Beware the FAKE Parisi Studios PayPal Invoice Email Scam
Written by: Thomas Orsolya
Published on:
You race to check your inbox one morning and spot an email from PayPal. Your eyes widen as you scan the notice of an unpaid $699 invoice from Parisi Studios for photography services. Funny, you don’t recall ever hiring them or agreeing to this fee.
Heart pounding, your mouse hovers over the customer service number to call about this unexpected charge. But wait—this doesn’t pass the smell test. Was this email really from PayPal, or could it be a scam?
Indeed, this is no routine invoice but a brazen phishing attempt exploiting PayPal’s brand. One call to that number will unleash a torrent of fraud. Let’s dive in to understand why the Parisi Studios invoice is 100% fake and how this slick social engineering scheme works to steal your hard-earned money.
This article contains:
Overview of the Fake Parisi Studios PayPal Invoice Scam
The Parisi Studios PayPal invoice scam relies on extremely convincing techniques to dupe recipients into believing they owe money for services never actually rendered. Let’s dive deeper into how criminals carefully orchestrate this scam to steal precious funds and information.
Spoofed Emails Identical to PayPal Invoices
The scammers use spoofed email addresses and domains to make messages appear to come directly from PayPal and Parisi Studios. Email headers, sender names, subject lines, and contents are engineered to mimic legitimate invoices.
Even savvy users can easily miss indicators an email is fake. The Parisi Studios logo matches their professional looking website. PayPal’s familiar blue, white and yellow colors, fonts, headers, and payment terminology look authentic.
Without careful inspection, recipients may conclude the emails legitimately come from PayPal’s billing system. But spoofed domains and forged sender addresses give scammers complete control.
Realistic Invoice for Fake Photography Services
The Parisi Studios name sounds believable for a photography business. Their website displays stock photos of models to appear like a real studio.
The email body contains an invoice number, supposed service dates, and description of photography services. Details like “family portrait session” or “product photography for website” sound reasonably within scope for a photography studio.
The amount due also seems realistic – $699.99 is high enough to cause concern to recipients and urgency to pay quickly. Scammers pick invoice amounts small enough to not raise obvious red flags.
Together, the bogus studio name, services, and amount make the invoice appear authentic versus a blatant fake.
PayPal Transaction ID, Logos & Links Add Validity
The emails include several PayPal-specific elements to reinforce legitimacy:
Fake 9-digit PayPal transaction ID number
Links to www.paypal.com embedded in text (non-clickable to avoid detection)
standard PayPal instructions to remit payment by a certain date
PayPal logo used multiple times in the footer and body
877 phone number formatted exactly like PayPal’s customer service line
To the untrained eye, all these details look precisely like a real payment notification from PayPal’s billing systems. But it’s just window dressing to earn victims’ trust.
Urgent Deadline Pressures Recipients
Payment due dates just a few days out create urgency around the invoice. This pressures recipients to act quickly, rather than scrutinizing the email carefully.
Sentences like “please remit payment within 3 business days” imply consequences like late fees or penalties for non-payment, adding to the stress.
Short turnaround times also encourage victims to call the “support” line right away for help versus verifying independently. The tight timeline helps scammers spring their trap.
Fake Customer Support Number for Questions
The email masterfully includes a fake customer support number for any invoice questions. This provides a helpline victims believe they can call for assistance from PayPal.
But the number actually routes directly to the criminals. Once a victim calls, scammers use social engineering tactics to appear helpful, gaining remote access to steal funds.
This support line is the lynchpin that transitions recipients from an email to directly engaging with scammers. The stage is set for criminals to activate devastating financial and data theft.
In summary, the Parisi Studios PayPal invoice scam leverages incredibly convincing techniques. Brand impersonation, urgent timelines, and social engineering all manipulate victims. Being aware of signs like odd invoices, short due dates, and unknown helplines can help protect against this scam. Scrutinize every email to identify deceit hiding beneath legitimate appearances.
How the Parisi Studios PayPal Invoice Scam Unfolds
The Parisi Studios PayPal phishing scam follows similar techniques used in other invoice and payment scams. Here is the sequence of how it typically plays out:
Step 1: Recipients Get Email with Fake Parisi Studios Invoice
The scam starts with an email sent en masse to potential victims. The sender name, email address, and subject line mimic PayPal payment notifications.
The email looks like it comes from Parisi Studios and contains logos, headers, fonts, and terminology copied directly from real PayPal invoices. This adds to the illusion of legitimacy.
