My payment to a friend was refunded without my requesting it

[Vic_in_Long_Isl]

Last night before bed, I intentionally sent a payment to a friend in a foreign country, accepting the PayPal charges and the currency spread. This morning, I see that 2 minutes after sending the payment, received an email from PayPal saying my payment was refunded at my request before the recipient could access it. I wanted my friend to have the money and I had not requested a refund, so I sent another payment, again accepting the PayPal charges and the currency spread. How did this happen?? PayPal does not allow disputes of refunds, and I do not want to dispute the original payment that was refunded in case something else becomes messed up.

[Vic_in_Long_Isl · Accepted solution]

It turned out that my friend initiated the refund. My confusion was triggered because PayPal said, incorrectly, that I had requested the refund:

Hello, [your name]

[Your friend] refunded [amount] from your purchase on July 5, 2021.

You requested the refund before the [amount] was debited from your bank account.

[kernowlass]

@Vic_in_Long_Isl 

As you haven't said which country you sent the funds to then sadly can't advise.

[Vic_in_Long_Isl]

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond to my question. I had already answered it and not seen the Accept as Solution button previously. There is a defect in the PayPal system of notification of refunds where it says incorrectly that the sender requested the refund, when the recipient initiated the refund.