Scammed: can anyone help me?

galtroark
Contributor
Contributor

In late January I paid by PayPal for five kilograms of vitamin C from an eBay seller. I waited for several days for a tracking number or some evidence of activity from the seller and, after getting no response, I first tried to contact the seller through eBay and found I couldn't do it because eBay had removed the seller from their account listing. The seller had made about 60 sales including mine of product (vitamin C). I hit the panic button and looked for some way to open a dispute immediately. I couldn't do that through eBay because eBay allows about two weeks delivery time before a buyer can open a dispute. So I went to PayPal and filed the only kind of dispute I could--an unauthorized use of account dispute. I was hoping PayPal would see that the seller wasn't going to deliver--and never had any intention of delivering. Instead I got a prompt notice from PayPal saying that my dispute was cancelled and that I was found to be at fault for opening a fraudulent dispute. Now I can't file another dispute through PayPal because the PayPal database shows that I have an open dispute when in fact my dispute was dismissed. I can't open an eBay dispute because they tell me that PayPal is blocking my ability to open an eBay dispute. The fact remains that I made full payment to the scammer and never got anything. Now it's probably too late to escape the PayPal do-loop that I'm in and I can't get any action through PayPal telephone customer service either. I'd like to know if I'm the only person this has happened to, and what happened to the other people who bought product from the scammer. I can almost hear the scammer saying "Thank you!"      

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3 REPLIES 3

kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@galtroark

 

By filing an unauthorised dispute you were telling paypal that your account had been hijacked and used without your consent.

As that had not happened and you did make the transaction then of course paypal would close it.

You can only open x1 dispute per transaction.

 

But it does seem odd that there was not an option for item not received when you went to file a dispute?


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galtroark
Contributor
Contributor

@kernowlasswrote:

@galtroark

 

By filing an unauthorized dispute you were telling PayPal that your account had been hijacked and used without your consent.

As that had not happened and you did make the transaction then of course PayPal would close it.

You can only open x1 dispute per transaction.

 

But it does seem odd that there was not an option for item not received when you went to file a dispute?



I guess I couldn't file an item not received dispute because eBay allows more time for delivery--maybe it's ten days. Thank you for explaining that PayPal only allows one dispute to be filed for a transaction. That would explain why I can't file now and why PayPal is blocking any way for me to file an eBay claim. It seems the scammer wins out in my case.

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@galtroark

 

Not neccessarily, if you phone customer services and explain what happened they 'may' open a dispute for you.

 

Click on the words "Help / Contact" at the bottom of paypals pages and use the phone option in the blue band at the top. Log in and get the code.
When you get through don't select any options just hang on till you get transfered to an agent OR just say the word 'Agent'".

OR if you funded your paypal payment via a credit card then you can contact your card issuer and see if they will chargeback for you.


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