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[sevenlayermuddle]

Every few weeks I get spammed by PayPal, I’m sure we all do, ‘View your recent transactions now‘. 

The spam has a link to PayPal login, as well as words of reassurance that, since they address me by name, I can trust the email to be genuine.    I don’t trust it to be genuine just because they know my name as there are thousands of scenarios in which scammers might know my real name.   

Curiously the email also has a ‘find out more’ link, relating to security.   It takes me to a PayPal page...

https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/phishing

Overall, never click on a link in an email that requests personal information. Any time you receive an email about your PayPal account, open a new browser, type in www.paypal.co.uk, and login to your account directly.

Now that really is good advice.  So why the heck does their spamming office encourage people to ignore it, by providing a link in the email? 

[burakkucat]

I've never thought of it that way. Whenever I receive the message, I think "thank you for the reminder", delete the message and use the link that I have bookmarked to go to the login page, etc.

[d2d4j]

Hi

I believe it is the mail client which creates the link to the www.paypal.com

The only true way to know would be to view the source code from the email

I think the forum might do so as well

Sorry if I am wrong

Many thanks

John

[d2d4j]

Hi

Yes it’s shown as a link but I did not create the link

Many thanks

John

[sevenlayermuddle]

The email client (or browser) might convert text containing a URL into a link.  You can see that in my original post, if your browser does the conversion.

But the PayPal email  spam contains a large blue graphical  box containing the legend “Log in now”.   That’s deliberate, on the part of the spammer.

[d2d4j]

Hi

Sorry not seeing that in your post!

And advice has always been never click any links in email. Open a browser and go to the site independently

Many thanks

John

[sevenlayermuddle]

Sorry not seeing that in your post!

My post was a description of the email, rather than a copy of the body of the email.

I would never encouraging a copy&paste of an actual email content, as it is very likely to contain tokens containing personally identifiable information.  Even if if only identifiable by the originator, do I really want PayPal to identify me personally when I question their security processes?   No, I don’t.

Stress again, the PayPal mail contains a deliberately contrived hyperlink in the form of a big blue box saying ‘Log in now’.   When clicked, it takes me to the PayPal login page.   Which directly contradicts their own advice..

Overall, never click on a link in an email that requests personal information. Any time you receive an email about your PayPal account, open a new browser...

 

[burakkucat]

I've just looked, again, at the e-mail message that I received earlier today and have counted 11 hyperlinks within it. None on which  would I left-click.

[sevenlayermuddle]

I've just looked, again, at the e-mail message that I received earlier today and have counted 11 hyperlinks within it. None on which  would I left-click.