Posted
on Wednesday, July 8, 2026
in
Identity Theft Prevention
Imagine seeing an email appear in your inbox that looks like a PayPal receipt. It claims you just sent a large payment for a subscription renewal, but you don’t recall ever signing up. The email includes a phone number and states that if you didn’t make the purchase, you must call within the next 12 hours to dispute the charge. It looks like a real PayPal invoice, and you might be tempted to call the number right away.
But this email is a trick to get you to dial the “support” number. It’s actually a phishing scam! If you call, a cybercriminal will answer and pretend to help you. They’ll request your personal and financial information to “process the refund,” or they might ask you to install software on your device to “fix” the issue. No matter what they ask you, their goal is to steal your money or data!
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to this phishing scam:
- If you receive an unexpected PayPal invoice or renewal notice, don't call the phone number listed in the email. Instead, verify if the charge is real by logging in to your PayPal account on the official website or mobile app.
- Urgency is a red flag. By pressuring you to respond within 12 hours, cybercriminals are hoping to trick you into acting without thinking.
- Even though this particular email doesn’t contain any suspicious links or attachments, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. In this case, the phone number in the email is the trap!
Article provided by:
KnowBe4.com