PayPal invoice scams: don’t call the number in the note
A PayPal invoice or money request for something you never ordered, with a note telling you to call a number to dispute it, is a scam, even though it really comes from PayPal’s system.
Scammers open their own PayPal accounts and send real invoices, so the email passes every check. The trick is in the note: an alarming message and a “PayPal support” number that rings the scammer. Others simply copy PayPal’s emails. Either way, the answer is in your PayPal account, not the message.
What it looks like
An example written by HARD, not a real message. Real ones change wording often.
Email from PayPal (a real invoice, sent by a scammer’s account)
You have a new invoice: $599.00 – Bitcoin purchase
Seller note: Your account has been charged for a BTC purchase. If you did not authorise this transaction, call PayPal Support immediately at +1 (844) 555-0108 to cancel within 24 hours.
Check the one you got
Paste what you were sent. HARD checks it in this browser with the same rules as the Is this legit? check in its apps. Nothing you paste leaves this page.
How to tell it’s fake
“Never provide personal, credit card, or account info via email, text, or phone.”
PayPal
- An invoice for something you didn’t buy.
- Often crypto, an antivirus plan or electronics, for a large round sum.
- A phone number in the seller’s note.
- PayPal says not to call any number in an invoice note. The note is written by the sender, not PayPal.
- Urgency and a threat of a charge.
- An invoice isn’t a charge: nothing is paid unless you pay it.
- A crypto wallet to send money to.
- PayPal says never to send money to a cryptocurrency wallet mentioned in an invoice or money request.
- For fake PayPal emails: the link.
- PayPal says to open the app or type paypal.com yourself rather than use the email’s links.
If you clicked, called or paid
- Don’t pay the invoice, and don’t call.
- Leave it unpaid. If you called, hang up and don’t let them connect to your computer.
- If you gave details, change your PayPal password.
- In the app or at paypal.com, typed in, and turn on two-step verification.
- Call your bank if you paid or typed in card details.
- Use the number on the back of your card, not one from the message. Ask them to block the card, dispute the charge and watch for more. The sooner you call, the better the chance of stopping it.
- Report it.
- Report the invoice or request from inside your PayPal account. Forward fake PayPal emails and texts to [email protected]. In the US, also ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If it was your parents, read Look after your parents, and if a card number or password has gone, Breaches explains what each kind of leaked data lets criminals do.
The official way to check
- Open the PayPal app or type paypal.com.
- If no money has left your account, nothing needs to be done but report it.
- Call PayPal on its own number.
- PayPal lists 1-888-221-1161 for US customer service, or use the Contact page in its Help Center.
Someone on the phone asking for money right now? Guides has the two-step answer. More scams by name are on Is this a scam?, and new ones reach the Situation Room.
Questions
Why did I get a PayPal invoice I didn’t ask for?
Anyone can send a PayPal invoice to any email address. Scammers use real invoices with a phone number in the note to get you to call them. Don’t pay it or call; report it in your PayPal account.
Is an email from [email protected] always safe?
Not for invoices: a scammer’s invoice is sent by PayPal’s own system. Ignore any number or link in the note and check your account in the app.
Where do I report a PayPal scam email?
Forward the whole email to [email protected] and delete it. Report unwanted invoices from inside your PayPal account.
Sources
Sources checked on 7 Nov 2026.
- PayPal: What are invoice scams and money request scams on PayPal?, read 7 November 2026 in a browser (the page blocks automated readers): real invoices with an alarmist note and fake number; don’t call numbers in the note; never send to a crypto wallet in an invoice; report from your account.
- PayPal: How to detect phishing scams, read 7 November 2026: open the app or type paypal.com; 1-888-221-1161; never give card or account details by email, text or phone.
- PayPal: How to report suspicious emails and messages, read 7 November 2026: forward emails and texts to [email protected].