PayPal scam texts: how to spot and check them

PayPal scam texts claim your account is limited, a payment you do not recognise has been sent, or a login from a new device needs confirming. The link leads to a fake PayPal login page that steals your credentials - and with them, access to your linked cards and bank.

Got one right now? Check it

Paste the message below and ONSIM AI will give you a verdict in seconds - the scam signals, any link domains checked at the registry, and the sender number checked against our database.

ONSIM AI text check

AI

This check analyses the message content, link domains and sender against known scam patterns. It is provided for information only and is not advice: see our terms and privacy policy. Personal details are removed before anything is stored.

What the scam looks like

Typical formats currently circulating (these are scams, not real messages):

Scam example

PayPal: you sent a payment of £249.99 to Currys. If this was not you, cancel here: paypal-secure-cancel.com

Scam example

PayPal: your account has been limited due to unusual activity. Verify your identity within 24h: paypal-id-confirm.com

The fake payment notification is the sharpest hook: seeing money apparently leaving your account overrides caution. The "cancel" page is a pixel-perfect login clone. Once credentials are captured, attackers drain balances, make purchases and use the same email-password pair on other sites.

The tells

  • ✗A link to log in from a text. PayPal directs you to open the app or type paypal.com yourself.
  • ✗A domain that is not paypal.com.
  • ✗Generic greetings ("Dear customer") - genuine PayPal messages use the name on your account.

What the real PayPal does

Check any claimed payment by opening the PayPal app or typing paypal.com directly. Real problems with your account appear in the message centre there. PayPal also publishes a phishing address (phishing@paypal.com) for forwarding fakes.

If you get one

Do not click, reply or call any number in the message. Forward it for free to 7726 so your mobile network can block the campaign, then delete it. If a call or text claims to be your bank, hang up and dial 159 - the UK anti-fraud line that connects you to your real bank. If you have already entered card details, tell your bank immediately; if you have lost money, report it to Action Fraud. You can also check the sender's number to see what has been reported about it.

PayPal scam text questions

A PayPal text says I sent money I did not send. Should I panic?

No - in almost every case no payment exists. The message is designed to alarm you into "cancelling" via a fake login page. Open the PayPal app yourself: if no such transaction shows in your activity, the text was a scam. If one genuinely does, dispute it inside the app.

I entered my PayPal login on a fake page. What do I do?

Change your PayPal password immediately from the real app or site, enable two-factor authentication, check for unauthorised transactions and linked device changes, and change the password anywhere else you used the same one. Then contact PayPal through the app.

Other scam texts going around

Royal Mail Evri DPD DVLA HMRC Amazon Hi Mum / Hi Dad O2 EE Three Vodafone Netflix Apple Banks Wrong number / friendly stranger