For all you PayPal users out there, there’s a new hoax to contend with!

It comes in the form of an e-mail, supposedly from PayPal, with the subject-line “PayPal Account Security Measures“. The contents of the mail are as follows,

Dear PayPal Member,

Your account has been randomly flagged in our system as a part of our routine security measures. This is a must to ensure that only you have access and use of your PayPal account and to ensure a safe PayPal experience. We require all flagged accounts to verify their information on file with us. To verify your Information at this time, please visit our secure server webform by clicking the hyperlink below

Click here to verify your Information

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team

Please note that this is not a genuine PayPal e-mail. It is a fraud!!

The URL to supposedly verify your information takes you to the fraudster’s website where any information, that an unsuspecting PayPal user might enter, is phished!

As usual, I checked with PayPal by forwarding this suspicious mail to spoof@paypal.com. And a few minutes later, PayPal confirmed with a reply which said,

Dear Sameer,

Thank you for contacting PayPal.

Thank you for bringing this suspicious email to our attention. We can confirm that the email you received was not sent to you by PayPal. The website linked to this email is not a registered URL authorized or used by PayPal. We are currently investigating this incident fully. Please do not enter any personal or financial information into this website.

There! … straight from the horse’s mouth!! :-)

Stay informed!!

Update: Thanks to hpnadig for pointing out the following resources on information on these ‘homograph attakcs’.
1. Phisihing, IDN and Gecko Browsers
2. The state of homograph attacks