Got scammed through PayPal friends and family. Any hope?

jorton

jorton

Member
Apr 26, 2013
429
65
#1
Today I just wasn’t thinking, got excited, and sent a stranger my money.

So a few weeks ago I posted on a FB event page looking for concert tickets. This morning I got a message from a guy offering me a ticket, which didn’t seem that weird. I’ve inquired about tickets through FB a lot but never bought.

First he said $60, and I said no, I know they were less than that. And he quickly agreed to drop the price. I should have seen the red flag right there. He asked me to send friends and family which again didn’t seem TOO weird cause I do that a lot with transactions to avoid fees.

So of course I PayPal him the money, not thinking and putting trust in complete stranger. And of course I never get the ticket emailed or transferred to me. Hours go by. I keep contacting him on FB and he doesn’t respond.

Finally he responds, and he’s like “UR A LIAR AND A SCAMMER” to me!! I’m like what? And he says he sent the ticket. I didn’t get a ticket at all, and he’s the liar. Then he says “oh I must have sent it to the wrong email” but he doesn’t provide any further info/ I think that’s a cover up. Then he proceeds to keep pressing the call button(trying to call me through Facebook) which really creeped me out. So then I said I would report him to PayPal, and he half heartedly begged me not to(he seemed sarcastic, “please no!”). Then he said “you will get your ticket or your money” THEN HE BLOCKED ME.

Also, his name on Facebook and the PayPal email are different.

I tried googling him and his email, but couldn’t find much, he has a common name and it might be fake anyways. I know there are people on here who can do some good research, so if anyone’s up for it, I will be happy to provide info.

I called PayPal and they said basically what I already knew, that I was out of luck and the transaction was not protected.

I know, thankfully this was not a larger amount of money and it’s the first and last time I will send money unprotected.

I can live without the money I have lost but I’m just furious that this con artist is getting away with this, probably sitting in his room making hundreds of dollars off unsuspecting people.

PayPal said they would request him to send me money and also review his account, but beyond that they can’t do anything else. They can only notify him, not force him to pay me back.

Anyone have other ideas? Anyone have luck getting PayPal to refund your money in a situation like this ?
 
#2
You won't get the money back.

Paypal F&F is meant to be used for people you know specifically because there's no protection.

I don't want to be a killjoy but I doubt that PP will even contact him, much less try to convince him to return your money. They have no incentive since they received nothing from the transaction.

If you want to PM me any info you have, I'll see what I can dig up as time allows.
 
#3
BeenBurned said:
You won't get the money back.

Paypal F&F is meant to be used for people you know specifically because there's no protection.

I don't want to be a killjoy but I doubt that PP will even contact him, much less try to convince him to return your money. They have no incentive since they received nothing from the transaction.

If you want to PM me any info you have, I'll see what I can dig up as time allows.
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Thanks. Yeah I figured they won’t do much. It sucks because it made me realize how easy it is for people to use a platform like Facebook and PayPal to scam others. I know the world isn’t perfect and thankfully this situation is not worse or more money.

I would just hope that they would look into an account that is clearly sketchy. I might call them back later in the week to check up on their “findings” but I know it probably won’t do much.

Thanks, I’ll send over info tomorrow. The weird thing is I looked him up from my friends profile and he didn’t delete his Facebook, or the comments on the event page offering tickets, even though I posted on the event page calling him out.
 
#4
Did you use your paypal balance or did you fund it with a credit card? My daughter got paid through friends and family once for a debt that was owed to her boyfriend, and a month later, it was reversed, putting her paypal into a negative balance. I think the sender claimed unauthorized use.
 
#7
jorton said:
I used my papal balance :/ I’m SOL
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Sorry to hear you ran into a scammer with this. As you pointed out, sending a stranger money without any protection is always a risk. Family & friends is not intended to be used for purchases. Paypal does flag these accounts and because you reported him, your seller's account may be restricted from future F&F transactions.
 
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#8
jorton said:
Today I just wasn’t thinking, got excited, and sent a stranger my money.


Anyone have other ideas? Anyone have luck getting PayPal to refund your money in a situation like this ?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry I can't offer hope of any recourse, but you'll have to chalk it up as a learning lesson. Say no when strangers ask for payment in a way that only exposes you to loss.
 
#9
(1) Again, you should always use a credit card
(2) i wouldn't report, half the time it's you gets the consequences.
(3) i think you are wasting way too much time googleing him over little money (you said he dropped the price from $60). i only dispute the big items. i buy some cheap things lulu and my college alumni clothing... a lot of the times they end up being used when listed new or a kids medium instead adult medium. i just donate and move on. if you can afford to, just move on, i don't waste my time opening disputes, printing return labels, packing, taping, taking things to the post office over $20
 
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