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Ensuring the safety and security of our customers is our priority. Spammers and scammers around the world are always on the lookout for opportunities to take advantage of vulnerable customers but there are a few ways you can stay vigilant and protect yourself while transacting online.
Create a strong password
Statistics show that 53% of people reuse the same password everywhere and for those who don’t, most have only three or four passwords for their various accounts. This is why it’s important to have passwords that contain a combination of letters, symbols and numbers. Having a simple password means that you are more vulnerable to malware, phishing and identity theft, so don’t use information that could be found on social media in your passwords such as your pet’s name, children’s names, favorite football team, your name, birthday, driver’s license numbers or phone numbers.
Can’t remember all your passwords? You can find reputable password managers online that can manage that for you at little to no cost.
Beware of phishing attempts
Phishing is a form of social engineering, where scammers pretend to be representatives from legitimate institutions and “fish” for secure information, passwords, or account numbers. Phishing attempts are most frequently accomplished by email, but they can also be detected via phone calls and text messages.
If you suspect you’ve been a target of a PayPal phishing scam, forward the entire phishing email or spoof site information to phishing@paypal.com. Don’t alter the email subject line or forward the message as an attachment. Then, delete the email from your email account immediately after.
To forward a text exchange, follow these steps:
- iPhone, iPad: Tap and hold the message you want to forward, select “More,” then tap the “Forward” arrow on the bottom right corner and enter phishing@paypal.com. After you’ve hit send, delete the message.
- Android: Tap and hold the message you want to forward, select the “More” menu, and then “Forward” to phishing@paypal.com. After you’ve hit send, delete the message.
Unauthorized account activity
If you think someone has used your account without permission, we suggest you change your account information (passwords, PINs, security questions), then contact us and your financial institutions immediately. If reported within 60 days of when the transaction appeared on your account statement, PayPal can protect you with $0 liability for eligible unauthorized transactions.
To better safeguard your accounts from scammers, make sure you know the signs to spot a scam. That way, you can tell if it’s really us reaching out and better protect yourself against any threats.