The following guideline are taken from the PayPal site and if you follow them you should not be caught out by this or any attempted

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Identity fraud

Attempts to make you reveal personal information which people can use to steal your money are easy to spot if you know what to look for.

The following guidelines are taken from the PayPal site. A few of the words have been highlighted. If you follow these tips you should not be caught out by this or any attempted identity fraud:

	Safe Log In: To log in to your PayPal account or access the PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.co.uk
	Greeting: Emails from PayPal will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. Fraudulent emails often include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member".
	Email Attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. Attachments contained in fraudulent emails often contain viruses that may harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account.
	Request for Personal Information: If we require information from you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account.

What should you do if you are suspicious?

If you think that you have received a fraudulent email, please forward the email (or URL address) to spoof@paypal.com and then delete the email from your mailbox. All online payment providers have a similar site to report your suspicions. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email.

Another tip: If you hover over the link the fraudsters have 'thoughtfully' provided, you will see where the link will take you. Please be careful how long you hover as some computers, and especially laptops, will select the link after a few seconds if you hover too long or 'double tap'. It will not be to the site you were expecting. So don't believe the text of a link you see on screen - look behind it

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