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PayPal: An old scam is making an encore

by Terri Dickerson Special toBill Brooks
| October 18, 2018 1:00 AM

PayPal offers a valuable service by allowing us to pay for our purchases over the Internet without having to use our debit or credit cards. This helps us protect our valuable personal information. But be aware of an email phishing scam where the criminals are issuing “fake” PayPal receipts for your PayPal payment. This scam has been around a few years but has once again resurfaced.

The scam goes something like this:

You get an email from Service@paypal.com with a subject line saying receipt for your PayPal Payment to (“fill in the blank”). So you look at the receipt and because it isn’t even a company you’ve heard of before, you are pretty sure this purchase doesn’t belong to you. The scammers are hoping you click on the email to take a closer look.

The receipt looks like the real deal because it uses social engineering by manufacturing a very accurate and legitimate-looking PayPal email receipt. This, of course, is done to persuade victims that their PayPal account was used to make a payment.

But don’t fall for this trick. Whatever you do, DO NOT click on any links in the email. Cyber criminals and not PayPal are sending these emails. Clicking on any links contained in these fake receipts may install malware on your computer system in particular spyware, which has been used in credit theft, extortion or identity theft.

Instead, immediately delete the email and visit https://www.PayPal.com directly to check the activity in your account. Chances are there has been no fraudulent activity and your PayPal account has not been used without your consent. If you find that there is suspicious activity on your account, deal directly with PayPal and not through links sent to you in an email.

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CREDIT SCORES: What does your credit score actually mean? Most people know that in order to get credit, you need a decent credit score. Many people know that the better your credit score, the lower your interest rate is on various loans. A few people know that the higher your credit rating, the lower your deposit will be on many consumer contracts. The better your credit score, the more likely you will be to be approved for a mortgage, and in many cases, a house or apartment rental or lease.

Bottom line: the better your credit score, the better financial terms will be available to you.

Lesson: Keep an eye on your credit score. Use tools like CreditKarma.com. Don’t ever pay, especially up front, for any credit repair service. They are almost all scams and rip-offs.

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BEWARE OF CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY CHARITY SCAMS: I love the holiday season and so do the scammers.

Watchwords for this holiday season are: generosity, charity and CAUTION!

A good practice is to check out every charity you are thinking about donating to by going to CharityNavigator.org and checking out how much of your money actually gets to that organization.

Locally there are many great charities. One of my favorites is Toys for Tots, sponsored by the Marine Corps League Pappy Boyington Detachment 966. Last year, they served 935 families and gave toys to 1,932 kids, all in our area. Toys for Tots can be reached at 818-515-6164. Ask for Ron.

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YOUR COMPUTER REPAIR REFUND: Here’s a tricky one. A consumer got a call the other day informing her that she was due a refund from her computer repair company. The caller, a scammer, reminded her that she had signed up for the services of an online computer repair company and that she was due a $94.56 refund. The “company” was being sold and the accountants were pressuring the company to quickly make all refunds due to customers and former customers.

HERE IT COMES! All they needed was her credit card number, expiration date and security code. Once they had that information they would “refund” her money that same day. She asked if they could just send her a check. The scammer said they could not because of the time constraint — the refund had to be made immediately. The consumer refused and the scammer hung up, only to attempt to rip off another naïve consumer. Don’t be that naïve consumer!

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HARASSMENT BY DEBT COLLECTORS: Can you prevent debt collectors from contacting you? The answer is a big YES!

Next time you’re contacted by a debt collector by phone, politely ask for their name, or employee number, and the name and address of their company. Tell the person on the phone not to call you regarding this debt anymore, and here’s the important part: Write them a letter with your full name, the last four digits of your Social Security number, address and the details of the debt they say you owe and tell them not to contact you again regarding this debt.

If you want to add a little oomph, send it by certified mail with a return receipt green card back to you that they have to sign. You’ll probably never get another harassing call from them. (Remember, though: If it’s a legitimate debt — it won’t go away.)

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REMEMBER BILL BROOKS: “He’s On Your Side”

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We have many more tips and interesting cases that we’re working on. Call us at 208-699-2455. You can follow us at www.billbrooks.us. We are available to speak about consumerism to schools and civic groups. Bill Brooks is a consumer advocate who lives in Coeur d’Alene. Terri Dickerson is a writer and consumer advocate living in Coeur d’Alene. Bobbi Brooks is the proofreader.