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Is it really them?

Is this message really from PayPal?

Updated November 3, 2026

Scammers pretend to be PayPal because so many people use it. Here's what the real PayPal does, what the fakes look like, and how to check a message yourself.

PayPal's real websites

• paypal.com

A link can include "paypal" and still not be theirs: look at what comes right before the first single "/". In paypal.secure-check.example/login, the website is secure-check.example.

What the real PayPal does

• Real PayPal emails address you by your first and last name, or your business name.
• Payments you received show in your PayPal account. Check there, not in an email.
• Note: scammers can send real invoices and money requests through PayPal itself. A real paypal.com link doesn't make the request honest.

Fakes going around

• An invoice or money request for something you never ordered, often with an alarming note and a "customer service" number to call.
• "Your account is limited" or "update your details now" emails with a link.
• A "payment received" email when nothing arrived in your account.
• Requests to send money to a crypto wallet.

How to check

• Don't pay invoices or requests you don't recognize, and don't call numbers in them.
• Open the PayPal app or website yourself and look at your activity and notifications.
• Forward suspicious emails to phishing@paypal.com, then delete them.

Sources

• PayPal: Avoid invoice and money request scams
• PayPal: Spot fake PayPal emails and websites