SECURE YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT

Secure your PayPal Account.

Work through these settings one at a time. After making a change, verify that the protection is actually active.

Your PayPal Account may protect more than you realize.

It can be connected to payment cards, bank accounts, subscriptions and other financial activity. Protecting the account therefore means protecting more than one login.

When money is involved, slow down. Verify the recipient, amount and transaction details before approving anything.

PAYPAL ACCOUNT SECURITY

Work through these protections one at a time.

Open a section to see the practical steps. After making a change, use the verification point to confirm that the protection is actually active.

Turn on two-step verification

Add another layer of protection so a stolen PayPal password is less likely to be enough to access your account.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open PayPal in a web browser and sign in normally.
Open Settings.
Open Security.
Find 2-step verification.
Select Set Up.
Choose an available verification method and follow PayPal's instructions.
Complete the verification process.
Return to the security settings and confirm that 2-step verification is active.

VERIFY: Confirm that 2-step verification is shown as active in your PayPal security settings.

Use a strong, unique password

Your PayPal password should be unique and should not be reused on another important account.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open PayPal and go to Settings.
Open the available Security settings.
Find the option to change your password.
Create a strong password that you do not use anywhere else.
Avoid using easily guessed personal information such as your birthday, name or phone number.
Store the password securely, preferably in a reputable password manager.
Never give your PayPal password to someone claiming to be PayPal support.

VERIFY: Confirm that the password has been changed successfully if you changed it, and sign in normally using the new password.

Review your remembered devices and logins

Check the devices and browsers PayPal remembers for account access and remove anything you do not recognize.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open PayPal in a web browser.
Open Settings.
Select Security.
Look for Manage your logins or the available remembered-device setting.
Review the devices or browsers listed.
If you recognize a device and still use it, no action may be necessary.
If you do not recognize a device, select it and review the available removal option.
Remove an unfamiliar remembered device where appropriate.

VERIFY: Review the remembered-device list again and confirm that the devices or browsers remaining are ones you recognize and control.

Create a passkey when available

A passkey can let you sign in using your device's existing security, such as a fingerprint, face scan or device passcode.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open your PayPal account.
Open the available Security settings.
Look for Passkeys or the available passkey option.
If the feature is available on your device, choose the option to create a passkey.
Follow the device authentication instructions.
Complete the setup using your device's supported security method.
Return to the passkey setting and confirm that the passkey was added successfully.
Never approve an authentication request because an unknown person told you to do so.

VERIFY: Confirm that the passkey you created is listed in your PayPal security settings.

Review your email address and phone number

Keep the contact information used to access and recover your PayPal account under your control.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open Settings.
Review the email addresses associated with your PayPal account.
Review the phone numbers associated with your account.
Confirm that the information belongs to you and is still accessible.
Remove outdated information where appropriate.
Never add another person's email address or phone number because an unknown person tells you to.

VERIFY: Confirm that your important PayPal contact and recovery information belongs to you and remains accessible.

Review your payment methods

Check the cards and bank accounts connected to PayPal and remove anything you no longer use or recognize.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open your PayPal Wallet.
Review the cards linked to your account.
Review the bank accounts linked to your account.
Identify any payment method you do not recognize.
Remove payment methods you no longer need where appropriate.
If you discover an unfamiliar payment method, treat it as a possible account-security issue.
Contact PayPal through its official support channel if you cannot safely resolve the issue yourself.

VERIFY: Confirm that every payment method connected to your PayPal account is one you recognize and intentionally use.

Review automatic payments

Automatic payments can continue charging a linked payment method, so review the merchants and subscriptions you have authorized.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open your PayPal account.
Open Settings.
Find the area for Payments or automatic payments.
Review the merchants and services with permission to charge your PayPal account.
Identify subscriptions or merchants you no longer recognize or use.
Review the available option to cancel an automatic payment where appropriate.
Do not cancel an unfamiliar payment blindly if you first need to investigate a possible account compromise.

VERIFY: Confirm that the automatic payments remaining on your account are merchants or services you recognize and intentionally authorized.

Review your PayPal activity

Regularly checking your transactions can help you notice payments, transfers or other activity you did not initiate.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open your PayPal account.
Open Activity.
Review recent payments and other account activity.
Check the amount, recipient or merchant for important transactions.
Investigate any transaction you do not recognize.
If something is suspicious, preserve the relevant transaction details before contacting PayPal.

VERIFY: Confirm that the recent transactions in your PayPal activity are ones you recognize and authorized.

Verify payments before sending money

A convincing request can still be fraudulent. Verify the recipient and amount before confirming a PayPal payment.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Stop before confirming the payment.
Check the recipient.
Check the amount.
Review the payment description or other transaction details.
If the request came through WhatsApp, email, SMS or social media, verify the request through a separate trusted channel.
Do not allow urgency or pressure to replace verification.
Confirm the final details inside PayPal before approving the payment.

VERIFY: Before confirming a payment, make sure the recipient, amount and purpose match exactly what you intended.

Recognize fake PayPal messages

Scammers may impersonate PayPal to steal passwords, codes, payment information or money.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Be cautious with unexpected messages claiming there is a problem with your PayPal account.
Do not click a suspicious link simply because the message uses the PayPal name or logo.
Do not call a phone number provided in a suspicious message.
Do not download unexpected attachments.
Never provide your password, verification code or sensitive account information to someone contacting you unexpectedly.
Open PayPal directly through a trusted browser or the official app instead.
Check your account activity there rather than trusting the message.

VERIFY: Confirm account problems by signing in to PayPal directly rather than using links or phone numbers supplied by an unexpected message.

Verify that a payment was actually received

Do not rely on screenshots, emails or messages claiming that someone has paid you.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Open PayPal directly.
Open Activity.
Look for the payment in your actual PayPal account.
Check the payment status.
Confirm the amount and sender.
Do not ship goods or provide a service based only on a payment email or screenshot.
If the payment does not appear in your PayPal account, treat the claim as unverified.

VERIFY: Only treat a payment as received after confirming it inside your actual PayPal account.

Know what to do after suspicious activity

If you discover unauthorized activity, stop normal use and secure the account before continuing.

Click to see protection steps

Step-by-step

Stop sending or approving additional payments.
Review your Activity.
Review your remembered devices and logins.
Check your payment methods.
Review your automatic payments.
Change your password if you believe it may have been exposed.
Contact PayPal through its official Security Center or Help Center and report the suspected fraud.
Keep transaction references, screenshots and other evidence that may help with the investigation.

VERIFY: Obtain or retain the relevant PayPal case or report information and follow PayPal's instructions for securing the account.

Something does not look right?

If you find an unfamiliar login, changed recovery information, unexpected security alerts or another sign that someone may have accessed your account, stop the normal security check and move to the recovery process.

I think my account is compromised →

Still need help?

If you have worked through the relevant settings and something still looks wrong, do not give your security secrets to someone promising to fix the account. Use the service's official support and recovery resources for service-specific account problems.

For broader cybersecurity problems, you can also use the professional assistance pathway on this platform.

Need Professional Help? →

Paypal security is not a one-time task.

Review important account settings periodically, especially after a password change, device change, suspicious message or unexpected login alert.

VERIFY BEFORE YOU TRUST.

← Back to Secure Your Accounts