#paypal scam email

[redbuddi]

SCAM ALERT!!!

This morning I woke up to this email

Scary right? It looks as though all of a sudden I owe over a thousand dollars to some studio I've never heard of. This would be enough to make anyone jump to correct the situation. But if you get this email or ones like it, stay calm, do not call the number, and do not click ANY of the links.

This email is fake. I logged into paypal through normal means and there was no such invoice sent to me. While obviously I didn't call the number or click the links to check for sure, this is most likely a classic phishing scheme. Essentially if you click any of the links or call the number, you will be asked for your login information in a way that looks legitimate, but once they confirm your login they will disconnect you, change your password, and have complete access to your paypal.

tl;dr, If you get the email pictured above or anything similar, delete it immediately. Do NOT call the number it provides. Do NOT click on any of the links it contains.

[tadfools]

Hey guys, I know a lot of folks are new to Tumblr so they might not know about this kind of scam, but this person in particular @theysheever is currently sending this copy and pasted message to several blogs posting about Baldur's Gate (cause its trending) so this is going here. They've also been at this scam for a while now and there's no doubt in my tired mind they'll delete soon and move onto another shell

This smuck's current blog was created Oct 3 and their donation post was made about an hour from me getting this ask. The PayPal they use is also one used in recent known scam blogs

Its worth noting, someone known for calling them out several times before was preemptively blocked by them (i went and sent the scam post to them so that's how that was learned)

As sad as it is to say 90% of the time there is no cat or sick animal. It sucks, but these people are trying to scam you. I mean, it's not even the same cat in their pinned post that they ripped from facebook

The best thing to do with these kinda asks is to block the person who sent it, report them, and let others know to be on the lookout

[disdaidal]

Btw I got a call from Paypal this morning, which sounded a helluva lot like an automated message (a female voice spoke in English, but it sounded distant, almost robot-like). And this voice said something similar to "we have received a request to withdraw money/funds from your Paypal account" (the requested amount was around a hundred-something) and "if you want to cancel it, press 1".

I hung up immediately. The phone number on my screen showed (+359) and "Bulgaria". I'm Finnish.

After ending the call, I immediately googled the message that I had heard on the phone, and it seems like a lot of Paypal users have gotten similar emails from 'Paypal' (I'm no stranger to such scam emails myself), but none of them mentioned a phone call. So I searched for that number and couldn't find it—or at least nothing that suggests that it's 'potentially harmful'.

I thought about reporting it to PayPal (still might), but somehow I doubt that'll do anything. I also checked my Paypal account activity in case of any new suspicious activity and transferred my money to another bank account (not linked with PPL) just in case.

I'm sure it was just a phishing attempt and nothing serious happened because I didn't respond, but you really can't be too careful these days.

Anyway, if you use Paypal and get emails or phone calls like this, don't answer them. Don't give them any information. Just hang up and delete those emails and/or mark them as spam. If you're not sure if they're legit, go to the Paypal official website and contact their support. They should know.

[icedcoffeeanxiety]

So this scammer was a little more advanced than most I've come across, but still an easy catch because I know exactly what to look for 😤😤

Be safe out there folks! Go through emails and such *carefully* and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

@andy-rose24680 for your blocking pleasure

[x-crowmancer-x]

ALRIGHT THATS IT

I keep getting DMs from randos on Discord askin me to buy a commish and I've specifically stated in my bio

=(don't DM me to buy coms plz)=

But since people cant read my polite decline I'm sharing my experiences with these guys. I've got like a folder of these interactions and this wouldnt be that big a problem if THEY DIDNT KEEP TRYING TO SELL ME THEIR ART WHEN I ALREADY SAID NO THANK YOU >:(

I've hella censored their tags and pfp in these cuz I'm not rewarding this behavior with free PR. Yall gotta learn proper outreach and also not literally begging in DMs.

This person was actually the nicest one I've met so far cuz they actually respected me saying no.

(: Dont be like this plz :)

(: if I wanted a com I would reach out to you :)

[babsaros]

hey, regular reminder that if you get someone in your inbox (that you have never interacted with before/has never been following you) asking you to reblog a post on their blog (sob story asking for donations, usually about a pet to make it extra guilt-trippy) and they specifically ask you to answer this ask privately (for a vague and weak reason, why wouldn't they want more eyes on this post?) and then you go to their blog and their account is days old at most (and they're even claiming they have an old account that got shadowbanned ((?? being "shadowbanned" on tumblr does not mean you can't still post from that account?)) but never mention the url of that old blog) and all their reblogs are straight from the op and not from anyone they might be following who reblogged the post first (indicating they just quickly searched a semi-popular fandom tag to reblog some innocuous fanart to make the blog seem lived in)-

this is probably a scam :/ keep your eye out for odd details, inconsistency, and a glaring lack of credibility. stay safe out there everypony.

