Friends and Family is the number one scammers tool in PayPal

[Al145]

This option in PayPal that allows you to send to Friends and Family without PayPal being able to help retrieve your money back is the biggest let down here in PayPal.

Someone whom I was making a deal with to a adopt a lovely dog was able to get me to send him the $300 through paying him in PayPal so that he can hold the dog for me and not let any other adopters to be able to adopt the dog.  He asked me to send the down payment through Friends and Family as he says paypal takes a while for him to get the $300, I agreed to do that.  As soon as I did that, I was not able to hear from him again and there goes the adoption money I sent him that he was able to get from me without any protection from PayPal.

I will be cancelling my PayPal account going forward and will even sell my shares I have with PayPal as an investor.  Can't believe PayPal has an option that would allow scammers to deceive people.

[kernowlass]

@Al145 

Deceive really?

Was he a member of your family? No?

Was he a close mate or friend? No.

Was he a complete stranger? Yes.

Were you buying something? Yes.

So why would you even thing using the friends/family option was the correct option?

Paypal is not to blame for the fact you don't know the difference between a family member or close mate and a complete stranger are they !!!

[kays_winter]

I feel for you.  Unfortunately I fell for the same just recently.  While the other comment on this post is technically correct, PayPal should come up with better protections for a potential situation such as this.  Not all of us are PayPal program experts, and it is so easy to fall for a well-crafted scam who'd play with your emotions.  I recommend that you report this case to whatever the website you found the scammer at and to the appropriate authorities.  I am sorry.  I do understand your frustrations and disappointments.