Key details in the email body include:
Parisi Studios name, logo, and branding
A fake invoice number
Date of supposed services rendered
The amount due – $699.99
Instructions to pay via PayPal
Fake PayPal transaction details and confirmation numbers
Step 2: Email Provides Fake PayPal Customer Support Number
Further down, a PayPal customer support phone number is listed for any questions about the invoice payment. The number is formatted to appear like a real PayPal helpline.
Of course, this routes to the criminals’ scam call center instead of PayPal.
Step 3: Recipients Call the PayPal Number
Recipients who believe the invoice is real will call the PayPal number listed, expecting to speak with a customer service agent.
But it routes to criminals posing as PayPal support staff, ready to socially engineer the victims.
Step 4: Criminals Use Social Engineering to Gain Trust
Once on the call, the criminals build rapport with the victims by:
Greeting them in a friendly, helpful tone
Confirming their name and other personal details
Claiming to lookup their Parisi Studios invoice in the system
Apologizing for the “billing error” and offering to resolve it promptly
This makes victims believe the scammers are legitimate PayPal reps aiming to help.
Step 5: Scammers Use Remote Access to Steal Funds & Information
The criminals then pivot to asking for remote access to the victim’s device to process a refund for the fake invoice.
If granted access, the scammers can:
Access PayPal accounts and linked financial accounts to steal funds
Obtain stored credit card and banking information
Install spyware, keyloggers, and other malware
Steal account usernames and passwords
Get personal and contact data to enable identity theft
Use access to commit other types of fraud
Step 6: Criminals End Communication and Vanish
Once the scammers have extracted all they can from the remoted access, they end the call abruptly so victims cannot recover losses or compromised data.
What to Do If You Got the Parisi Studios PayPal Email
If you received this deceptive phishing email, here are important steps to take:
Do NOT call the number – it will only lead to scammers.
Forward the scam email to spoof@paypal.com to help get it shut down.
Contact PayPal to notify them of the scam using their legitimate customer service lines.
If you did call and engage with the scammers in any way, immediately call your bank and reset all account passwords. Monitor statements closely for fraudulent charges.
Run antivirus scans to check for and remove spyware or malware installed during remote access sessions. You may need to wipe devices completely.
Place fraud alerts and check your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to detect any signs of identity theft.
File reports with the FTC and IC3 to aid authorities in combating these phishing scams.
You can also help curb this scam by raising awareness among family and friends. Share this guide so others don’t fall prey to the very convincing Parisi Studios PayPal phishing emails.
Is Your Device Infected? Check for Malware
If your device is running slowly or acting suspicious, it may be infected with malware. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free is a great option for scanning your device and detecting potential malware or viruses. The free version can efficiently check for and remove many common infections.
Malwarebytes can run on Windows, Mac, and Android devices. Depending on which operating system is installed on the device you’re trying to run a Malwarebytes scan, please click on the tab below and follow the displayed steps.
Malwarebytes For WindowsMalwarebytes For MacMalwarebytes For Android
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Windows to remove malware
Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.
Download Malwarebytes for Windows
You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.
After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.
You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.
Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.
When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.
On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.
Enable “Rootkit scanning”.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.
In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.
Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.
Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.
To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Quarantine detected malware
Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.
Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.
Restart your computer.
When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.
Your computer should now be free of trojans, adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Scan your computer with Malwarebytes for Mac to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Mac is an on-demand scanner that can destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss without costing you absolutely anything. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free, and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Download Malwarebytes for Mac.
You can download Malwarebytes for Mac by clicking the link below.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes for Mac Installer which will guide you through the installation process. Click “Continue“, then keep following the prompts to continue with the installation process.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer”.
The Malwarebytes Welcome screen will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
Click on “Scan”.
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes for Mac will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malware that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
Your Mac should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you might want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove a malicious program from your computer, please ask for help in our Mac Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
Scan your phone with Malwarebytes for Android to remove malware
Malwarebytes for Android automatically detects and removes dangerous threats like malware and ransomware so you don’t have to worry about your most-used device being compromised. Aggressive detection of adware and potentially unwanted programs keeps your Android phone or tablet running smooth.
Download Malwarebytes for Android.
You can download Malwarebytes for Android by clicking the link below.
In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes for Android on your device.
When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process
When Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options. This is the first of two screens that explain the difference between the Premium and Free versions. Swipe this screen to continue. Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step. Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue. Tap on “Allow” to permit Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android
You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.
Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes for Android definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Remove Selected”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes for Android has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
Restart your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.
Your phone should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Parisi Studios PayPal Invoice Scam
1. What is the Parisi Studios PayPal invoice scam?
This scam sends a fake invoice email claiming you owe Parisi Studios $699.99 for photography services. The email looks real and says to call PayPal support about the invoice, but the number actually connects to scammers to steal your information.
