It seems that PayPal, which is one of the largest online payment processing companies in the world, has a fraud problem. This weekend, several people reported receiving mysterious PayPal invoices for $35. A lot of people are wondering why they received a $35 PayPal invoice they were not expecting. It seems to be a scam of epic proportions. According to the screenshots users shared on social media, at first glance, these emails look like textbook phishing attempt.
The subject line of the email reads, ‘Invoice from Help those affected by the California wildfire,’ and there is a ‘View and Pay Invoice’ button in the email. The email actually comes from PayPal, and there is an email waiting for the user in their PayPal dashboard. Furthermore, the transfer is pending, even if the person never clicked that ‘View and Pay Invoice’ button.
Dana Wollman explained that it happened to her and that she was able to resolve the issue easily enough. eBay users also reported that that they got a PayPal message of a bogus $35 invoice awaiting payment. They had to cancel it.
On Twitter, a person tweeted a screenshot and asked why he received a $35 invoice from the WHO (World Health Organization). The Twitter user directed @PayPal and asked why he was being forced billed.
A PayPal spokesperson acknowledged the scams. The company’s spokesperson in a statement explained that they are aware of this. She added that PayPal believes it to be a common scheme leveraging the name of a brand. PayPal takes each instance of potential fraudulent schemes seriously, she explained. The company makes sure that the information of its customers is secure and has worked to remove incorrect invoices. The company’s representative also said that PayPal is employing a range of sophisticated proactive detection tools, and the company will take swift action to protect the accounts of its users if a situation does occur.
However, the spokesperson did not clarify what is included in the fraud detection tools of PayPal. If you have received such an email, disputing the transaction via PayPal might be the best solution. It is important to note that although PayPal is a company with a market cap of $239.5 billion, it doesn’t have 24/7 customer support. Moreover, PayPal’s Resolution Center is available on the web dashboard only, and not in the smartphone application.
Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Read next: Security Researchers Discovered Nearly 2 Dozen Fleeceware Android Apps On Google Play Store That Lure Consumers Into Paying Unreasonably High Subscription Fees
The subject line of the email reads, ‘Invoice from Help those affected by the California wildfire,’ and there is a ‘View and Pay Invoice’ button in the email. The email actually comes from PayPal, and there is an email waiting for the user in their PayPal dashboard. Furthermore, the transfer is pending, even if the person never clicked that ‘View and Pay Invoice’ button.
Dana Wollman explained that it happened to her and that she was able to resolve the issue easily enough. eBay users also reported that that they got a PayPal message of a bogus $35 invoice awaiting payment. They had to cancel it.
On Twitter, a person tweeted a screenshot and asked why he received a $35 invoice from the WHO (World Health Organization). The Twitter user directed @PayPal and asked why he was being forced billed.
If you have Paypal, watch out folks. I just got an invoice from some supposed COVID relief fund for $35. I'm waiting to hear back from @PayPal or @AskPayPal about this because it's not cool to just get invoiced out of the blue. The WHO logo does nothing to prove it's legit. pic.twitter.com/yz5GUVH6ch— Auntie Sam (@auntiesam_usa) August 25, 2020
What is this? I received the notification this morning that PayPal is billing me for WHO relief fund! Whether you want it or not, soon they'll stop asking and start taking. pic.twitter.com/Ddnc4E80uP— VMax 🇺🇸 (@VivadaVinci) August 25, 2020
.@AskPayPal PayPal doesn't seem to have a reporting pathway for real invoices from fraudulent accounts. There's a dodgy California Wildfires one going around with deliberate text obfuscation. Stay frosty, folks. pic.twitter.com/3Dwb6LKeLS— Bill Eager (@beager) August 30, 2020
Watch out for @PayPal scams. Started getting “x sent you an invoice notifications” clearly the spacing was intentional in the name and no relief fund would just send you an invoice. An email requesting donation maybe, but not a paypal invoice. pic.twitter.com/RomjjeSRLP— 𝕊𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕝 (@sherylmaloney) August 31, 2020
A PayPal spokesperson acknowledged the scams. The company’s spokesperson in a statement explained that they are aware of this. She added that PayPal believes it to be a common scheme leveraging the name of a brand. PayPal takes each instance of potential fraudulent schemes seriously, she explained. The company makes sure that the information of its customers is secure and has worked to remove incorrect invoices. The company’s representative also said that PayPal is employing a range of sophisticated proactive detection tools, and the company will take swift action to protect the accounts of its users if a situation does occur.
However, the spokesperson did not clarify what is included in the fraud detection tools of PayPal. If you have received such an email, disputing the transaction via PayPal might be the best solution. It is important to note that although PayPal is a company with a market cap of $239.5 billion, it doesn’t have 24/7 customer support. Moreover, PayPal’s Resolution Center is available on the web dashboard only, and not in the smartphone application.
Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Read next: Security Researchers Discovered Nearly 2 Dozen Fleeceware Android Apps On Google Play Store That Lure Consumers Into Paying Unreasonably High Subscription Fees
