What are invoice scams and money request scams on PayPal?

Invoice and money request scams often try to trick you into sending money to a fraudster. Or they may ask you to call their phone number, hoping you’ll divulge your personal or financial details over the phone.

Be wary of alarmist messages in invoices and money requests warning you to call them quickly to resolve an “issue” on your account. Always log in to your account on the PayPal website or the PayPal app to verify if any action is needed.

Invoice and money request scams can happen in numerous ways:

1. You receive an invoice or money request through PayPal, but for a product/service you never ordered. Don’t pay it.
2. You receive an invoice or money request through PayPal containing an alarmist note. The note may ask you to call their fake customer service number in the hope they can obtain your personal/financial details over the phone. It may look like this:

3. You receive a fake invoice or money request by email, designed to look like a real PayPal email. Never click any links or call any phone numbers in a suspicious email. It may look like this:

How to avoid these scams:

• If you receive a suspicious invoice or money request, don't pay it.
• Don't call any phone numbers in the invoice note or open suspicious URLs.
• Never send money to a cryptocurrency wallet mentioned in an invoice or money request.

What to do if you receive a suspicious invoice:

Report any unwarranted invoices or money requests by logging into your PayPal account on our website or the PayPal app.

To report a suspicious email or website, forward it to phishing@paypal.com and we’ll investigate it for you. After you send us the email, delete it from your inbox.

Learn more about security and protection.