[k-chips]

PAYPAL SCAM EMAIL

[bauhausdog]

im thinking of opening c0mmissions when i get paypal, do you guys have any tips? im thinking of opening a ko-fi page to simplify things and also have cashapp in case someone prefers it

[rubberduckyrye]

Man. That Feel When I want to be feral and reveal a bad experience I've had and reveal the person who took my money and kind of ran with it but. Is it worth starting drama over?

I was just thinking about it tbh...

Well I'll say this much: A rather popular DR person (at the time, idk what they're fully up to now) pretty much took over $100.00 from me and ghosted me. I tried to commission them for something but. Well. Again, they just ghosted me. Haven't been able to enjoy their work since they did.

And to note: It was not an artist or fanfic author. I'm not elaborating on this further, but I don't want to feel like I HAVE to keep silent in order to feel like I'm not mud-slinging or people to speculate on innocent people. This is a years-old event that just crops up once in a while and I get upset about it.

So yeah. Bleck.

[drcuriousvii]

um. i could use a little tiny bit of money to pay my electric bill im sorry. still dont have a job yet. have a paypal transfer coming in for just under $50 so i just need, like 9 dollars or 8.50

[lahabarista]

Instagram Scammer Targeting Artists

I think most of us have realized there is a rise of scammers, especially towards artists.

I have below my encounter with a scammer on Instagram; I want to out them hoping it would avoid other people from falling for their attempt.

Today, I accepted an art commission of 4 different pieces -- a total of 400$USD -- intended for their "son" as a gift. I was already wary, especially since their profile felt...off.

Now I've already established some ground rules on how I proceed with commissions:

Only accept payment through PayPal under USD currency. Always take upfront money. I take 50-60% upfront for first time clients.

Do not accept direct payments. Provide an official invoice link with terms & conditions, what the client has commissioned, and other important information that they agree with.

While details are required on the invoice for tax purposes (in my case); do not fulfill with information that they can leverage against you or use to much more effectively phish you. (I use a separate email on my invoice than my PP account)

At first they wanted to only deposit money directly, but I insisted with invoice only. Once provided, they sent me "proof of payment.

There's already some red flags because PP did not notify me on my primary email of any transaction; and nothing was deposit into my PP wallet. Invoice still shows as an unpaid invoice.

The scammer then kept bringing up that I should have gotten an email notification; check your folder! check your spams! Their insistence was weird and it clicked that they were a scammer. I receive the email below through the email provided on the Invoice, which is...not attached to my PP account, lol.

Additionally, that is not my name on the account, only the business name on Invoice. (Pretty sure PP doesn't greet you, either)

A lot of red flags stand out for me. First, the obvious, the Sender email is a Gmail account, lol.

Also, I'm familiar that the maximum transaction on PayPal is 10,000$ -- I've had couple of hundred dollars transaction before. If a deposit could not be made, it would not request the seller to refund the client or contact them to further forward an additional 200$USD.

Also, it doesn't make sense to request the person to reply to the email to contact support...because automatic Paypal notification is a do-not-reply.

Also, signed, "The PayPal Teams" really got to me.

Right now, I'm just wasting their time as they had wasted mine. I told them I didn't receive any emails; no deposit (because its true); just some back and forth.

Anyways, avoid that person on Insta -- block them and report them if you can.

[nightmareonpeachstreet]

for the first time in quite a while a scam email got thru to my main inbox instead of immediately going to my spam folder

I feel like this is a good time to remind everyone: always be skeptical of emails from unknown addresses, don't click on links in emails you can't identify the source of, if they say you were charged for something, check your banking activity to see if you actually were (if the email claims to be from your bank and gives you a link, don't use it. go to your online banking through the method you normally get there, for me I have a bookmark. you can also call your bank, although make sure you have the correct phone number and do not trust a phone number provided to you in the email)

I watch a youtuber called Atomic Shrimp who sometimes does videos warning about scams and giving advice on how to spot them. if you haven't looked into methods scammers use, I'd definitely recommend his scam awareness videos, and if you like scambaiting videos, he does those too

here's a video of his that I personally found really helpful to raise my awareness of potential scams when they appear. you can also just type "scam victim story atomic shrimp" into the search bar if you're not comfortable clicking on the link. it should be the first or second video in the results

Video: Scam Victim Story: Why do People Fall for SCAMS anyway?

one of the most important lessons Atomic Shrimp teaches is that getting scammed is NOT something that only happens to other people. anyone can get scammed under the right circumstances, which is why it's so important to stay vigilant and be aware of certain tactics scammers use that you can look out for

please stay safe out there 💕

[halfricanloveyou]

hey ya’ll, there’s another scam going around

this is FAKE. tumblr acct with posts from only 3 months ago, and only a few blogs they’re following.

here’s an IDENTICAL one i found on reddit. i almost fell for this one too, but immediately getting angry when getting called out and then instantly blocking along with the identical wording and job claim to the other message i found makes it a scam. pls be careful.

