If you have spent any time in the darker corners of the internet—or even just on Telegram or Discord—you have likely seen the term "PayPal logs" for sale.
At first glance, it sounds like technical jargon. But to cybercriminals, a "PayPal log" is a golden ticket. To the average user, it represents a nightmare: waking up to find your bank account drained, your credit card maxed out, and your digital wallet wiped clean.
In this deep dive, we will explain exactly what PayPal logs are, how attackers obtain them, how the underground economy prices them, and—most importantly—how you can fortify your account against this specific threat.
Your PayPal log is a legal document. For tax purposes, you must extract:
Many small business owners mistakenly report the net amount (after fees) as income. Do not do this. Your logs show the gross amount; you deduct the fees separately.
Tax authorities require accurate income reporting. PayPal logs provide a complete, date-stamped ledger. At the end of the fiscal year, downloading your annual log is far more reliable than manually adding up email receipts.