PayPal Account Is On Hold POP-UP Scam

What is "PayPal account is on hold"?

The "PayPal account is on hold" scam is presented on a deceptive website that should not be trusted. Scammers use it to steal PayPal accounts.

Typically, people end up visiting websites of this type due to potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) installed on their browsers or operating systems. In addition to unwanted redirects, PUAs often serve users with intrusive advertisements and collect information relating to browsing habits.

The main goal of the "PayPal account is on hold" scam is to trick people into believing that their PayPal accounts are temporarily blocked due to suspicious activities. To unblock their accounts, people are encouraged to verify their identities by calling 'PayPal Customer Support' via the "+1(866)-661-2666" telephone number.

It is likely that (if called) these scammers will try to determine the user's PayPal account username and password - the details required to log into the PayPal account. We strongly recommend that you ignore this scam, since trusting it might lead to a stolen account, which is then misused to generate revenue (causing the victim financial loss).

Scammers promote this scam website using Amazon Web Services, a legitimate service created by the Amazon company. Many scammers misuse such services for malicious purposes.

People visit this scam website due to installed PUAs that redirect them to it. These apps often deliver unwanted ads such as coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and others. The ads are annoying and conceal underlying content of visited web pages. People who willingly or accidentally click them are often redirected to dubious (potentially, malicious) websites.

Clicking these ads can allow them to run scripts designed to download/install even more unwanted apps. Another downside of having PUAs installed is information tracking. They collect IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, and other data of this kind.

Some PUAs might also record personal details. Developers share all gathered data with other parties who misuse it to generate revenue.

Threat Summary:

Name	PayPal Account Is On Hold scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud.
Fake Claim	Cyber criminals pose as PayPal employees and claim that they have detected some suspicious activity on the user's account, which is why it was supposedly suspended. Users are encouraged to contact these people to "unblock" the account.
Tech Support Scammer Phone Number	+1(866)-661-2666
Serving IP address (ioserror23.s3-website.ca-central-1.amazonaws[.]com)	52.95.147.23
Symptoms	Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan.
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

There are many different scams that criminals use to extort money from people in deceptive ways. Some examples of other scams are "Backdoor Virus Detected", "Hard Drive Safety Delete", and "Error Code 09-986-6321". Typically, most of these scams occur when people have unwanted apps installed on their systems, or when they click ads displayed on dubious websites.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

Users often download and install PUAs unintentionally. In most cases, this happens due to careless download/installation of software and since developers use the "bundling" method. Bundling helps them to trick people into downloading/installing unwanted apps together with regular software.

To achieve this, they fail to properly disclose information about the inclusion (bundling) of PUAs in software set-ups. They hide them in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings. Furthermore, many users often leave setup settings unchecked and unchanged. In doing so, they inadvertently allow PUAs to be installed with other software.

 PUAs are also accidentally installed by clicking intrusive ads - usually those displayed on dubious websites.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software only from official websites. It is not safe to use various third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as eMule, torrent clients, and other similar channels. Additionally, it is important to check "Custom", "Advanced" and other settings of the software setup and dismiss offers to install unwanted applications.

Do not trust or click intrusive ads, especially those displayed on pages relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on. If clicked, they cause redirects to other untrustworthy or even malicious pages.

If you believe that a potentially unwanted/adware-type application is installed on your browser, check the list of installed extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons, and remove all suspicious, unwanted entries immediately. Also check the list of programs that are installed on the operating system.

If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in "PayPal account is on hold" scam:

Your Account is on temporary hold!!

We Have Detected A suspicious Activity on Your Account, Call Customer Support Expert Verify Your Identity and Get Your Account Unblocked.
Contact Customer Support Call +1(866)-661-2666

The appearance of "PayPal account is on hold" pop-up (GIF):

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▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is PayPal Account Is On Hold scam?
• How to identify a pop-up scam?
• How do pop-up scams work?
• How to remove fake pop-ups?
• How to prevent fake pop-ups?
• What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

How to identify a pop-up scam?

Pop-up windows with various fake messages are a common type of lures cybercriminals use. They collect sensitive personal data, trick Internet users into calling fake tech support numbers, subscribe to useless online services, invest in shady cryptocurrency schemes, etc.

While in the majority of cases these pop-ups don't infect users' devices with malware, they can cause direct monetary loss or could result in identity theft.

Cybercriminals strive to create their rogue pop-up windows to look trustworthy, however, scams typically have the following characteristics:

• Spelling mistakes and non-professional images - Closely inspect the information displayed in a pop-up. Spelling mistakes and unprofessional images could be a sign of a scam.
• Sense of urgency - Countdown timer with a couple of minutes on it, asking you to enter your personal information or subscribe to some online service.
• Statements that you won something - If you haven't participated in a lottery, online competition, etc., and you see a pop-up window stating that you won.
• Computer or mobile device scan - A pop-up window that scans your device and informs of detected issues - is undoubtedly a scam; webpages cannot perform such actions.
• Exclusivity - Pop-up windows stating that only you are given secret access to a financial scheme that can quickly make you rich.

Example of a pop-up scam:

How do pop-up scams work?

Cybercriminals and deceptive marketers usually use various advertising networks, search engine poisoning techniques, and shady websites to generate traffic to their pop-ups. Users land on their online lures after clicking on fake download buttons, using a torrent website, or simply clicking on an Internet search engine result.

Based on users' location and device information, they are presented with a scam pop-up. Lures presented in such pop-ups range from get-rich-quick schemes to fake virus scans.

How to remove fake pop-ups?

In most cases, pop-up scams do not infect users' devices with malware. If you encountered a scam pop-up, simply closing it should be enough. In some cases scam, pop-ups may be hard to close; in such cases - close your Internet browser and restart it.

In extremely rare cases, you might need to reset your Internet browser. For this, use our instructions explaining how to reset Internet browser settings.

How to prevent fake pop-ups?

To prevent seeing pop-up scams, you should visit only reputable websites. Torrent, Crack, free online movie streaming, YouTube video download, and other websites of similar reputation commonly redirect Internet users to pop-up scams.

To minimize the risk of encountering pop-up scams, you should keep your Internet browsers up-to-date and use reputable anti-malware application. For this purpose, we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.

What to do if you fell for a pop-up scam?

This depends on the type of scam that you fell for. Most commonly, pop-up scams try to trick users into sending money, giving away personal information, or giving access to one's device.

• If you sent money to scammers: You should contact your financial institution and explain that you were scammed. If informed promptly, there's a chance to get your money back.
• If you gave away your personal information: You should change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication in all online services that you use. Visit Federal Trade Commission to report identity theft and get personalized recovery steps.
• If you let scammers connect to your device: You should scan your computer with reputable anti-malware (we recommend Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows) - cyber criminals could have planted trojans, keyloggers, and other malware, don't use your computer until removing possible threats.
• Help other Internet users: report Internet scams to Federal Trade Commission.

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