[crichilds]

NEW Venmo paypal email fishing 'phishing' scam don't fall for it!

[maikaartwork]

Artists, let’s talk about Instagram commission scammers

There’s been a huge rise in commission scammers recently, mostly on Instagram. A lot of new artists don’t know what to look out for, so I figured this might help people.

How they begin

Usually the scammer will write to you asking about a commission. Something deceptively cute - mostly I encounter asks about pet portraits, with one or two photos sent. They’ll probably try to sell you a sweet little story, like “It’s for my son’s birthday”. They will insist that they love your artwork and style, even though they don’t follow you or never liked a single piece of your art.

What to look out for:

Their profiles will either be private, empty, or filled with very generic stuff, dating at most a few years back.

Their language will be very simple, rushed or downright bad. They might use weird emojis that nobody ever uses. They will probably send impatient “??” when you don’t answer immediately. They’re in a crunch - lots of people to scam, you know. 

They’ll give you absolutely no guidelines. No hints on style, contents aside from (usually) the pet and often a name written on the artwork, no theme. Anything you draw will be perfect. Full artistic freedom. In reality they don’t really care for this part.

They’ll offer you a ridiculous amount of money. Usually 100 or 300 USD (EDIT: I know it might not be a lot for some work. What I mean here - way higher than your asking price, 100 and 300 are standard rates they give). They’ll often put in a phrase like “I am willing to compensate you financially” and “I want the best you can draw”, peppered with vague praise. It will most likely sound way too good to be true. That’s because it is.

Where the scam actually happens

If you agree, they will ask you for a payment method. They’ll try to get to this part as soon as possible. 

Usually, they’ll insist on PayPal. And not just any PayPal. They’ll always insist on sending you a transfer immediately. None of that PayPal Invoice stuff (although some do have methods for that, too). They’ll really, REALLY want to get your PayPal email address and name for the transfer - that’s what they’re after. If you insist on any other method, they’ll just circle back to the transfer “for easiest method”. If you do provide them with the info, most likely you’ll soon get a scam email. It most likely be a message with a link that will ultimately lead to bleeding you dry. Never, and I mean NEVER click on any emails or links you get from them. It’s like with any other scam emails you can ever get.

A few things can happen here:

They overpay you and ask for the difference to be wired back. Usually it will go to a different account and you’ll never see that money again. 

They’ll overpay you “for shipping costs” and ask you to forward the difference to their shipping company. Just like before, you’ll never see that money again.

The actual owner of the account (yes, they most likely use stolen accounts to wire from) will realize there’s been something sketchy going on and request a refund via official channels. Your account will be charged with fees and/or you get in trouble for fraudulent transactions. 

You will transfer the money from your PayPal credit to your bank account and they will make a shitstorm when they want their money back, making your life a living hell. They will call you a scammer, a thief, make wild claims, wearing you down and forcing you into wiring money “back” - aka to their final destination account. 

Never, EVER wire money to anyone. This is not how it’s supposed to go. Use PayPal Invoice for secure exchanges where the client needs to provide you with their email, not the other way around.

You can find more info on that method HERE.

What to do when you encounter a scammer:

Ask the right questions: inquire about the style, which artwork of yours they like, as much details as you can. They won’t supply you with any good answers.

Don’t let the rush of the exchange, their praise and the promise of insanely good money to get to you. That’s how they operate, that’s how they make you lose vigilance. 

Don’t engage them. As soon as you realize it might be a scam, block them. The sense of urgency they create with their rushed exchange, and pressure they put on you will sooner or later get to you and you might do something that you’ll regret later.

Never wire money to anyone. Never give out your personal data. Never provide your email, name, address or credit card info. 

Don’t be deceived by receiving a payment, if you somehow agree to go along with it. Just because it’s there now doesn’t mean it can’t be withdrawn. 

Here is a very standard example of such an exchange. I realized it’s a scam pretty fast and went along with it, because I wanted good screenshots for you guys, so I tried going very “by the book” with it. 

Please share this post, make it reach as many artists as possible. Let young or inexperienced artists know that this is going on. So many people have no idea that this is a thing. Let’s help each other out. If you think I missed any relevant info, do add it as an rb!

Also, if you know other scam methods that you think should be shared, consider rb-ing this post with them below. Having a master post of scam protection would AWESOME to have in the art community.

[lunar-goodness]

Got a scam email the other day from “Paypal”

And I just want to know who they think they’re fooling here?