Online payment processing giant PayPal uses my millions of Americans and the rise in fraudsters using their companies to fraudulent consumers.
Chicksx’s technical experts outlined the most common PayPal scams of 2025 and how to avoid them.
The most common PayPal scam of 2025.
“Account Problems” scam.
Email is the preferred way for scammers to steal your money. You may receive phishing emails claiming issues with PayPal accounts. The email also includes a link and request to click to log in to your account. These scams are some of the most common social engineering attacks designed to allow access to PayPal accounts.
“Promotional Offer” or “You’re Waiting for Money” scam.
When you use this scam, you will receive emails that offer cash rebates or other financial incentives. The email tells you that you need to log in to your PayPal account to see some details to claim that reward.
Like any email scam, email links are directed to fake PayPal websites. By clicking on the link and entering your login credentials, the scammer can access the credentials and drain your account.
“Prepay” scam.
This scam will play based on feelings and send you an email notification that you have won, inherited, or otherwise qualify, in order to receive a substantial amount from unexpected sources.
The only catch is that you must first send a small amount via PayPal to cover your transaction fees (or other fake costs), but if you send a small amount, you will never hear from the scammer again and you will receive the money you sent.
“Delivery address” scam.
Scammers have tons of transporting lots of sleeves to try and steal money from PayPal. Unlike unsolicited emails leading to fake PayPal sites, these scam methods include being actually involved on a real PayPal platform.
If you sell items online, you are the target audience for these scams. Some types of common PayPal scams include shipping addresses that include:
Buyers want to use a preferred delivery method. Buyers will use their preferred delivery company to ship items, easily reroute the package to another address, contact PayPal, submit a non-received request, and ask for a full refund. Money, items and even shipping costs are charged because they cannot prove that the item has not been received.
Buyers will provide their own shipping labels. The buyer will offer to send a prepaid shipping label, reroute the package to another shipping address, and claim that he has never received the item.
The buyer will provide a fake shipping address: If the shipping company cannot deliver the package to the invalid delivery address provided, the scammer will step in through the new legal shipping address, but the buyer will insist that he has never received the item as the package is rerouted.
“Pending Payment” Scam.
Buyers will interact with you on PayPal to pay for the items you sell. They send you a message and claim they have paid, but PayPal will not release any money to you until you provide your freight tracking number.
The scammers want the product to be shipped and provided with a tracking number before payment.
“Fake Charity” scam.
For example, in the case of a natural disaster, many people can search for local charities and donate to rescue efforts there. Scammers often use this to their advantage, setting up fake charities and donation sites, and seeking donations to fake charities via PayPal.
