Kingston Police warn public of recent PayPal payment ploy

Kingston Police Services are warning members of the public about a recent PayPal scam. Police say recently, cybercriminals have taken advantage of PayPal, the popular international online payment platform. Cybercriminals are spoofing PayPal in order to try and steal personal or financial information.

In this scam, cybercriminals send a phishing email saying that PayPal payments did not process and that the receiver needs to act fast. The email contains a phone number allegedly from PayPal, prompting the person to call. This phone call appears legitimate, but it's actually from cybercriminals spoofing PayPal. If the receiver calls this number, cybercriminals will try to trick them into giving away personal or financial information. 

Police suggest online buyers use the following tips to stay safe from similar scams:

- Be cautious when giving financial information to someone over the phone. Instead, avoid using phone numbers provided in emails and navigate to the organization's official website. 
- Be suspicious of emails that contain a sense of urgency. Cybercriminals use a sense of urgency as an attempt to catch the receiver off guard and get them to click or act impulsively.
- Remember that this type of attack is not exclusive to PayPal. Cybercriminals could use this technique to impersonate any organization in any country.

With files by CFRA's Connor Ray