PayPal phishing attempt

I have used my PayPal account a fair bit these past months. Both receiving and making payments.

Thus, when I got this email with a payment that the PayPal Investigation had returned, I was on the alert. No, not the phishing alert - I was more worried about someone making a payment and me not getting it. The obvious victim for scams, I might add.

I did not recognize the payers name, and the amount of US$35 sounded a far bit strange to me. Puzzled, I started to read the fine prints, and decided that I needed to check my account to investigate further. I scrolled down the mail to find the link to the PayPal Log on page.

Need I say this was December 26? At the kitchen table, relaxing with my late breakfast. Oh, yes, it was a nice dinner last night!

Upon finding the link again, my mind kicked me in the back, and I decided to check the link before clicking. No surprise there - I was one click away from getting phished (phish, phishing, phisher, phished, - I have no clue of the correct phishing grammar, I must admit).

So Leo, Phishers do have a clue. They are getting better every single day. And if you let the guard down only a split second after a nice dinner party, you might find your account empty. As you note, some are still swearing to old tools and bad quality, but those who mean business adopts and research. And gets their rewards.

Take a good look at the images - they show the email I got. The first shows the standard PayPal template with the serious looking header.

This next picture shows the transaction information - the part of the email that made me believe the authenticity of the scam.