Email · Scam library
PayPal invoice and payment email scam: how to spot it and what to do
Arrives by: Email, Text message
Is it a scam?
A PayPal invoice, payment notice or money request you don't recognize, especially one that tells you to call a phone number, is a common scam. PayPal says not to click links, call numbers or open attachments in suspicious messages, and to forward them to [email protected]. Check your account by opening the PayPal app or typing paypal.com yourself.
How the scam works.
You get an email that looks like a PayPal invoice or payment receipt, often for something alarming, like a bitcoin purchase or an expensive gadget.
A "note" in the invoice tells you to call a number if you didn't make the purchase.
The person who answers pretends to be PayPal support and offers to cancel the charge.
They ask for your login, a verification code, card details or remote access, or have you send money to "reverse" the payment.
Red flags to look for.
Illustrative example · Email
From PayPal Billing <[email protected]>
You've received an invoice: $799.00 USD
Written from the patterns official sources describe. Phone numbers and web addresses in it are fake.
It greets you as "Hello user" or "Dear customer." PayPal says its messages always use the full name on your account.
A phone number to call, often tucked into a "note from seller." PayPal says not to call numbers listed in suspicious messages.
A charge you don't recognize, for crypto, electronics or software.
Urgency, such as "due upon receipt" or "cancel before the payment is processed."
A request for your password or a verification code. PayPal says those are for you only, and even a real representative shouldn't ask for them.
An attachment you weren't expecting.
The real thing vs. the scam.
What the real organization does
What the scammer does
PayPal messages use the full name on your PayPal account.
A generic greeting like "Hello user."
Any real invoice or payment also appears when you open the PayPal app or sign in at paypal.com yourself.
An invoice that exists only in the email.
PayPal says to contact it only through the Contact page in its Help Center.
A support number written into an invoice note.
If you got this message.
- Don't click "View and Pay," don't call the number, and don't open attachments.
- Open the PayPal app or type paypal.com into your browser and sign in. Look at your activity there. If the charge isn't there, the email is fake.
- Don't pay an invoice you don't recognize. Unknown invoices can be ignored.
- Forward the email to [email protected], then delete it.
- You can also report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already clicked, paid or shared information.
If you gave your PayPal password, open the PayPal app or type paypal.com yourself, sign in and change your password right away. Change it anywhere else you used it.
If you shared a verification code or let someone connect to your device, contact PayPal through the Contact page in its Help Center and tell them.
If you paid or gave card or bank details, call the number on the back of your card or in your bank's official app. Report fraud and dispute the charge.
If they connected to your computer, disconnect from the internet and have the computer checked.
Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and at ic3.gov if you lost money.
Money already sent? Start with the free C.A.L.M. recovery wizard or get step-by-step help. And watch out for anyone who offers to get it back for a fee.
Not sure about a message?
Check it in a minute.
Answer a few yes-or-no questions and see how risky it looks.
Try the scam checker
How OwlGuardian helps
Make the next scam bounce off.
In Gmail, OwlGuardian scans incoming mail and quarantines a fake PayPal invoice before your parent sees it or calls the number, then alerts their Trusted Contact to review it. If one arrives by text, say "Hey Siri, call my Owl" to screenshot it and get a quick verdict.
OwlGuardian quietly checks your parent's Gmail with AI, moves scam emails out of sight, and asks you before anything risky gets through. $4.99/month after a 30-day free trial.
Questions people ask.
How do I know if a PayPal email is real?
Should I call the number on a PayPal invoice?
What happens if I ignore a PayPal invoice?
How do I report a PayPal scam email?
Sources
- PayPal: Learn about fake messages
- PayPal: Report suspicious messages
- FTC: How to spot, avoid, and report tech support scams
The example above is illustrative, written from the patterns official sources describe. Phone numbers and web addresses in it are fake.
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