Authorities in multiple states are warning that reports of online scams involving PayPal are continuing to persist.
In the scam, people received an email claiming to be from PayPal, an online money transfer service. In one example the email claims that an iPhone was ordered for $700, and in the email, there is a number to call instead of a link to click on. Once the number is called the person on the other side asks for a credit card number to settle up some issues with the order and the person says they want to send a refund for the iPhone.
This is a scam to try and get your credit card details. Similar scams have been recently reported in Pennsylvania and in Georgia. The emails are not coming from a PayPal address, so experts say be sure to check the entire email address to be sure.
In Georgia, the Columbus Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit warned the public of a similar scam where the emails were also not coming from PayPal, as claimed. Consumers are asked not to call the number in the email and not to trust emails that may seem authentic but are not coming from PayPal.
As some reports have found, while PayPal does allow victims of fraud to report and file claimswith the company through their protection promise, the Better Business Bureau says that with this latest persistent scam "because the scammer technically shipped the package and the tracking number marked it as delivered, PayPal rejected their claims.”
The Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker allows people to report scams and search for scams they need to be aware of.