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Fraudsters strike: Three women from Parchim lose a thousand euros!
Three women from Parchim fell victim to fraudsters. Here's how to protect yourself from PayPal fraud.
Fraudsters strike: Three women from Parchim lose a thousand euros!
In a worrying report, Nordkurier has reported that three women from Dümmer, Sternberg and Parchim have become victims of a sophisticated PayPal fraud. The fraudsters gained access to their accounts and debited a total of around 2,300 euros. The case shows once again how important it is to keep a close eye on your own data when trading online.
One of those affected, a 49-year-old woman, wanted to sell a product on eBay classifieds. A prospective customer sent her a QR code that took her to a fake PayPal page. The woman entered her login details without realizing she had landed on a fraudulent website. As a result, around one thousand euros were debited from her, via the “Family and Friends” option, which makes it almost impossible to get the funds back.
More victims and information from the police
Two younger women, aged 21 and 28, also fell victim to this scam. The 28-year-old victim, who wanted to sell a dress, was lucky: she became suspicious and quickly contacted her bank, thereby preventing a debit of almost 1,300 euros. Another woman selling clothes on Vinted lost around €750 after a link directed her to a fake site.
The police have already filed a report and suspect that there are more victims than previously known. They strongly warn against clicking on links or QR codes in such situations. Instead, you should always register directly via the official PayPal app or website. Fake sites are often very well made and can hardly be distinguished from real sites, which makes the fraud even more dangerous.
Prevention advice
The incidents have also sparked interest from consumer protection organizations who want to educate users about how they can protect themselves. Experts recommend contacting your bank immediately if you suspect fraud. You can find further helpful information on the consumer protection.tv website to protect yourself against PayPal fraud. The best-known scams include phishing emails, in which fake messages supposedly come from PayPal and ask you to enter personal information. Experts provide information about sensible prevention measures via consumerprotection.tv.
To protect yourself from phishing attacks, the BSI recommends never clicking on links in unsafe emails and always visiting your own online banking site via the direct URL in your browser rather than via links from emails. You can find out more about this on the website bsi.bund.de.
In summary, it remains to be said that we are all required to be particularly careful when trading online. Fraudsters exploit the inattention of many users to gain access to valuable data. Stay vigilant and protect your personal information!