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PayPal offers customers extra protection against online fraud
08 Mar 2010 09:53
PayPal is encouraging its customers to download a software program called Iconix eMail ID* to help confirm the identity of genuine PayPal emails. This will provide extra protection against ‘phishing’.
Phishing emails are sent by fraudsters and wrongly claim to be from financial services companies and other organisations. They often lure consumers into giving away personal information such as account details and passwords that could enable fraudsters to steal their money and identity. According to the latest research** from PayPal, over half (58%) of UK internet users are currently at risk of a phishing attack; having admitted to responding to a phishing email or clicking on a link in it.
Iconix software can help protect PayPal’s customers by visually identifying genuine PayPal emails. After a customer installs Iconix eMail ID, they'll see an icon (a gold lock with a tick) next to a PayPal logo whenever they receive authentic emails from PayPal. The free program works with most of the major email services like Gmail (Google Mail), MSN Hotmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook and Outlook Express.* The software is available at www.iconix.com.
Garreth Griffith, head of risk and security at PayPal UK, commented: “Staying safe online needn’t be a headache. By taking a few simple steps you can outsmart the fraudsters and protect your money and your identity. PayPal is keen to do everything it can to help consumers and we’re encouraging customers to download the Iconix software to easily confirm genuine PayPal emails. We’re featuring the software on our online security centre, and we’re also emailing details to customers who have contacted us about security issues.”
PayPal offers the following tips for staying safe online:
- Download Iconix eMail ID to confirm genuine emails from PayPal;
- Make sure you have the latest versions of security software on your computer (anti virus, firewall and anti-spyware) and set them to automatic update;
- Make sure you use one of the latest browsers, such as Firefox 3 or 3.5 or Internet Explorer 7 or 8, to surf the web - they have additional security functions built in;
- Never respond directly to any email claiming to be from your bank or financial services provider demanding urgent action as this could be a phishing email. Instead, open a new browser window and go directly to the relevant bank or financial services provider’s website;
- Minimise the amount of personal data you post on social networking sites and set the security settings to only allow your friends to see your details;
- Don’t use the same password for all websites and try to make it a combination of numbers and letters and not something that a stranger could easily guess;
- When making financial transactions online, take time to ensure that the site you’re entering your details on is legitimate and not a clone site or unsecure. For example look for the padlock symbol in the browser and make sure the website address (or URL) starts with ‘https’.
PayPal works closely with the internet industry in the fight to keep consumers safe from phishing and cybercrime. PayPal is a partner in the UK’s internet safety awareness initiative, Get Safe Online (www.getsafeonline.org).
Snapshot of the nation’s online safety**:
| Yes | No |
Making sure your computer is protected |
Have the most up to date firewall and security software AND set it to auto update | 93% | 7% |
Use one of the latest browsers | 65% | 35% |
Safe internet use |
Responded or clicked on a link on a phishing email | 58% | 42% |
Use multiple and complex passwords | 82% | 18% |
Checking a website is secure and legitimate |
Look for the padlock icon when making financial transactions | 58% | 42% |
Check for ‘https’ at the beginning of the web address when making financial transactions | 31% | 69% |
Check the website address is correct | 17% | 83% |
Checking that you’ll be protected if anything goes wrong with your purchase |
Check for the retailer’s postal address | 37% | 63% |
Check for a customer services number | 34% | 67% |
Call the company to check it exists | 10% | 90% |
Read other customers’ feedback online | 33% | 67% |
Making sure you use a safe payment method |
Use a secure payment system (i.e. PayPal) | 57% | 43% |
For more information contact:
Notes to Editors:
* For more information about Iconix, please visit http://www.iconix.com. Iconix is not currently available for Mac or Linux.
** The research for PayPal was carried out online by Opinium between 14 and 16 October 2009 amongst 2,012 UK adults aged 18+ and is nationally representative of UK internet users.
All figures/statistics [relating to “UK internet users” set out in the main body of this article, along with the figures] in the box labelled “Snapshot of the nation’s online safety”, are derived from this research.
Opinium follows the codes of the MRS (Market Research Society) and is registered with the UK Data Protection Registrar.
About PayPal
PayPal is the faster, safer and easier way to pay and get paid online. PayPal stores your card and bank details, enabling you to pay online without entering your sensitive financial information every time you shop, and you can be confident that it is never shared with the seller.
PayPal (Europe) S.àr.l. et Cie S.C.A. is a Luxembourg-based limited liability partnership, which is regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (‘CSSF') in Luxembourg. PayPal Inc is the ultimate parent of PayPal (Europe) S.àr.l. et Cie S.C.A. and is 100% owned by eBay Inc. PayPal Inc was set up in the US in December 1998 and acquired by eBay Inc in 2002.
PayPal has over 22 million accounts in the UK and is accepted on over 165,000 retailers’ websites across Europe
More information about the company can be found at www.paypal.co.uk or www.paypal.co.uk/press
About ICONIX, Inc.
ICONIX, Inc. is the leading provider of trusted email identification solutions. ICONIX provides the industry's first visual eMail ID solution for businesses and consumers. The patented Iconix® solution enables consumers to instantly recognize and find messages from legitimate senders, which proactively combats widespread email based identity theft techniques, such as phishing. The Iconix® Truemark® service is the only standards-based visual authentication solution that works across various email platforms. ICONIX displays third party favicons for the purpose of identifying the sender of email for the benefit of recipients of email so that recipients can quickly, easily and accurately identify the source of email. For more information, visit www.iconix.com.