PayPal Scam

[Temp20200721f]

Users beware. There is a scam which PayPal is lending itself to and you should be concerned. Here's how it works.

You buy something using PayPal - thinking it add another layer of protection

You never get a tracking number for the shipment.You send notes to the seller but get no reply. 

You file a dispute with PayPal. The seller provides PayPal with a tracking number showing there was delivery to your zipcode

PayPal closes the dispute in favor of the seller

That's it. Done. There's no way to reopen the dispute. Any attempt to contact PayPal is futile. Even when you have documents from the US Post office to prove it was a scam. 

What really happened:

You paid for product, let's say $50

The seller (scammer) sent a 20cent package to someone in your zipcode with a tracking number

That's the tracking number they sent to PayPal to rule in their favor.

Good luck getting PayPal to listen

[kernowlass]

@Temp20200721f 

Do you want to know the correct way to APPEAL this common scam or are you just venting?

[Temp20200721f]

I would love to know, if not for me, then for anyone else who ends up in the same boat.

I wouldn't mind to also know why it's not straightforward. I was able to do a lot on my own to gather the facts, but dead in the water on what to do with them.

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@Temp20200721f 

Paypal doesn't believe in making things easy, you have to ''work'' the system  properly but if you do as per below many have had refunds, you just have to persist !!!

APPEAL

To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address.
Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click Contact at the bottom of the page, however that may not be an option at the moment due to covid), or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you.

[Temp20200721f]

Thanks for the response.

You're correct, there is no longer a phone contact listed. I managed to interact with PayPal through their messaging, but there's a 24hr response time for each interaction. I took days ... They have put restrictions on the seller and are monitoring their activity. They said the seller would be banned from PayPal (for what that's worth) if determined they are doing it intentionally. 

I would have been happy to work this through PayPal but the effort necessary to do so lead me to ultimately go through my CC Co. 

[Mrsbldvls]

Thanks for that tracking link; but, that only shows it was “delivered” to the same postal zip code which is why PayPal sided with the scammer/seller. I need maybe the US postal service to look up the exact delivery address address.