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Question about PayPal? Fake Email?

The email is below. I think it looks a little iffy because it doesnt look like the email was sent directly from PayPal. This person wants to buy my item off ebay. -----Original Message----- From: onehappysoul@gmail.com [mailto:onehappysoul@gmail.com] On Behalf Of service@paypal.com Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 9:25 PM To: jgander@new.rr.com Subject: You've got payment: Payment Temporary On Hold Pending Verification (Routing Code: C840-L001-Q999-T5365). Hello (my email), You have an Instant Payment from Melannie Cummings for the payment of your ebay item: Working Apple Macbook 1.83 GHz w/extras, Dreamweaver ++ #220657611397. Transaction Date: Aug.23, 2010 Transaction Amount: $700.00 USD. Buyer's Email ID: joycem.lucy@gmail.com Here is a message from Melannie Cummings : I will be glad if you can get the package in the mail today as i want it to reach it's destination ASAP. Note :This PayPal payment has been deducted from the buyer's account and has been "APPROVED" but will not be credited to your account until the shipment is verified. This is PayPal's new innovation to ensure a secure transaction for the interest of both parties, therefore we urge you to get the merchandise shipped to the buyer's address and verify it by sending the shipment tracking details to us at : shipment_validation@consultant.com. This transaction is not fraudulent and you are assured of quality service and protection. We encourage you to ship the item immediately (due to PayPal's policy) as your payment has been confirmed by us. Security is of critical importance at eBay. Please note that failure to reply to this e-mail within 24 hours may result to temporary limited account access. Sincerely, PayPal Account Review Department. Security Advisory: When you log in to your PayPal account, be sure to open up a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the PayPal URL to make sure you are on the real PayPal website.For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please review the Security trips in our Security Center. ---------------------------------------------------------------- PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD NEVER give your password to anyone, including PayPal employees.Protect yourself against fraudulent websites by opening a new web browser (e.g.Internet Explorer or Netscape) and typing in the PayPal URL every time you log in to your account. ---------------------------------------------------------------- PayPal Email ID PP405.

Public Comments

1. You are right to be suspicious, that email is absolutely a scam- report it
2. absolutely a scam, forward to spoof@paypal.com and cut off all communication with the other person You can tell this isn't from Paypal just looking at the From line. "From: onehappysoul@gmail.com" is all you need to know this is not official Paypal communication - Paypal NEVER uses gmail accounts for any reason Paypal never waits to credit your account until the item is shipped - if you go to paypal.com and there's no money there, it was NOT sent. This email is a fake
3. That's not from Paypal - it's a spoof. Paypal would never ask for tracking numbers or ask you to ever contact a free @consultant address. And as the post above points out, the original message wasn't even sent from Paypal - it was sent from a @gmail account. There is NO new Paypal policy - if there are no transactions showing up when you log on to your Paypal.com account, then there has been no money sent