal account on a frequent basis. Even if you don’t use the account weekly, makes sure to login and track any questionable activity. PayPal’s interface enables you to navigate through months and years of activity, and you can report any instant directly to PayPal as soon as you catch it.
� Double check all connected e-mail accounts. Since you do need at least one PayPal e-mail account to set it up, you can also add additional accounts to use at a variety of sites. Make sure to check your account settings so that you know exactly which e-mail addresses are tied to your account. An account with an unidentifiable e-mail address attached has likely been hacked, and you will need PayPal to assist you in its removal and track down the culprit.
All in all, PayPal is a great online transaction site that has many benefits. Its ease of use and accessibility do make it open to fraudulent scams, behavior, and activity; beware of all correspondence you receive, and always make sure to check up on your account. Phishing, e-mail scams, registration mistakes, and even an innocent purchase can lead to dangerous situations if you don’t monitor them effectively and take corrective action. PayPal does work hard to ensure that their site is secure, accessible to its members, and highly encrypted; it will also follow-up on any fraudulent e-mail syou may receive, or with any other questions you have regarding your account. Stay informed, and stay safe when using PayPal!
