Scammers Lurking Around the Internet

marquin
Contributor
Contributor

Hello there!

 

I didn't get the goods or services that I paid for. I sent it via "friends and family" to an unknown person (a person who claimed he's willing to do a commission fanart for me). He blocked me in social media. And I cannot contact him. I understand that if I choose sent via "friends and family", I will not be covered by PayPal Buyer's Protection Act. I may not get the money refunded that I sent to the scammer who scammed me.

 

But I wish to report his activities. I clicked the "Report this transaction", but it does not allow me to proceed and PayPal is freezing on me. Tried to contact PayPal Customer Service, but a bot is responding. Tried to find the link to open a dispute. The payment is already confirmed and sent. So, I don't any other way to retrieve the funds.

 

In any case, how do I report this scammer? Again, I may not get the money returned to me even if I would like to. At the very least, I want to protect others from this scammer in scamming people. Thanks!

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2 REPLIES 2

kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@marquin 

 

As you sent him a 'gift' of money by using the friends/family option then he didn't scam you did he?

He would only have scammed you if you sent a payment for goods/services and he didn't send the item or service. 


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marquin
Contributor
Contributor

He's not my friend. He's a stranger. I was stupid to listen to a stranger like him. I was stupid to hand over C$208.63 or USD $160 to him. I should have listened to my conscience. But his digital drawings are real. I saw them myself in his Instagram account. In any case, I was stupid to believe him.

 

He asked me to click "Friends and Family" so the money would immediately arrive to his end. He scammed me and I fell for it. I never received the merchandise I ordered from him. He claimed he's an artist, but he's a con artist! That's what he is. He gave me his Instagram account. I checked his digital artworks and so, we spoke for about two weeks, and I stupidly sent him the money on the third week.

 

After sending him the money, and as soon as I did it, he blocked me on social media (both in Reddit and in Instagram and in Gmail). There's no way for me to contact the scammer. Stupid and foolish me!

 

Here’s all the information I know about the scammer:

⁃ Full name: John <Removed>
⁃ Country: Philippines
⁃ He attends a college called "STI College" and is studying as a graphic designer. He's a young digital graphics designer or an art student.
⁃ Instagram account: www.instagram.com/<Removed>/

⁃ His username in Instagram is "<Removed>".
⁃ GMail: (I was not allowed to post his GMail here as per PayPal Community Policies). But I know his e-mail, and it bounced back when I tried to send something to the scammer.
⁃ The scammer asked me to send him money via PayPal.

 

I would have already reported the scammer in Instagram if I have access to see his profile. Since the scammer blocked me, I am unable to view his Instagram profile (and thereby, unable to report his account to Instagram authorities). Earlier today, I was reading the "How do I report a post or profile for abuse or spam on Instagram?" in Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/192435014247952?helpref=search&sr=1&query=Report%20spam&search_session_id...

 

I tried to send a web form on Instagram but I was not able to proceed even if I pose as a victim who doesn't have an Instagram account (The link above is only for victims who DO NOT have Instagram. I didn't put in my Instagram username so I can submit the form. But even after pressing "Submit", the form is saying it needs fixing. 😞

 

I reported the scammer to the Reddit moderators. But the Reddit moderators keep their decisions confidential. They only asked me for the scammer's Reddit username, and that's the last I heard from them. They said in their policies that never disclose outcomes to complainants or plaintiffs like me.

 

I also reported the scammer on the following website: econsumer.gov: econsumer - Report international scams online! I also tried to contact PayPal, but no live-person (no customer service) was available to help me (whether by phone or by chat). I also reported the scammer on this website: www.signal-arnaques.com/en. I would rather do something than nothing. If I can't contact live PayPal customer service, then I'll talk about my problems here in this community. I'm sorry for being poisonous. It has been like this for about 5 days since I realized what the scammer did to me.

 

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