PayPal Impersonation Scams
Scammers impersonate PayPal with fake payment alerts, account-limitation emails, and invoice scams to steal credentials and money. The real PayPal will never ask you to call a number from an email to dispute a charge.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
PayPal is one of the most widely used online payment platforms in the world, and its association with real money makes PayPal impersonation particularly high-stakes. A convincing email claiming an unexpected payment was made from your account — or that your account has been limited — prompts many people to act quickly out of alarm.
Scams range from classic phishing emails asking you to verify your account, to a newer 'invoice scam' where fraudsters use PayPal's own invoice system to send a convincing-looking request for payment, sometimes with a phone number to call if you dispute it. That number connects to the scammer.
PayPal is the victim of this impersonation. PayPal's Resolution Centre and reported-phishing process are the correct channels, not any number or link provided in an unsolicited message.
How scammers impersonate it
- Sending phishing emails mimicking PayPal's design about unauthorised account activity
- Sending fake 'account limited' emails with links to fake PayPal login pages
- Using PayPal's own invoice feature to send fake invoices claiming payment is owed
- Including a phone number in a fake invoice or email to call if you want to dispute — the number goes to the scammer
- Creating near-identical PayPal login pages to steal credentials
- Spoofing @paypal.com sender addresses
What the real organisation never does
- Include a customer-service phone number inside an invoice or payment request
- Ask for your full bank details, card number, or Social Security number to resolve an account issue
- Request gift card payment for any reason
- Ask you to send money to a 'secure PayPal account' to protect your funds
- Threaten immediate account deletion unless you pay through a link in an email
- Ask for your PayPal password through an email or unsolicited call
Common red flags
- Email about an unexpected payment or charge, with urgency to call a number or click a link
- An invoice from a stranger with a phone number to call if you did not authorise it
- Sender domain is not @paypal.com
- Sign-in link in an email does not go to paypal.com
- Request to pay via gift cards or wire transfer
- Generic greeting — 'Dear Customer' — rather than your full name
- Poor grammar or logo inconsistencies compared to genuine PayPal emails
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Email: 'Unusual activity detected on your PayPal account. Your account has been limited. Restore access at [fake link].'
Invoice via PayPal: 'You owe [amount] for [invented service]. If this is not you, call [phone number] immediately to cancel.'
Email: 'You sent [amount] to [username]. If this was not you, call [phone number] within 24 hours to reverse the transaction.'
How to verify
- Log in to paypal.com directly and check your account activity — do not use links in emails
- All genuine PayPal activity, limitations, and disputes are visible in your account settings
- If you receive a suspicious invoice through PayPal itself, do not call any number on it — report it through paypal.com/reportphishing
- Contact PayPal Customer Service only through the Contact page on paypal.com
- Genuine PayPal emails address you by your full name, not 'Dear Customer'
What to do if you're targeted
- Do not call any number listed in an email or invoice and do not click sign-in links in messages
- Log in to paypal.com directly to check whether there is any genuine issue
- Forward suspected phishing emails to [email protected]
- If you entered credentials on a fake page, change your PayPal password immediately and check linked bank accounts
Frequently asked questions
I received a PayPal invoice I did not request — should I pay it?
No. If the invoice contains a phone number asking you to call to dispute the charge, that number connects to the scammer. Do not call it. Report the invoice through your PayPal account instead.
My PayPal account has been limited. Is the email real?
Log in to paypal.com directly to check. Genuine limitations appear in your account dashboard. Do not click the link in any email to resolve this.
Can scammers send invoices through the real PayPal system?
Yes. Scammers can use PayPal's invoice feature to send fake payment requests that arrive from paypal.com addresses. The fraudulent element is the invented debt and the phone number to call, not the channel it arrived through.