2. How can I identify this scam email?
Look for emails about invoices from Parisi Studios or unknown senders. Other red flags are short payment due dates, grammatical errors, andrequests to call about discrepancies. Always log directly into your accounts.
3. What happens if I call the PayPal number in the email?
The number goes to scammers posing as PayPal support to access your account or device remotely. They use this to steal your money, data, and identities for other frauds.
4. How much could this scam cost victims?
Losses can range from the $699.99 fake invoice up to thousands more depending on what access the scammers gain. They will drain financial accounts, steal personal information for identity theft, and more.
5. How can I get a refund if I paid the fake invoice?
Unfortunately payments via bank transfer, gift cards, or other means to scammers are usually impossible to recover. Notify your bank immediately and monitor statements for further fraud.
6. What should I do if the scammers remoted into my device?
If you allowed them any access, reset all passwords and call banks right away. Run antivirus scans to remove any malware installed. Place fraud alerts with credit bureaus and monitor your credit closely.
7. How widespread is this Parisi Studios scam?
Potentially very widespread as scammers blast out emails en masse to thousands at once. Variations with other fake studio names are also reported. Always verify invoices directly with merchants.
8. How can I avoid this scam?
Delete any Parisi Studios emails without calling. Double check all invoices and statements on official company sites or apps only. Never call numbers in unexpected emails.
9. Where can I report the Parisi Studios PayPal scam?
Notify PayPal if you receive this phishing email. Forward it to spoof@paypal.com. You can also report it to the FTC to aid investigations combatting scams.
10. Are other PayPal invoice scams going around?
Yes, scammers frequently impersonate PayPal and use fake invoices of all kinds. Any unexpected PayPal email should be scrutinized carefully for signs of fraud.
The Bottom Line on the Parisi Studios Invoice Scam
This scam shows the lengths criminals will go to in order to steal personal information and money through deception. But vigilance and awareness of common phishing techniques are the best defenses.
Any unexpected email demanding payment should raise red flags, even if logos and branding appear legitimate. Never call numbers in unsolicited emails. Go directly to a company’s official website or app to verify any odd invoices or transactions.
With the rise of scams like Parisi Studios, we must exercise caution around calls, emails, invoices, and payments to safeguard our sensitive data. Don’t let convincing impersonations fool you – inspect everything with a critical eye to protect yourself from fraud.
How to Stay Safe Online
Here are 10 basic security tips to help you avoid malware and protect your device:
Use a good antivirus and keep it up-to-date.
It's essential to use a good quality antivirus and keep it up-to-date to stay ahead of the latest cyber threats. We are huge fans of Malwarebytes Premium and use it on all of our devices, including Windows and Mac computers as well as our mobile devices. Malwarebytes sits beside your traditional antivirus, filling in any gaps in its defenses, and providing extra protection against sneakier security threats.
Keep software and operating systems up-to-date.
Keep your operating system and apps up to date. Whenever an update is released for your device, download and install it right away. These updates often include security fixes, vulnerability patches, and other necessary maintenance.
Be careful when installing programs and apps.
Pay close attention to installation screens and license agreements when installing software. Custom or advanced installation options will often disclose any third-party software that is also being installed. Take great care in every stage of the process and make sure you know what it is you're agreeing to before you click "Next."
Install an ad blocker.
Use a browser-based content blocker, like AdGuard. Content blockers help stop malicious ads, Trojans, phishing, and other undesirable content that an antivirus product alone may not stop.
Be careful what you download.
A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather.
Be alert for people trying to trick you.
Whether it's your email, phone, messenger, or other applications, always be alert and on guard for someone trying to trick you into clicking on links or replying to messages. Remember that it's easy to spoof phone numbers, so a familiar name or number doesn't make messages more trustworthy.
Back up your data.
Back up your data frequently and check that your backup data can be restored. You can do this manually on an external HDD/USB stick, or automatically using backup software. This is also the best way to counter ransomware. Never connect the backup drive to a computer if you suspect that the computer is infected with malware.
Choose strong passwords.
Use strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Avoid using personal information or easily guessable words in your passwords. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts whenever possible.
Be careful where you click.
Be cautious when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. These could potentially contain malware or phishing scams.
Don't use pirated software.
Avoid using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing programs, keygens, cracks, and other pirated software that can often compromise your data, privacy, or both.
To avoid potential dangers on the internet, it's important to follow these 10 basic safety rules. By doing so, you can protect yourself from many of the unpleasant surprises that can arise when using the web.
Meet Thomas Orsolya
Thomas is an expert at uncovering scams and providing in-depth reporting on cyber threats and online fraud. As an editor, he is dedicated to keeping readers informed on the latest developments in cybersecurity and tech.
