Updated: June 05, 2023
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by Mykola Diakun
Tech Expert & Writer
689 resolved issues

I have today seen an unfamiilar paypal e-mail bill which states a payment has been from my account.

I have checked my account and no transactions have been made? How do I cancel it?

Short summary:

  1. Open your email account where you received the suspicious email.
  2. Locate the email from the sender, which appears to be a scam email pretending to be from PayPal.
  3. Forward the entire suspicious email to PayPal's official phishing reporting email: phishing@paypal.com. Make sure to include the original email content in the forwarded message.
  4. Do not modify the subject line or forward the message as an attachment. It's important to keep the email intact to help PayPal investigate.
  5. After forwarding the email, delete the suspicious email from your email account to avoid any accidental interactions or clicks on the fraudulent links.
  6. It's a good idea to scan your computer for any potential threats or suspicious apps. If you have McAfee installed, follow these steps:
    a. Open the McAfee software on your computer.
    b. Run a full system scan to detect any viruses or threats.
    c. If the scan identifies any suspicious apps or software related to the scam, carefully review the results.
    d. Select the identified threats and choose the option to delete or remove them from your system.
  7. Keep an eye on your PayPal account for any unauthorized transactions. If you notice any unfamiliar or suspicious activity, contact PayPal customer support immediately to report it and take appropriate action to secure your account.

Remember, it's crucial to remain vigilant and cautious when dealing with suspicious emails or requests for personal information. Never click on links or provide sensitive information unless you are absolutely sure of the source's authenticity. Stay safe online!

author

Hello, thank you for using Howly.
Could you please tell me, what is the senders email?

Customer Replay

Sorry, are you asking for their e-mail address or the content of the e-mail?

author

The email address, please.

Customer Replay

Ok thanks - *****@gmail.com

author

Thank you for the address.
*****, that is probably a scam email which is pretty popular as PayPal emails always have @PayPal.com at the end.

image

Customer Replay

It was an unfamiliar paypal bill from Geek Squad Total Protection/ 1 year

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author

I see.
Could you please send me a screenshot of the content of the e-mail

Customer Replay

Visitor uploaded: Screenshot.png
Type: image/png
Size: 172246

author

*****, thank you very much for the screenshot!
From the screenshot that you have sent me, I can tell that it is probably a Scam, as they have misspelled the word Protection.
And by the looks of the price tag, it also looks suspicious.
*****, could you please tell me, if your PayPal account got charged for the amount that is in the bill?

Customer Replay

That's great that you can see exactly what I'm looking at! I checked to see if there had been any transactions within the past 2 hours/ever and there have been none. What do you think of the 'deadline' - is this another part of the scam in terms of applying pressure?
Do I need to do anything to ensure no money is taken from my bank account?

author

That is good that no transaction we're located on your account.
As for the 'deadline' as long as you don't make contact with the email, as they have there, 'Click here to get connected directly', everything will be fine.
You can report this email to PayPal to ensure that your money will be safe.

Customer Replay

Unfortunately I did 'click here to get connected' however the link/phone call - these nothing happened - part of the scam - have I caused problems for myself? I didn't speak to anyone over any phone call to get drawn into the payment and as I say clicking on the 'link' produced no response.

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author

Understood.
Could you please check if any suspicious apps are on your computer?

Customer Replay

Once again I don't know how to do this!

author

You're welcome!
To locate an app that you don't remember downloading, please try the following

  1. Click on Start > Settings > Apps.
  2. Locate an app that seems suspicious.
Customer Replay

Can't see anything suspicious.

author
Top answer

That is good!
As some of the Scams can access your PC and download their software to get access to your computer.
In this case, please report this email like this:

  1. Forward the entire email to phishing@paypal.com.
  2. Do not alter the subject line or forward the message as an attachment.
  3. Delete the suspicious email from your email account.
Customer Replay

I've installed mcafee, do you think it might be a good idea to do a scan?

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author

Yes!
It would be a great idea!

Customer Replay

If I run a scan now will it show if the scam has accessed my pc

author

It won't, it will locate any suspicious apps.

Customer Replay

Does this mean I will be notified of apps which are suspicious and will mcafee delete these automatically or do I see and select and delete myself? I have the company name can I use/see this?

author

Mcafee will simply put the suspicious apps on your screen if it locates it, and you will need to manually delete them.

Customer Replay

Just writing down some of your advice
will mcafee show suspicious by 'company' name?

Customer Replay

Running the scan shows viruses and threats, if found, what do I do to see the apps?

author

Simply select them and tap delete.

Customer Replay

I'm afraid I didn't follow the 'phising' advice, will mcafee take care of the problem or am I still at risk

author

You are not at any risk, no need to be worried😁

Customer Replay

When mcafee reports the viruses and threats will deleting them all include deleting the scam? Sorry for taking up so much of your time!!!!!!

author

Everything is fine, *****!
It might include the scam, if they have downloaded any software to your PC.
The software will only be detected if it was downloaded.
If no software was detected, then no app was downloaded.

Customer Replay

This has been a fantastic challenge for me! It's been great to find someone who communicates and reassures in equal measure! Have a great day/week etc!

author

You're most welcome, *****!
Have a great one!

Customer Replay

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