Scams?

[Marcusmorgan29]

I recently came across an advertisement on Instagram for a website selling toolboxs, most of what they are selling normally selling for 900 up to 1200 bucks, but this place is advertising the same boxs for less than 100, to good to be true, and they have a link to pay pal for payment. The contact info is non existent when clicking on that, no company web, email or address. It is way to good to be true as far as prices and free shipping for tool boxs weighing well over 500 pounds by th3mselves. First, is how can pay pal be used by this scam, and second, how can they place ads on Instagram and Facebook, after doing a search the same site has been on there as well, from what I can find, if someone orders a toolbox, it takes months before any items show up, and normally people receive a blow up wedge pillow or air mattress, not the toolbox ordered. Seems wrong PayPal can be used for these scams, hopefully t&ey will not allow payments to be sent to these unscrupulous scammers. If anyone has been taken by this scam let us know. Thanks

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@Marcusmorgan29 

Another of these??

Chinese Web Sites or on Social Media ads easy to spot (once you know the below signs) so buyer beware.

Paypal would not be able to check every individual seller / merchant / company in over 200 countries worldwide that adds paypal to their website to accept payments.

So they give you 'some' buyer protection but the onus is on you to risk assess your transactions.

They do stop bad companies from using Paypal when enough claims start rolling in.
However as they are in China (mostly) then its easy for them to just start over with a new name, so stopping them does not really do anything.

The best thing is to not buy from them in the first place, to recognise them -

1. No return address on the returns policy. The site will look as if its in your country (where they despatch goods from) but they will ask for returns to go back to China (returns depot) at a shipping cost often more than the item is worth.
2. No contact telephone number. if you click on contact the most you will get is webmail or an email address.
3. Rarely company address information.
4. Great pictures of items at bargain prices that turn out to be tat.
5. Fake reviews.
6. Google and you can often see previous company names as they change them once enough claims roll in and Paypal stop them using their services and start over.
7. Send fake tracking numbers to win item non receipt of item claims.