I received the email below this week from PayPal. Make no mistake – it truly is from PayPal/Venmo. They even give a warning that if you don’t recognize the transaction, to contact PayPal at the provided number.
That’s where the scam comes in. That message? It is simply placed in the “Notes” section of the request for money by the scammer.
That phone number? That is NOT a legitimate PayPal number.
But we are quite certain that if you were to call that number, the scammer on the other end would do their best to get certain information out of you to allow them access to your PayPal account. After all – this is not a random call from someone pretending to PayPal – you actually called THEM, so it must be legitimate, correct?
Watch out for these traps. If you want PayPal’s number, go to their website and find it there. Don’t trust a phone number that comes in a suspicious request for money.