If you use PayPal, and honestly, who doesn’t these days? There’s something you seriously need to be aware of. Over the past few months, there’s been a huge surge in PayPal-related scams, and they’re getting trickier by the day.
According to recent reports, phishing scams linked to PayPal have skyrocketed by around 600%! These aren’t just random spam emails either, scammers are using fake invoices, fake websites, and even fake customer service numbers to try and steal your money.
What’s Happening?
One particularly nasty scam involved fraudsters pretending to be a legitimate business called Palomino Bazaar. They sent out over 200 fake invoices, asking for about $1,000 each.
Some people were even tricked into calling a fake support number where scammers would try to get even more information (and money) out of them. Even entire school districts have been caught up in this problem.
And this is just one example. The scams are getting so common that even the Better Business Bureau has issued warnings.
The Tricks They’re Using
Here’s how these scams usually work:
- Fake invoices that look 100% real, urging you to pay immediately.
- Phishing emails pretending to be from PayPal, telling you something’s wrong with your account.
- Lookalike websites with URLs like “paypai.com” (notice the sneaky spelling) to steal your login info.
- Scary, urgent messages that pressure you to act quickly before you have time to think.
These are some of them, anything to get you to panic and click without double-checking.
It’s not just a few unlucky people either. One woman paid £615 for a bike on Facebook Marketplace using PayPal’s “friends and family” payment option — and guess what? The bike never arrived.
Because she used “friends and family” (which skips PayPal’s buyer protection), she was initially denied a refund. She only got her money back after going public with her story. Sadly, cases like this are becoming more common.
How You Can Stay Safe
Honestly, it’s getting to the point where you have to assume any unexpected PayPal message is suspicious until you prove otherwise. Here’s what you should do:
- Never click on links in emails or texts. Instead, go directly to PayPal’s official website.
- Double-check the sender’s email address. Scammers often use addresses that look almost real but are slightly off.
- Set up two-factor authentication on your account, it adds a much-needed extra layer of security.
- Avoid using “friends and family” for purchases from strangers; that option is for people you know and trust.
- Report anything suspicious. Forward weird emails to [email protected] and tell the authorities if you lose money.
Scammers are getting smarter, but you can stay a step ahead by being cautious and double-checking everything. If something feels off, it probably is.
