10 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
10 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Paypal accidently sends millions of "Congratulations, You Won €500" emails

by GeorgR.
8 replies
Phishing emails are nothing new. But this email is legit, it DID come from a legit paypal email address. It was sent to many, probably thousands of German paypal customers.

"Hello NAME,

Congratulations, you are one of the lucky winners. Check your paypal account right now where we credited you €500. You can redeem your winnings right away."

Official paypal address, etc..etc..

I am logging in on this old paypal account (which I normally don't use anymore)....of course, there is no €500.

Only by Googling I found on some other sites that paypal did indeed send out 1000s of "You won €500 emails".

Of course, there is no explanation or apology on the official site about the mistake...

Edit: According to the many who talk about this on the Paypal facebook page right now, paypal didn't send thousands of those emails, but in fact 3.500.000
#accidently #emails #paypal #sends
  • Profile picture of the author kinyash
    Just get into contact with them?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152469].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      How does anyone "accidentally" send millions of emails to their customers? If the email was sent, and if it really did come from PayPal, then do the same as you would with any other phishing email you receive.

      Good luck,

      Steve
      Signature

      Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
      SteveBrowneDirect

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152564].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
        Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

        How does anyone "accidentally" send millions of emails to their customers?
        Easy. They set up some sweepstakes with all the matching emails - and some poor newbie staff member might have pushed the wrong button at the wrong time....you know, it's Friday and people make mistakes
        Signature
        *** Affiliate Site Quick --> The Fastest & Easiest Way to Make Affiliate Sites!<--
        -> VISIT www.1UP-SEO.com *** <- Internet Marketing, SEO Tips, Reviews & More!! ***
        *** HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CREATION +++ Manual Article Spinning (Thread Here) ***
        Content Creation, Blogging, Articles, Converting Sales Copy, Reviews, Ebooks, Rewrites
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152693].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
          Originally Posted by GeorgR. View Post

          Easy. They set up some sweepstakes with all the matching emails - and some poor newbie staff member might have pushed the wrong button at the wrong time....you know, it's Friday and people make mistakes
          and that poor newbie staff member is said Bye Bye by Paypal till now ... I guess :|
          Signature

          I can convert your Non-Responsive website to Responsive website ... How sweet is that? :)

          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8153459].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by GeorgR. View Post

    But this email is legit, it DID come from a legit paypal email address.
    How do you know this, Georg?

    Forgive my being such a skepchick but it does sound terribly unlikely: to me it sounds from the description above like a classic phishing scam, with a spoofed sender's email address, as they often have. :confused:

    I would certainly notify PayPal, anyway, and forward them a copy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152578].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      How do you know this, Georg?

      Forgive my being such a skepchick but it does sound terribly unlikely: to me it sounds from the description above like a classic phishing scam, with a spoofed sender's email address, as they often have. :confused:

      I would certainly notify PayPal, anyway, and forward them a copy.

      Alexa,

      on their (German) FB page they are apologizing. Be assured, they are already aware of the problem since millions seems to be affected.

      The email was sent out because they have some sweepstakes going on where people can win cash if they buy something via paypal - however, they sent out the winning notifications prematurely.

      Rest assured, before I click/trust any such mail (and it is indeed worded like your classic phishing mail) I check the URLs..and this one is indeed legit and is now also confirmed.

      Here is the URL where this comes from/goes to email-edg.paypal.com - so it does indeed go to the paypal.com site.
      Signature
      *** Affiliate Site Quick --> The Fastest & Easiest Way to Make Affiliate Sites!<--
      -> VISIT www.1UP-SEO.com *** <- Internet Marketing, SEO Tips, Reviews & More!! ***
      *** HIGH QUALITY CONTENT CREATION +++ Manual Article Spinning (Thread Here) ***
      Content Creation, Blogging, Articles, Converting Sales Copy, Reviews, Ebooks, Rewrites
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152682].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author datingworld
    If they have sent it to you, Now fight for 500Euro .. dont let them rest until you get 500 Euro from them
    Signature

    Free Private Label Dating Guide Book _ _ _ _ _ The Best Dating Affiliate Program
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8152712].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rmolina88
    It's relatively easy to put ANY email address in a web form's "sent from" field and spam emails that way.

    I was the victim of it many years ago when people were telling me to screw off because of spam I supposedly sent them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8153520].message }}

Trending Topics