There's a new alert from security experts and anyone with a PayPal account would be wise to take note. The popular payment system appears to be back in the spotlight with cyber crooks trying to use the platform to scam people. In fact, the team at McAfee Labs say they have found a whopping 600 percent increase in PayPal attacks since the start of the year.

Most of the scams arrive in the form of worrying emails that suggest accounts have been suspended with users urged to update their details to get things reinstated.

Other attacks include fake PayPal gift card offers, fraudulent invoices and customer support scams about billing issues.

"While PayPal works diligently to protect its users, scammers are constantly evolving their tactics and often capitalise on well-known companies, especially if they’ve been in the news recently," McAfee explained.

"The recent surge has been traced to a single, highly effective campaign where attackers send official-looking emails with “Action Required” warnings, demanding users update their account details within 48 hours or face account suspension."

McAfee says it's now vital that users take care when opening messages that claim to be from PayPal and watch out for links to websites that aren’t official PayPal domains.

Some useful advice has also been issued with 10 new rules that are worth knowing if you've ever set up or use PayPal.

How to Protect Yourself from PayPal Scams

• Verify all communications directly with PayPal: Never click links in emails or texts claiming to be from PayPal. Instead, open a new browser window and log in directly at Pay, Send and Save Money with PayPal , or use the official PayPal app to check for notifications.

• Scrutinise web addresses and email senders: Legitimate PayPal emails will come from addresses ending in @‌paypal.com. Be wary of similar-looking domains like paypal-account.me or service-ppal.com.

• Never call phone numbers provided in suspicious messages: If you need to contact PayPal support, use only the official contact methods listed on their website: PayPal Contact Us | PayPal US

• If an email says it’s from services@paypal.com proceed with vigilance: Some scammers spoof email addresses or use real PayPal tools like their invoices to fool you.

• Check your PayPal account regularly: Frequent monitoring allows you to spot unauthorised activity quickly and report it before significant damage occurs.

• Be sceptical of urgency and threats: Legitimate companies don’t typically threaten immediate account closure or demand urgent action within short timeframes like 28 hours.

• Use PayPal’s built-in security features: Familiarise yourself with PayPal’s security centre and take advantage of their fraud protection tools.

• Report suspicious activity immediately: If you receive a suspicious message or notice unauthorised activity, report it to PayPal and change your password right away.

• Turn on two-factor authentication: If you do so, if someone gets your password, they still can’t access your account without a code sent to your phone or authenticator.

• Skip messages that offer gift cards or say you’ll get paid for filling out a survey: PayPal doesn’t typically send these, but scammers often do.