[drcy]

As said, the #1 key is to go to your browser, type in paypal.com (or your bank or ebay or whatever) and login there, as opposed to through a link in an email. If there is a legitimate issue, it will tell you on the site.

Another trick of the trade to test a site is to first type in an erroneous password. The real site will know it's bad and tell you to type it again. A fake site doesn't know your password-- in fact i5 is trying to steal your password--, and won't alert you that your password is bad, because it doesn't know it's bad. It can be sound policy to first type in a bad password and see how the site responds. If it responds "Thank you for entering your password. That password is correct and has been verified. Now enter your social security and bank account information," you'll be glad you followed this tip.