A call to the toll-free number listed in the invoice was received by a man who answered the phone as generic “customer service,” instead of trying to spoof PayPal or Walmart. The reader who shared this phishing email said he logged into his PayPal account and could find no signs of the invoice in question. The phony PayPal invoice, which was sent and hosted by. Here’s the invoice that popped up when the “View and Pay Invoice” button was clicked: If you suspect you did not make this transaction, immediately contact us at the toll-free number….” This transaction will appear in the automatically deducted amount on PayPal activity after 24 hours. “$600.00 has been debited to your account for the Walmart Gift Card purchase. Hovering over the “View and Pay Invoice” button shows the button indeed wants to load a link at, and clicking that link indeed brings up an active invoice at .Īlso, the email headers in the phishing message (PDF) show that it passed all email validation checks as being sent by PayPal, and that it was sent through an Internet address assigned to PayPal.īoth the email and the invoice state that “there is evidence that your PayPal account has been accessed unlawfully.” The message continues: For starters, all of the links in the email lead to. While the phishing message attached to the invoice is somewhat awkwardly worded, there are many convincing aspects of this hybrid scam. Sign up to stay connected.A copy of the phishing message included in the invoice. Local news direct to your inboxĪBC Sunshine Coast will deliver a wrap of the week's news, stories and photos every Wednesday. It also encouraged people to enable two-factor authentication on its platforms. The company recommended people avoid sharing personal information such as password details or bank account information, avoid clicking on suspicious links, and do not reply to messages requesting personal information. Meta said it removes content that is purposely deceptive, wilfully misrepresentative, or otherwise fraudulent or exploitative. "We also encourage users to take steps to protect themselves, such as checking reviews of online sellers, not handing over money until you see the item for sale, and using payment options that provide strong protections," the statement read. " substantial resources and technology solutions to protect our community from fake accounts and other inauthentic behaviour. In a statement, a spokesperson for Meta said the company was committed to safeguarding the integrity of its services. "And quite honestly, as such a massive organisation without legislation, policy and control, they're going to continue to do business as they have in the past," Dr Desmond said. "They're very, very poor at protecting your financial security and integrity. He said Facebook was poor at protecting privavcy. He said he anticipated changes to regulations that might mandate companies to better protect their users and add preventative measures to stop them from falling victim to scammers and fraudsters. Don't hand over money until you see the item for sale, and use payment options that include strong protections, like PayPal Source: Facebookĭr Desmond said he did not think current laws did enough to protect consumers.Insist on meeting in a public space to view the product before completing any transaction.Check reviews of online sellers to see what previous customers have said.Check if the Facebook profile appears new or incomplete, as this could be a sign that the account has been set up for scamming.He said people using Facebook Marketplace should not conduct sales alone and should arrange them at a neutral, safe, and public space rather than at home. "One is to try to get identity or credential information, another is to try to get financial or banking account information, and then the third is basically trying to force the individual to click on a link or download malware in order to get network or device access," he said. "Not only are students of human behaviour, but they're also up to date on the technologies that are being rolled out, such as ChatGPT, and AI tools," he said.ĭr Desmond said scammers typically used one of three approaches. He said it was concerning how quickly scammers were evolving, while legislation lagged. "That's where they make their money through advertising, and increased revenue through bringing on more and more subscribers," Dr Desmond said. University of the Sunshine Coast cybersecurity lecturer Dennis Desmond said it was unlikely that Facebook would change unless forced. Facebook does not have a specific option for reporting scammer profiles.
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