PayPal says I sent a payment I didn't authorize, is this email real?
Last reviewed: 2026-08-01 · Checked with Hunch’s on-device engine, the same one inside the extension. How Hunch checks →
Part of our guide: How to avoid online shopping scams →
It's a scam. A "you sent $X, cancel it if this wasn't you" email that links to paypal-secure.example with a 24-hour window is classic PayPal impersonation. Real PayPal activity only appears when you log in at paypal.com, and disputes happen inside the Resolution Center, never through an off-site link. The fake "payment sent" is bait to make you "cancel" on a page that steals your login.
Got a message like this? Paste it here →
A "you sent money" alert triggers instant panic because it implies cash is already leaving your account, so people click to stop it before thinking. PayPal users are used to real transaction emails, which makes the fake blend in, and the 24-hour "funds will be released" line pushes them onto paypal-secure.example before they check the domain.
Illustrative example of the pattern, not a real message someone received.
How to verify it yourself
- Don't click. Log in at paypal.com yourself (or in the app) and check your Activity, a real payment shows there, a fake one won't.
- Read the domain: PayPal uses paypal.com, not paypal-secure.example or any add-on host.
- Disputes are handled in PayPal's Resolution Center after you log in, not via an emailed countdown link.
- Never enter your PayPal password or a security code on a page opened from an email.
Common questions
is paypal-secure.example a real PayPal website
No. PayPal's site is paypal.com. paypal-secure.example is a look-alike built to capture your login and drain your account.
did I really send a $420 PayPal payment
Check your Activity at paypal.com before believing it. If no such payment is listed, the email invented it to make you click the cancel link.
how do I cancel an unauthorized PayPal payment
Log in at paypal.com and open the Resolution Center. Real disputes are filed there, never through a link inside a warning email.
how do I tell a fake PayPal email from a real one
Fake ones push a deadline and send you off-site to "cancel." Real notices simply ask you to log in at paypal.com, where the activity either exists or doesn't.
If you already responded
- If you entered your PayPal login, change your password at paypal.com now and turn on two-factor authentication.
- Check Activity for real unauthorized transactions and report any through the Resolution Center.
- Report the email at reportfraud.ftc.gov and mark it as phishing in your inbox.
Source: FTC, How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
Hunch is not affiliated with PayPal. PayPal is named only to describe a scam that impersonates it; the real PayPal does not send these messages.