Buying Scam

Sue_Alexander

I purchased an item from an online marketplace.  The seller asked for a PayPal payment.  I sent it via products and services.  He refunded and asked me to send it vis friends and gifts as if not money sits pending in his account for 14 days.  I never received my item.  PayPal won't touch it because there is no claim, when I opened a dispute they classed it as unauthorised use of account, which of course it isn't.  My bank can't help as PayPal use a direct debit system which covers the seller not the buyer.  I have reported this to Action Fraud but is there anything else I can do?  It's not a massive amount of money but to me it's too much to lose.  I have also heard of another lady this person has scammed for the exact same item.

Billy_B_North

If you sent the payment as friends and family then you don't realy have any comeback; it's there to be used, as the name suggests, for sending money to friends and family, not for buying things.
Your dispute now is with the scammer, not with PayPal.

jon81uk

If you were purchasing an item you should never have sent the money via friends and gifts.

sheramber

Paying through friends and gifts means you have no come back.  It is a 'gift'. The seller knew this and that is why they asked for payment that way.

Using it to buy goods is unauthorised use.

if you know their name and address you can use the small claims court to try and recover your money.

soolin

Sue_Alexander said:

I purchased an item from an online marketplace.  The seller asked for a PayPal payment.  I sent it via products and services.  He refunded and asked me to send it vis friends and gifts as if not money sits pending in his account for 14 days.  I never received my item.  PayPal won't touch it because there is no claim, when I opened a dispute they classed it as unauthorised use of account, which of course it isn't.  My bank can't help as PayPal use a direct debit system which covers the seller not the buyer.  I have reported this to Action Fraud but is there anything else I can do?  It's not a massive amount of money but to me it's too much to lose.  I have also heard of another lady this person has scammed for the exact same item.

Unfortunately you have been scammed , the moment they refunded your safe payment and asked you to pay to them as a friend (where paypal warns you it cannot be recalled and should only be used for people you know and trust) this flags as a scammer.

Absolutely nothing you can do now unfortunately.

gettingtheresometime

I sell excess wool in a fb group and they ALWAYS state that payment should be via products and services option on paypal and never by friends and family for this very reason.
I know  people who are genuine don't like products and services because paypal takes a %age off the amount received. I use this calculator PayPal Fees Calculator (clothnappytree.com) so I can add the fees onto the amount I pay them so they get the 'asking' price and I get the protection of paypal.

(I have been in your seller's position as well but from an ebay sale - I merely sucked it up and waited the couple of days before the buyer confirmed receipt of the item)
Could you put a factual warning on fb? (Please note I have no idea of libel laws)

soolin

gettingtheresometime said:

I sell excess wool in a fb group and they ALWAYS state that payment should be via products and services option on paypal and never by friends and family for this very reason.
I know  people who are genuine don't like products and services because paypal takes a %age off the amount received. I use this calculator PayPal Fees Calculator (clothnappytree.com) so I can add the fees onto the amount I pay them so they get the 'asking' price and I get the protection of paypal.

(I have been in your seller's position as well but from an ebay sale - I merely sucked it up and waited the couple of days before the buyer confirmed receipt of the item)
Could you put a factual warning on fb? (Please note I have no idea of libel laws)

Every selling group, every selling site, virtually every admin who knows what they are talking about warns about the friends and family scam. Unfortunately people choose not to listen and I’m on loads of groups and every day there’s probably half a dozen stories of people being scammed. PayPal warn as well and buyers choose to ignore the warning. 

I sell myself and would not dream of asking for f and f payments, nor do I expect my buyers to pay extra.