FDIC-Insured - Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. GovernmentScam of the Week – Smishing with PayPal
Scammers are at it again and targeting PayPal users with a new SMS Phishing or Smishing activity. They try to trick unsuspecting consumers with a text message stating “PayPal: We’ve permanently limited your account, please click link below to verify.” If you click on the link provided, you are taken to a PayPal look-alike page and asked to log in. This is a malicious link that takes you to a phony page mimicking the PayPal login. You will then be taken to a second page that asks for your name, address, and bank account details. Everything on these pages will be sent directly to the bad guys.
According to The KnowBe4 Security team, follow these steps to still stay safe by practicing the tips below:
- Check for poor grammar in supposedly-official messages. Did you catch the grammatical error in the example above? It asks you to “click link below” instead of “click the link below”.
- Question the situation. For example, did you give PayPal your mobile number? And did you ever sign up to receive text notifications?
- Never trust a link in a text message that you were not expecting. If you think the notification could be legitimate, navigate to the official website and log in there.
Stop, Look, and Think. Don’t be fooled.
The KnowBe4 Security Team
KnowBe4.com