PayPal, owned by eBay, is a global online payment system. PayPal is a convenient, easy-to-use, and secure way for individuals and businesses to send and receive money online for goods, services, charitable donations, and so forth. It's also a full-service operation that provides front-end and back-end solutions to increase growth and revenue for merchants.

Yes. PayPal protects your financial information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. When you use PayPal, your financial information is not shared with the merchant. Once your payment is complete, you will be emailed a receipt for this transaction.

Yes. PayPal uses SSL technology to keep your information safe. In addition, when you send a payment using PayPal, the recipient won't receive sensitive financial information like your credit card or bank account number. This way, you don't have to worry about paying people you don't know.

No. Signing up for a PayPal account is now optional. You may complete your payment using any of the payment methods listed above (i.e. credit card, check card, eCheck, etc.).

The terms spoofing and phishing describe the act of collecting personal information using a fake email in order to commit identity theft and internet fraud. If you click a link included in an email that you're not sure is from PayPal, make certain the address at the top of the browser window that appears reads exactly www.paypal.com. PayPal email always addresses you by first name, last name, or business name, and NOT by Dear PayPal User or Dear PayPal Member.

If you are ever uncertain about the validity of the email or the email links, open a new browser window and type in www.paypal.com.

If you think you've received a fraudulent email, forward it to spoof@paypal.com and then delete it from your email account.

For the latest tools and information to help protect your identity and avoid fraudulent emails, log in to your PayPal account and click the Security Center link in the upper right hand of any PayPal page.