Jane asked for computer tips for newer users last week. There are plenty of very official looking emails that are seemingly from banks, credit card companies and (very often) PayPal. These are all scams - none of these companies ask you to do anything online that involves providing account numbers, passwords and the like. Don't fall for these scams - they will steal your information and your money. Here's an example of one I got tonight (I normally delete these without opening them , but thought I'd pass the information along to others). If you're concerned that the notice is real for any reason, call them up on the phone and ask - never respond to an email like this one. These people are clever (and malicious low lifes). The subject line was: PayPalR Account Review Department They even used a URL that looks like it belongs to PayPal - these are not hard to spoof. Here's the body of the email (I've deleted the logos and the links); Dear valued PayPalR member: PayPalR is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of buyers and sellers. To protect the security of your account, PayPal employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the PayPal system for unusual activity. Recently, our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with PayPal's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to your account was limited. Your account access will remain limited until this issue has been resolved. This is a fraud prevention measure meant to ensure that your account is not compromised. In order to secure your account and quickly restore full access, we may require some specific information from you for the following reason: We would like to ensure that your account was not accessed by an unauthorized third party. Because protecting the security of your account is our primary concern, we have limited access to sensitive PayPal account features. We understand that this may be an inconvenience but please understand that this temporary limitation is for your protection. Case ID Number: PP-040-187-541 We encourage you to log in and restore full access as soon as possible. Should access to your account remain limited for an extended period of time, it may result in further limitations on the use of your account. However, failure to restore your records will result in account suspension. Please update your records on or before January 5, 2005. Once you have updated your account records, your PayPal session will not be interrupted and will continue as normal. To update your Paypal records click on the following link: { This looks like a real link to PayPal } Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure meant to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely, PayPalR Account Review Department PayPal Email ID PP522 Accounts Management As outlined in our User Agreement, PayPal will periodically send you information about site changes and enhancements. Visit our Privacy Policy and User Agreement if you have any questions. { Another very official looking hyperlink was included here }