Identifying Phishing

What is Phishing?

'Phishing' is a form of web forgery designed to steal your identity, usually for financial gain.

It works by using false pretences to get you to disclose sensitive personal information, like credit and debit card numbers, account passwords, or bank account details.

One of the most common phishing scams involves sending a fraudulent email that appears to be from a trusted company or brand. This email then directs you to a fake version of a well-known website and records any information you enter, such as your password, financial details and more.

PayPal is committed to helping shut down these sites and ensure that you're able to spot phishing immediately. We make it our job to keep your identity as safe as possible, online.

Be cautious of any unexpected emails that ask you for:

  • Credit or debit card numbers
  • Bank account numbers
  • Driving licence numbers
  • Email addresses
  • Passwords
  • Your full name
  • Postal address

As you need to add bank or card details to your PayPal account in order to use it, we may occasionally send you emails about how to do this. However, we will only ever ask you to enter personal details on the secure PayPal website, after you have safely logged in to your PayPal account.

Have you seen suspicious activity?

Report fraud