Fact Check

Is Paypal Giving Away $1,000 Gift Card Rewards by Email?

We advise readers to always look at the sender's email address in order to verify whether it came from the company it claims.

Published Feb. 23, 2022

An email scam says you have been selected to receive a $1,000 Paypal gift card exclusive reward. (andrepierre (Flickr))
An email scam says you have been selected to receive a $1,000 Paypal gift card exclusive reward. (Image Via andrepierre (Flickr))
Claim:
An email that says you have been selected to receive a pricey Paypal gift card or "exclusive reward" is legit.

In February 2022, we reviewed two emails that asked recipients to "please confirm receipt of $1,000" in the form of a Paypal gift card or "exclusive reward." Both emails were sent at different times and were identical.

An email scam says you have been selected to receive a $1,000 Paypal gift card exclusive reward.
We advise readers to delete these kinds of messages.

The Paypal email that promised a $1,000 gift card "exclusive reward" read as follows:

? ??????.???????.???????.??.????$?.

From: .DIYCQSE.YOEIHPM@rheerrgi.org *P*A*Y*P*A*l-Inc* via pslskss.club

PayPal

Hello

Congratulations! You have been selected to get an exclusive reward !
Your Name Came Up For a PayPal Gift
hurry up ! Your Reward is Ready
Your account information :
Customer::
Email:
Reward: .............
Claim Reward Now
PayPal Team

Unsubscribe Here
616 Corporate Way Ste.2-9092
Valley Cottage, NY 10989

This was not a genuine message from Paypal, nor was the message legitimate in any way. It was a scam.

An email scam says you have been selected to receive a $1,000 Paypal gift card exclusive reward.
A Paypal booth at LeWeb Paris in 2012. (Courtesy: @jibees/Flickr)

We clicked the link in the email after opening a private browsing tab. It led to survey scams and perhaps phishing, identity theft, and other dangerous outcomes. Our advice to readers is to delete these kinds of fraudulent emails.

The mailing address listed in the email was: "616 Corporate Way Ste.2-9092, Valley Cottage, NY 10989." It's unclear if the occupants of this address were involved in the scam. We found this same address being mentioned by other users online in association with past scams.

One of those scams that mentioned the same address involved McDonald's and had a similar message that promised an "exclusive reward":

?Y0u.HaaVe.Been.Selected.To..Participate-?.

From: .UHFZXBS.MMRIAIU@rheerrgi.org *McDonalds* via meragaf.shop

mcdonalds

Hello

Congratulations! You have been selected to get an exclusive reward !
Your Name Came Up For a mcdonalds Gift
hurry up ! Your Reward is Ready
Your account information :
Customer::
Email:
Reward: ………….
Claim Reward Now
mcdonalds Team

Unsubscribe Here
616 Corporate Way Ste.2-9092
Valley Cottage, NY 10989

We previously reported on a number of other scams that made the rounds in the weeks before this Paypal one came to our attention. Those email scams used the company names of Pornhub, CVS, Capital One, Venmo, Costco and T-Mobile, Lowe's, eBay, and UPS.

Curious about how Snopes' writers verify information and craft their stories for public consumption? We've collected some posts that help explain how we do what we do. Happy reading and let us know what else you might be interested in knowing.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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