Scammed

[R1CKSO]

Well, sadly this is the very first time I face a real crook and dedicated scammer account, to make the story short, I paid for some automotive parts ($390 usd)from a user on Bimmerforums (a forum dedicated to bmw) at first I didn’t paid too much attention to whom I was sending the money to (yes, stupid) but after I sent the money an hour later, I googled the guys paypal email and found he is a scammer on several forums, I immediately tried to reverse or stop the transaction but I couldn’t, so I tried by reporting the transaction as not recognised or fraud, within an hour PayPal decided the transaction was genuine so couldn’t do much, now I’m just waiting for Thursday to arrive so I can finally open a non received dispute (7 days), of course seeing he is dedicated to this and a real scammer he won’t have proof of shipment of delivery so in theory I will win the case easily, my question is, I truly believe he just opened a new gmail account to steal people on PayPal, so if an account is new , does PayPal still apply the 21 day hold rule? I’m not scared I might lose the case, that’s obvious, but what if he already withdrawn my money and transferred it to his personal bank account and left the balance in $0.00 , how can PayPal retrieve my money then? Thanks for any help.

[kernowlass]

@R1CKSO 

You are allowed x1 dispute per transaction so did you open a dispute already? If so then you won't be able to open another one.

[R1CKSO]

Hello, I’ve already spoken to paypal executives and I can open one more case for non received item, but it has to be over the phone I can’t do it anymore on the site, they have to do it. But it is possible ONCE AND ONLY ONE TIME.

[sharpiemarker]

@R1CKSO 

Say if by some miracle you can open another case or successfully able to change the reason on the case...its not the email address itself but the age and account activity of PayPal account itself whether the funds availability hold is applied or not which you won't be able to see if the hold is applied or not. In terms of a Item Not Received (INR) case, the scammer can provide a fake tracking number or send a brick or empty envelope to yours or a nearby shipping address at which you'll have to appeal the case and provide the evidence.

[R1CKSO]

PayPal representatives over the phone said that I can change the reason for the dispute, but only over the phone, I can’t do it on the site, all 4 people said the same so it’s possible, but I do have to wait 7 days in order to file a non received item and I’ll pray the funds are still on hold. Regarding my other question, what happens when they leave the balance at $0.00 can PayPal still refund on their own money? Or only when they are able to recover funds from the scammer

[PayPal_Olivia · Accepted solution]

Hi @R1CKSO,

I'm sorry to hear about a transaction where you believe you will not receive the product. I'm glad you called and found out that a representative can help you once the 7 days have elapsed.

In a situation where the transaction meets the eligibility for Purchase Protection, it will not matter if the funds are held or not, and is not dependent on the seller's ability to fund the refund. If the dispute is found in your favor under those circumstances, the refund will happen regardless.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[R1CKSO]

Olivia, Thank you very much for your reply as it really puts my mind at ease, I know $390 is not a fortune but I don’t have them laying around, so I really want to recover my money, I’ll have to call again on Thursday so a representative opens a non received item case as I already opened the suspicious/ non recognised transaction and it wasn’t decided on my favor, I was very nervous that I couldn’t longer open a non received dispute, called PayPal several times and all the executives are positive that they are able to open the case once 7 days have gone by, no matter if I already opened the other Gad and lost I will keep everyone informed.

[R1CKSO]

Hello Olivia, luckily I spoke with the dispute department and they were able to change my case from non recognised transaction to non received item, so now my case is open! I know it’s rare but I haven’t seen cases were the seller provides a fake tracking number that displays delivered and wins the case, being that this a dedicated scammer we are dealing with, what’s my best way to protect against that fraud strategy? Thanks for any help.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @R1CKSO,

In this situation, the original case was opened as a case of unauthorized access. In a situation like that, the circumstances of the payment are examined and if the transaction was shown to be made by you, the case would be closed in the seller's favor. The reason that it was necessary to wait the 7 days before you could open a Non-receipt case is because, if the seller is legitimate, they should have the opportunity to fulfill their end of the transaction and mail the item. 

In the rare situation where a seller provides false tracking and it is not caught during the initial review of the case, an appeal can be opened. Opening the appeal based on the circumstances that the tracking is not legitimate will allow the representative to more closely examine that information.

The best way to protect yourself is always going to be to research anyone with whom you decide to do business. Reviews, feedback, and search engines are generally helpful. An informed buyer is in a much better position than one who is not informed. I would also suggest reading the Purchase Protection guidelines in the User Agreement to make sure that you're buying something that is covered.

I hope this helps!

Olivia

[Sital1]

Hi,

I was just wondering what the outcome of this was? Did paypal return your money? Im in the same situation and can't seem to find help anywhere. I don't know what to do :'(