ITS has received reports of a scam using PayPal transactions. The email shows a request from someone asking for a payment. While the notification from PayPal is legitimate, scammers use the “Notes” section to enter comments that look like they are from PayPal, such as asking the recipient to call a phone number to verify that the transaction is not fraudulent. However, the phone number is actually the scammer’s, and they will seek information to take control of your device and steal money:
What do you need to do?
If you see a PayPal money request in your email that you were not expecting, take precaution. If you don’t know the sender, delete the message, but if you’re still unsure whether it’s legitimate, it’s best to go to PayPal’s website and find their customer service phone number to verify the origin of the transaction.
Be mindful that these types of scams also target personal email addresses. Never provide financial information to a person or vendor you do not know.
Messages sent to your WCM inbox can also be reviewed by our Security team via Phish Alarm.