PayPal Alerts Consumers to Phishing Scams and Encourages Safety Tips

During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the company spreads awareness to help people spot and avoid socially engineered phishing scams.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As trusted leaders in customer protection, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) is committed to fighting continually evolving scams. With National Cybersecurity Awareness Month underway, the company is spreading awareness of phishing scams in which fraudsters impersonate well-known brands and use social engineering tactics to deceive people into sending money and divulging personal information. PayPal urges all consumers to practice vigilance and learn how to spot the signs of phishing fraud. 

"PayPal does not tolerate scams, and we take our duty to help protect consumers very seriously," said PayPal Chief Information Security Officer, Shaun Khalfan. "With scammers deploying increasingly sophisticated tactics, we are on a mission to spread awareness and promote simple yet effective safety practices. We firmly believe that education and proactive caution are key to defending against fraud trends and keeping everyone safe." 

What Are Phishing Scams? 

Phishing scams come in many different forms in which scammers "fish" for information and money by sending unsolicited messages through phone calls, texts, emails, and social media. They often insist the receiver click a link, send money, call a phone number, download an attachment, or reply directly – all of which lead back to a scammer. To "hook" people into believing their requests are legitimate, phishers may impersonate recognizable companies and public figures by imitating their branding. Scammers also employ social engineering tactics to manipulate people and create false urgency.

How To Protect Yourself 

We encourage you to stay mindful and cautious of unexpected messages or calls. Information is power, and together, we can outsmart the scammers. As scammed funds cannot be recovered in all circumstances, avoiding fraud from occurring in the first place is the best defense. Keep an eye out for these warning signs and learn best-practice tips: 

• Trust your gut. If something seems "off" or is too good to be true, it probably is.
• STALL. Always pause to think, and be cautious of red flags within unexpected messages:
  • Sender: Check full sender addresses, not just display names.
  • Tone: Beware false urgency and pushy messages.
  • Attachments: Don't open them, as they may contain malware.
  • Links: Look for misspelled or scrambled URLs.
  • Login: Be cautious of login requests to access your accounts.
• Do not respond. Never respond with your personal information to unsolicited messages or calls. Remember caller ID can be faked, so don't rely on it as confirmation a call is legitimate.
• Take control. If you suspect you may be talking with a scammer, immediately end the interaction and ignore repeated follow-ups, which are a red flag.
• Report, delete, block. Report scams to law enforcement, the brand being impersonated, and the communication channel through which you were contacted. Then delete the phishing message and block the sender.
• Get help. Contact companies directly through their websites or apps. Avoid fake websites and support numbers by entering addresses manually instead of through search engine results.
• Act quickly. If you believe you were scammed, immediately contact your financial institutions to check on your accounts, change your passwords, and update your security protocols.
• Enable MFA. For an added layer of defense, turn on multi-factor authentication or 2-step verification for any accounts involving personal and financial information.

How PayPal Protects You 

We are proud of our fraud prevention initiative and are committed to keeping consumers safe and informed. In addition to the best practices above, we recommend learning these PayPal-specific tips:

• Look for checkmarks. An authentic PayPal or Venmo email includes a checkmark next to our logo in your email inbox view. Many email service providers support companies using this method to help consumers identify real messages. 
• Report scams. If you receive a phishing email claiming to be from PayPal or Venmo, forward it to [email protected] and we will investigate it. Then delete and block the message. Report any scams to us by contacting Customer Service or reporting it within the app.
• Contact us directly. Contact us for help through the apps, by calling us at 1-888-221-1161 (PayPal) and 1-855-812-4430 (Venmo) or by visiting www.PayPal.com/us/cshelp/contact-us and https://help.venmo.com/cs/contact-us.
• Learn more. Check out our advice on how to identify fake messages plus more safety tips on the PayPal Security Center: www.paypal.com/us/security.
• PayPal and Venmo Customer Service will never: 
  • Ask for your account info, passwords, validation codes, or your credit, debit, and bank numbers.
  • Access your device remotely, install a third-party app or software, or create an account on your behalf.
  • Direct you to send money to "verify" your account or to another customer via a different payment platform.

PayPal's approach to fraud mitigation is multi-pronged, and we believe that staying ahead of the latest trends is key to keeping the payments ecosystem safe for everyone. We actively partner with leading consumer protection institutions, such as the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Consumers International, and the Smarter Than Scams campaign with the FTA. In addition to investing in consumer education efforts, we build innovative detection technologies, leverage investigative research led by our team of experts, and consistently refine our risk controls to stop bad actors from accessing our platforms. We use a combination of manual investigations and sophisticated technology to protect our customers, including taking proactive actions like limiting scam accounts or declining risky transactions.

About PayPal 
PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. For more information, visit https://www.paypal.com, https://about.pypl.com/ and https://investor.pypl.com/. 

Media Contact
Zoe Bendes
[email protected] 

SOURCE PayPal Holdings, Inc.