PayPal subscribers are being targeted by a fraudulent e-mail scheme designed to con them into handing over their personal information.
Over the past week, users of eBay"s online payments service have been receiving e-mails masquerading as official PayPal alerts, eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove confirmed Friday. The messages ask recipents to submit bank and credit card details.
Tricks involving bogus e-mail posing as legitimate messages from eBay and PayPal are nothing new. However, the latest spoof e-mail--which included a PayPal logo, links to PayPal"s site and official-looking fine-print--appeared particularly convincing, said Brenda Frymire, a PayPal user in San Ramon, Calif., who received the e-mail Thursday
The e-mails tell recipients that their PayPal accounts have been randomly selected for maintenance and placed on "Limited Access" status. The message, which appears to come from info@paypal.com, instructs the account holder to enter credit card and bank account numbers in an online form embedded in the e-mail.