Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Beware of PayPal phishing email

I got an email in my Paypal folder telling me that my account access is limited. The email appeared to have come from service@intl.paypal.com. I haven't used my paypal account for a while and thought that it was quite strange. I then followed the link and try to check what happened to my account.

Luckily I haven't used my account for a while that I've forgotten my password, I put in a password and got through the fist "security check" and got to a page to put in all my details again. I then suddenly realised it could be one of those phishing email to get people's credit card number!!!
I googled some text from my email and found this:
Why is Your Account Access Limited -- Yes! It is highly probably that it's a phishing email!!!!

The website is
http://resolutionsvr.com/www.paypal.com/login.htm
The layout and links are all the same as the official paypal website.

Stupid me! I later found out that I didn't enter the correct password for the phishing site because I've forgotten about it. But I still reset the password to be safe.

Man! Those phishermen are getting better every day!! I nearly got it this time! Must be careful!!

Here's the evil email that nearly got me!!

From: <service@intl.paypal.com>
Subject: Notification of Limited Account Access

Security Information

PayPal is constantly working to ensure security by regularly screening the accounts in our system. We recently reviewed your account, and we need more information to help us provide you with secure service. Until we can collect this information, your access to sensitive account features will be limited. We would like to restore your access as soon as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why is my account access limited?

Your account access has been limited for the following reason(s):

Dec. 31, 2005: We have reason to believe that your account was accessed by a third party. Because protecting the security of your account is our primary concern, we have limited access to sensitive PayPal account features. We understand that this may be an inconvenience but please understand that this temporary limitation is for your protection.

(Your case ID for this reason is PP-157-679-861.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How can I restore my account access?

Please visit the Resolution Center and complete the instructions.

Completing all of the instructions will automatically restore your account access.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

PayPal Account Review Department

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and click the Help link located in the top right corner of any page. If your inquiry is regarding a claim, just visit the Resolution Center link above.


No comments: