PayPal customers are being warned about a new live chat scam doing the rounds - and it could lead to crooks stealing your bank details.
The scam involves unsuspecting PayPal users being sent a seemingly legitimate email telling them there is a problem with their account.
To fix the “issue” they’re then instructed to click on a link and enter a live chat service.
But this email and link isn’t actually from PayPal - instead, there is a scammer on the other end using an automated service to look like someone is speaking to you.
The fraudster will use this automated system to ask the victim for personal details such as their phone number and full name.
They’ll also attempt to verify your email address so they can then gain access to your PayPal account.
The malicious email contains some links that confusingly lead to authentic PayPal links.
But tell-tale signs that show this email is fake is the “from” address isn’t hidden so you can see it doesn’t come from PayPal.
The subject line of some scam emails reported is also a giveaway as it reads “Service Notice PP” followed by a random number and then “Livechat !!”.
A PayPal spokesperson told The Mirror that it would always email users via their secure message centre - which you can see by logging into your account - if there is a problem.
Have you been caught out by a scammer? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
They said: "You will have a secure message waiting if PayPal does need you to take any action.
"A genuine PayPal email will only ever address you by your full name – anything that starts differently should immediately raise your suspicions.
"Look out for spelling mistakes, which are a common tell-tale sign of a fraudulent message."
Aaron Drapkin, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, said: "At the moment, PayPal seems to be a popular choice for credential phishing.
"If you have a PayPal account and receive a message about this, do not click on it.
"Instead, contact PayPal directly outside of your email inbox to find out if the message was from them, chances are, it wasn't."
How to spot a PayPal scam
If you think that you’ve received a suspicious email, you can forward it to spoof@paypal.com, without changing the subject line.
PayPal will let you know whether it is fraudulent.
Here are some other tips to stay safe when using PayPal:
- Log into PayPal: If you receive a suspicious email, don’t act on the message or click on any links. Instead, open your browser, log into PayPal and check for any new activity.
- Check the basics: Look out for misspellings and grammatical errors, which can be a tell-tale sign of a scam.
- Verify an email’s authenticity: Phishing scams will often mimic the look and feel of our emails, and ask you for sensitive information – something that real PayPal emails will never do.
- How to spot the difference: Our emails will address you by your first and last name, or your business name, and we will never ask you for your full password, bank account, or credit card details in a message.
- Avoid following links: If you receive an email you think is suspicious, do not click on any links or download any attachments. You can check where a link is going before you click on it by hovering over it.
- Use common sense: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Stay clear of exceptional deals or anything that is significantly reduced in price from what you would expect to pay.
