£8m losses reported due to fake Paypal emails, according to Action Fraud

ONLINE sellers are being warned to watch out for fake Paypal emails, with nearly £8 million of losses reported to Action Fraud so far this year.

Between January and September, 21,349 crime reports were made to Action Fraud about fake Paypal emails.

Victims reported losing a total of £7,891,077, with those targeted including people selling jewellery, furniture and electronics.

Action Fraud said criminals have been targeting people selling items online by sending them emails purporting to be from Paypal, which trick victims into believing they have received payment for their items.

Victims are tricked into sending the item to the criminal, and end up without the money or the item.

Pauline Smith, head of Action

Fraud, said: “We know that criminals will go to great lengths to target people on online marketplaces, especially now many more people are selling items online.

“Criminals have taken advantage of the coronavirus outbreak to commit fraud and will continue to do so. We are working hard, together with our partners, such as Paypal, to raise awareness of the types of scams being committed.

“It’s really important to follow our advice to help protect yourself. If you receive a suspicious email claiming you’ve received payment for an item you’re selling, take five minutes to check directly with Paypal that the communication is genuine.”

In one case seen by Action Fraud, a seller received an email purporting to be from Paypal claiming the buyer had accidentally paid more than they should have. The buyer then asked the victim to pay the difference by sending a gift card to them with the difference, which they did.

In another case, a fake email claimed the buyer had accidentally paid for the item twice. The buyer then asked the seller to wire the overpayment to a bank account in a different country.