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If you don’t (or the timing doesn’t make sense), you might be safer deleting the invoice. If you recognize the name behind an invoice, or if you were expecting an invoice, you are probably in the clear. Instead, open PayPal in your web browser and log in to your account to see what invoices are waiting for you there. If you work with PayPal invoices regularly, don’t click on email links to view them. To protect yourself, the most important thing you can do is to be skeptical of any new invoices coming into your account. This lends the spam invoices a sense of credibility and makes it more likely that someone will fall for the scam. That’s why you’re seeing names like GoDaddy and WHO in the invoices. Unfortunately, they’re being misused as part of an aggressive spam campaign and sent to hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of random users in the hopes that someone will bite. They’re 100% genuine and created within PayPal using the same tools that all PayPal users have access to. Let’s clear up a misconception first: These are not fake invoices. What’s causing these fake PayPal invoices to come through? What gives!?Īnyone else got a $35 invoice from on your ? Why am I being force billed ? /066TD5D5fk- Samir August 30, 2020Īre these invoices even real? Has someone managed to hack into PayPal? As it turns out, the truth is far more annoying than you could even imagine. This means your money is gone without much recourse to get it back. If you make the mistake of clicking pay, the money is immediately extracted from your account as if you’d sent someone a payment. You may also like: BBB warns of puppy scams online The invoices are usually for small amounts around $35 or less, but some are climbing as high as $100 or more. Typically these invoices appear to come from well-known entities like the World Health Organization, DirectRelief and GoDaddy. Here’s how it works: Users with a PayPal account will receive an email informing them that an invoice is awaiting payment.
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There’s a dodgy California Wildfires one going around with deliberate text obfuscation. PayPal doesn’t seem to have a reporting pathway for real invoices from fraudulent accounts. According to numerous social media reports, a spam epidemic is targeting PayPal users with invoices designed to trick people into paying money they don’t owe. Have you received an unusual invoice through PayPal for a service or item you didn’t order? If so, you’re not alone.
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