Image by Ivan Radic, from Unsplash
Hackers Hijack PayPal’s System To Send Convincing Scam Emails
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
A recent scam is targeting PayPal users by sending fake emails that appear to come from PayPal’s official address, “service@paypal.com.”
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Victims are tricked into calling a fake support number for account recovery.
- Scammers use remote access software to steal personal and financial information.
- PayPal is aware of the scam and working on prevention measures.
The most concerning part of this scam is that attackers are using legitimate PayPal emails. Since these messages are properly authenticated, they bypass security filters and spam protections, as noted by Forbes .
This makes it more likely that recipients will trust the email and follow the instructions, ultimately giving scammers access to their PayPal accounts.
New PayPal Phishing technique bypass all filters ? by u/prometheus_0day in Scams
The scam, first reported by Bleeping Computer , uses these emails to claim that a new shipping address has been added to an account and include a message about a supposed purchase, such as a MacBook M4 Max 1 TB priced at $1,098.95.
The email urges recipients to call a provided phone number if they did not authorize the change. The researchers explain that scammers exploit PayPal’s “gift address” feature, which allows users to add multiple shipping addresses to their accounts.
By inserting fraudulent messages into the address fields, they trigger legitimate confirmation emails from PayPal to their own email addresses.
These emails are then forwarded to a broader list of targets, making it appear as though PayPal is directly contacting them. Since these emails originate from PayPal’s servers, they often bypass spam filters and seem authentic to recipients.
The primary goal is to alarm recipients into believing their account has been compromised. The email prompts them to call a fake customer support number. When victims call, scammers posing as PayPal representatives instruct them to download software under the guise of resolving the issue.
This software grants the scammers remote access to the victim’s computer, enabling them to steal personal information, install malicious programs, or access financial accounts.
To safeguard against such scams, the researchers say that users should verify account changes by logging into their PayPal account directly through the official website or app rather than using contact details from suspicious emails.
Even if an email appears legitimate, links and attachments should not be opened unless their authenticity is confirmed.
The researchers explain that common red flags of phishing attempts include generic greetings like “Dear user,” urgent requests for immediate action, or notifications of unrecognized transactions.
Any suspicious communications should be forwarded to phishing@paypal.com before being deleted.
This security incident comes as PayPal faces increased scrutiny over its cybersecurity practices. In a separate case, the company was fined $2 million by New York’s Department of Financial Services for failing to prevent a data breach in late 2022.
The breach, which lasted seven weeks, exposed sensitive customer information, including Social Security numbers, due to PayPal’s failure to implement multifactor authentication and CAPTCHA.
The company has since strengthened its security measures by mandating multifactor authentication and enforcing stricter login protocols.
Bleeping Computer reports that PayPal has acknowledged the new scam issue and is reportedly working on measures to prevent such abuses of their system. In the meantime, users are advised to remain vigilant and proactive in protecting their accounts.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Alibaba Announces $52 Billion Investment In AI And Cloud Infrastructure
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The Chinese giant Alibaba announced this Monday a new investment plan of 380 billion yuan—around $52.44 billion—in artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud computing for the next three years.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Alibaba is investing $52.44 billion in AI infrastructure and cloud computing by 2027.
- The tech giant surpasses its past decade’s AI spending in a significant move for AI growth.
- The company leverages its market success to dominate artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
According to Reuters , Alibaba had previously announced its intentions to invest more in AI but didn’t provide details of the total amount. On Friday, the company shared its most recent quarterly revenue report with a 32% revenue growth and emerging as an AI leader in the industry and the region.
The new billionaire investment hits a record as it exceeds the figures the company has invested in AI in the past 10 years, leveraging the current positive landscape in which it has stood out for its leadership, growth, and strong market projections.
A few weeks ago, Alibaba released the latest version of its flagship AI model , Qwen, claiming it could perform better than frontier models like DeepSeek-V3 or GPT-4o.
The tech giant has also developed advanced multimodal versions capable of processing images and performing advanced tasks as AI agents similar to OpenAI’s Operator .
Despite the market’s strong performance, Alibaba faces tough competition in the region from rivals like ByteDance, which recently introduced a powerful new AI tool, OmniHuman-1 , capable of generating realistic deepfakes, sparking significant market interest and debate.
Alibaba’s AI-driven move to scale up its advanced technologies has been implemented by other competitors in the global market as well. Mistral, the French AI startup, recently announced it will also invest billions to build data centers in France , and President Emmanuel Macron just signed a €50 billion agreement with the United Arab Emirates to build the largest AI data center in Europe. The government of the United States, along with OpenAI, Microsoft, and Softbank are investing $500 billion in the Stargate Project for the development of advanced AI technologies in the U.S.
