PayPal and Twitter admit facing tough challenge from new modus of hackers offering fake support for complaints in @PayPal. These accounts called "anglers" scour PayPal-specific concerns in Twitter and offers legit-looking links, and steals login data.
Customers who expect reply from PayPal after contacting costumer service support are particularly vulnerable. Best is to look for account handles and scrutinize before clicking a link to sign in. Fake PayPal handles in Twitter will look like @PayPalSupport_Tech - legit sounding, yes? Best way out is never click the link or check HTTPS connection before signing in to transact, according to iTechPost.
Online security firm ProofPoint first noticed the modus and notified both PayPal and Twitter. Both recipients admit though that being a free service and the easy account creation pose deep problem in uprooting phishing scams. One account is suspended but others spawn to reap PayPal credentials in similar fashion.
To date, ProofPoint claimed several of these accounts they caught already made PayPal hauls. Twitter responded by immediately suspending these accounts. For now, the only real deterrent against these phishing scams are PayPal account holders themselves, ProofPoint added.
It is tough to discern fake from real at first because fake account also sports legit logos and trademarks of PayPal. TechRadarPro enumerated some good points to aid PayPal users identify these culprits. The first huge giveaway is the date of account creation because these scammers are relatively new in Twitter. Secondly, fake accounts are created in haste so there is a good possibility of grammar or spelling miss.
At any rate, GamenGuide would like to add plain and simple tip to PayPal account holders. Filing complaints on PayPal website instead of third-party social media apps is a good track for now. At least until there is an official statement from Twitter and PayPal that they have addressed this scam.
