New PayPal Email Scam Warning...

WHAT looks like a Serbian website scam email has been brought to our attention.   Even though this is not a new type of scam, it was the email address that got most of our readers attention and ours... The email reports to be from PayPal and is sent under this address:- ''service@paypal.inc.com'' and says:-

"You have added jamessoul899@yahoo.com as a new email address for your PayPal account. If you did not authorize this change or if you need assistance with your account, please contact PayPal customer service at: https://www.paypal.com/us/wf/f=ap_email Thank you for using PayPal!"

We thought it odd straight away, as it came to us on an email address that does not have any connections with PayPal, so we contacted PayPal to find out about it. PayPal has informed us that this one has been reported by a lot of people and they then thanked us for forwarding it on to them. Shortly after we had contacted PayPal, our readers also started reporting it to us.

When we this email we preformed a very quick and simple check that you can do. All you have to do is look at the source code of the email and see if the email code starts by saying:-

"From - Mon Jan 18 20:46:08 2009
X-Account-Key: account2
X-UIDL: 483438126
X-Mozilla-Status: 0011
X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
X-Mozilla-Keys:
Received: from mx1.phx.paypal.com"

Please not the date will change…. Anyway if the "Received: from mx1.phx.paypal.com" does not say "paypal.com" it is more than likely it is a phishing attempt. But be warned this simple way of checking does not always work... On this occasion it does not say paypal, as you can see by clicking onto the picture above.  This is a good example of this.

After we sent off the email to PayPal letting them know about our suspicions, they quickly replied saying we where correct, that it is a phishing attempt. They then informed us that they are now working on stopping the fraud. They also told us that:- "Identity thieves often try to trick our users into revealing there password or other personal information through phishing emails and fake websites. We have lots of reports about fake sites and emails sent to us all the time. If any of your readers do find any suspicious looking emails in their inbox, them we ask them to please report them to us. When you forward suspicious-looking emails you must send them to spoof@paypal.com . By sending these emails to us to check you help us to keep yourself and others safe from identity theft. Reporting fake sites and emails to us really does make a huge difference! Every email counts... Please remember when sending these emails to us DO NOT press on any links or copy any links in the email address bar. Type our  spoof email address in to the destination address box (email to section) your self. After sending a reply will come back confirming if it is from us or not.  Your readers can find out more by visiting our online safety page on our PayPal website."

Our advice is, even if it does look like a Paypal email. Make a note of the emails information. Open up your browser and type in www.paypal.com and then log in. Never click on links like this unless you requested it from the service provider.  This rule should be followed for all websites that require passwords to access them, including MySpace and Facebook!

ROLE REVERSAL

RESEARCHERS found that after bickering and bust-ups amid teenage years, the landmark 21st birthday sparks a change in attitude and an awareness of the importance of their family.  Moving away from home to university or to start work for the first time is also a contributory factor in appreciating parent's role.

The stat emerged in a study of 5,000 families by internet market research firm www.onepoll.com. 

A quarter of those polled admitted moving out of the family home came as a shock and more than half said they missed the responsibility their parents took for their well-being.  A further 17% said it took going to University to appreciate the support mum and dad gave them on a day to day basis.

'Young children look up to their parents, absorbing everything they say and emulating their behaviour.  But by the time they reach their teens, they are learning to develop as individuals, which means they naturally push against everything their parents are trying to teach them, and test the boundaries at every opportunity. 

Teenagers are headstrong, emotional and independent, and at this point mum and dad become uncool, stifling and over-protective.  But when kids leave home and start to fend for themselves, they no longer have to conform to their parent's ways and rebel against their suggested habits.

This is a point of reflection for most people. And when they start having to make their own decisions about finances, food, relationships and health, this is when they realise the extent of their mum and dad's input to date.  All of a sudden mum and dad are a force to be reckoned with, they are no longer taken for granted and their advice is suddenly more valuable than anyone else's.''

The poll also revealed for many people, having children was the turning point in their relationship with their parents.  More than 20% of people experienced a new-found respect for their parents after enduring months of sleepless nights, worrying about childhood illnesses, and learning how to become good parents themselves.

For women 27 emerged as the age they started to listen and take advice from mum and dad about their children, for men it is 29.  In fact, people generally become much more receptive to taking advice from their parents in their mid 20s - with more than 70% admitting they thought they 'knew it all' in their teens.

At this point, people will turn to mum and dad for advice on financial matters, health advice, problems with social life and moving up the property ladder.  A staggering 78% of people said that it wasn't until they settled down themselves they started to realise the hardships their parents had been through.  And 70% said they started to feel they had more in common with their parents when they moved into their own place and found themselves a stable relationship.

Towards the end of our 20s, we are much more likely to thank our parents for the efforts they have made in bringing us up.  A whopping 72% of women and 70% of men said they regularly let their parents know how much they appreciate their support and advice. 

And at this point, we are more willing to return our parents efforts by looking after them when they need it.  4 in 10 people admit they often find themselves lending a helping hand, and 66% say it is about time the shoe was on the other foot.
 

BREAKDOWN OF RESULTS	Female	Male
Age we start to appreciate our parents	22	22
Age we take relationship advice	24	25
Age we take advice on financial matters	23	25
Age we take advice on our children	27	29
Age we take advice on our work and jobs	23	24
Age we take advice on our social life	24	25
Age we take advice on health matters	21	24
Age we take advice on buying a house	25	28
Age we start worrying about parents getting older	27	30
getting ill / looking after themselves	27	29