Phishing scams

BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE!

I see a lot of spam these days, more and more it seems. Much of it comes in to my small business e-mails, like my PC Doc e-mail or my BRFRBO e-mail. Many of these are "PHISHING" e-mails, meaning someone is trying to fool me into making a payment when no payment is due, and of course the payment will go to the criminal and not the legitimate business. I posted an example of a fine looking e-mail from Verizon on this web site just a few weeks ago. Today I got one from a "PAYPAL" address. It was clear to me that it was a phishing attempt, and for Paypal I know that they have an address, spoof@paypal.com, where one can forward suspected phishing attempts. I did that and got the following reply:

"Hello pcdoc,

Thanks for forwarding that suspicious-looking email. You're right - it
was a phishing attempt, and we're working on stopping the fraud. By
reporting the problem, you've made a difference!

Identity thieves try to trick you into revealing your password or other
personal information through phishing emails and fake websites. To learn
more about online safety, click "Security Center" on any PayPal webpage.


Every email counts. When you forward suspicious-looking emails to
spoof@paypal.com, you help keep yourself and others safe from identity
theft.

Your account security is very important to us, so we appreciate your
extra effort.

Thanks,

PayPal"