Another fake paypal email
Thread poster: Claudia Alvis
Claudia Alvis
Claudia Alvis  Identity Verified
Peru
Local time: 16:11
Member
Spanish
+ ...
Feb 19, 2005

I just received an email from [email protected]. The email said that somebody had been trying to log in to my paypal account, and I needed to verify my identity using my email address Since the email address was @paypal.com for a minute I really thoght it could be a real one, but still I contacted customer service. And of course, the email was fake. Be carful with suspicious emails.

This is the email:


We recently noticed more attempts to log in to your PayPal
account from a foreign IP address and we have reasons
to belive that your account was compromised by a third
party without your authorization.


If you recently accessed your account while traveling,
the unusual log in attempts may have been initiated by you.
However,if you are the account holder please verify that,
clicking on the link below,log in fill the form and then submit.
In this way we will verify your identity.


The link. It showed one URL but was directed to another one


The log in attempt was made from:

IP address: 184.158.158.98
ISP host: 184.158.158.98


If you choose to ignore our request , your account will be suspended
until you will verify your identity.


We ask that you allow at least 72 hours for the case to be
investigated and we strongly recommend not to make any changes
to your account in that time.

If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account
holder, please be aware that it is in violation of PayPal policy
to represent yourself as another PayPal user. Such action may also
be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. PayPal
is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related to
attempts to misappropriate personal information with the intent to
commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request of
law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to
the full extent of the law.


*Please do not respond to this e-mail as your reply will not be received.

Thanks for your patience as we work together to protect your account.




Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Team
----------------------------------------------------------------
PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD

NEVER give your password to anyone and ONLY log in at
https://www.paypal.com/. Protect yourself against fraudulent websites by
opening a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and typing
in the PayPal URL every time you log in to your account.


 
Clarisa Moraña
Clarisa Moraña  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 16:11
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Pay pal recommendations Feb 20, 2005

Taken from Paypal Website:

What to watch out for

Generic greetings. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as: "Dear PayPal member."


A false sense of urgency. Most spoof emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don't update it ASAP.


Fake links. The text in a link may atte
... See more
Taken from Paypal Website:

What to watch out for

Generic greetings. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as: "Dear PayPal member."


A false sense of urgency. Most spoof emails try to deceive you with the threat that your account is in jeopardy if you don't update it ASAP.


Fake links. The text in a link may attempt to look valid, then send you to a spoof address. Always check where a link is going before you click. Move your mouse over it and look at the URL in your browser or email status bar. If the link looks suspicious, don't click on it. And be aware that a fake link may even have the word "PayPal" in it.


Regards,

Clarisa
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Sherey Gould
Sherey Gould  Identity Verified
Local time: 15:11
German to English
numeral 1 versus lowercase "l" Feb 20, 2005

The thing about these fake paypal notices that really made me sit up and notice was once reading about how the faked links can include the name "paypal" but, when rendered in standard browser fonts, one can't tell that it's "paypa1" (with the numeral 1 instead of the lowercase "l") -- it's gotten to the point where I don't trust ANYONE anymore! (sadly, but no doubt more wisely)

 
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:11
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
another example of fake Paypal message Feb 20, 2005

Yep, I've received several fake messages from Paypal as well, including the following this weekend.
It's easy to know it's a fake. I never even signed up to start with.

Jeff

-----
From: [email protected]
Subject: Update Your Paypal Account. Final Notice !
Dear Member

We Here at PayPal, are sorry to inform you that we are having problem's with the billing info
... See more
Yep, I've received several fake messages from Paypal as well, including the following this weekend.
It's easy to know it's a fake. I never even signed up to start with.

Jeff

-----
From: [email protected]
Subject: Update Your Paypal Account. Final Notice !
Dear Member

We Here at PayPal, are sorry to inform you that we are having problem's with the billing information on your account.
We would appreciate it if you would go to our website and fill out the proper information that we need to keep you as a
PayPal member.

Please Update your account information by visiting our updates web site below.

http://www.account-under-review.cjb.net

Steve Johnson.
Billing Updates Center
Account Updates Team.

Paypal ID Number.[XXXX]

We do hope to continue doing business with you.
--------
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Alexandru Pojoga
Alexandru Pojoga
Romania
Local time: 00:11
Japanese to English
+ ...
Never ever click these Feb 20, 2005

We're all educated and know enough to be suspicious, but sometimes we may think "OK, this one just sounds true."

Just open the browser and type in paypal.com. Is there a similar warning right there on the front page? Does it say anything in big red letters?


 
Jörgen Slet
Jörgen Slet  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 00:11
English to Estonian
+ ...
The new trick is using Unicode characters in URLs Feb 21, 2005

Sherey Gould wrote:

The thing about these fake paypal notices that really made me sit up and notice was once reading about how the faked links can include the name "paypal" but, when rendered in standard browser fonts, one can't tell that it's "paypa1" (with the numeral 1 instead of the lowercase "l") -- it's gotten to the point where I don't trust ANYONE anymore! (sadly, but no doubt more wisely)


Lowercase numerals are a yesterday's trick, the new trick is using Unicode characters in URLs.
Unicode charset contains more than one character looking like the letter "a" for instance, so using these will give you a very real "www.paypal.com" taking you to somewhere else.

The funny thing is, since IE does not support Unicode URLs, only "alternative browsers" are vulnerable.

http://seclists.org/lists/fulldisclosure/2005/Feb/0107.html

Unfortunately the www.paypal.com example is gone from
http://www.shmoo.com/idn/
but they do have a more ordinary working example.


 


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Another fake paypal email






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