Meta Platforms Stole USD 289.28 from My Paypal

[Rui_Liu_]

Hello!

My PayPal was unexpectedly charged USD 289.28 on Dec 7th by Meta Platforms, Inc., and I can confirm that this transaction was not authorized by myself or any of my family members.

I have found many users in the PayPal community experiencing similar situations. Therefore, I'm wondering if this might be a large-scale scam targeting PayPal users, possibly orchestrated by Meta Platforms, Inc. (I couldn't find any specific information about this company, and it might be posing as Facebook).

I have already reported this transaction as unauthorized and am currently still awaiting PayPal's investigation and further action. I am hopeful that PayPal will be able to refund this illegitimate charge.

Additionally, I hope that PayPal's security team will report and take this situation seriously. We all place a great deal of trust in PayPal's consistent security measures, and I hope our trust isn't shattered by these malicious scams.

[muhammadtaufan]

i don't understand

[Rui_Liu_ · Accepted solution]

Update:

Good news – Today PayPal recognized the transaction as unauthorized and has fully refunded the amount to my payment account. I'm grateful to PayPal staffs for their review and also to my bank personnel for their mediation efforts.

Advice for users who may have similar issues:

1. Regularly check your PayPal account for any unauthorized manipulation, such as unexpected auto-subscriptions/payments.
2. If you encounter any issues, contact your bank immediately and report the transaction as unauthorized to PayPal, providing as much detailed evidence as possible.
3. If you face a situation similar to mine, feel free to ask me. I am more than willing to help with your appeal and rights protection to the best of my ability.
   
   

Additionally:
Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook Ireland) appears to be a hacker organization/company masquerading as Facebook, specifically targeting PayPal users' funds. I hope PayPal staff will investigate and shut down this company to prevent more PayPal users from being victimized.

Hope no one else has to experience unauthorized transactions or fraudulent charges!

[Finatv123]

Great news you got your money back. Same happened to me today via Meta Platforms (Face Book Ireland) 5 transactions totalling over €400. Paypal came back and said they were authorised transactions. I called PayPal...They're now going down another route. Hopefully it will be sorted soon 🙏 Thank you for sharing your experience. It gives me hope.

[Rui_Liu_]

Hi @Finatv123 

I'm sorry to hear that you've encountered the same issue as I did.

Attempting to dispute unauthorized charges solely through the website or app often doesn't succeed (as some claims are automatically processed by AI), so it's normal for these disputes to be initially rejected. Don't worry.

Since you've already called PayPal, I suggest taking the following steps:

1. First, check if there are any automatic payments/agreements set up in your PayPal account. Change your password and add two-factor authentication (especially remove any PayPal password records stored in Google Chrome).

2. Contact the bank linked to your PayPal account, request them to flag this transaction, and ask them to communicate with PayPal on your behalf. (This is very important and I believe it was a key step in the successful recovery of my funds.)

3. Prepare screenshots of your Facebook account showing no payment records, which may be required for evidence in later stages.

4. Continuously monitor and follow up on this issue. Regularly contact PayPal customer service through online chat or phone calls to emphasize the urgency of the matter. (Call them every 2-3 days until this issue solved)

I believe that with persistent rights protection and appeals, you should be able to recover your €400. However, this may require patience; it took me about 7 days to retrieve the transaction. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Wishing you the best of luck! 

[Qumir_art]

Hello! I'm facing the same problem. They took $182.85 USD. Could you tell me which steps you took? I'm trying inn Resolution Center to get my money back. I'm frol Perú and I'm super lost at this. Thank you very much!

[Rui_Liu_]

Hi Qumir_art,

I am very sorry to hear that you have also encountered this unfortunate incident.

I believe we have fallen victim to phishing emails from some hackers, which led us to unknowingly subscribe to services disguised as Meta (Facebook). I suggest you:

1. Quickly change your account password to protect your account security.
2. Check if you have any subscriptions you don't recognize, and cancel them immediately if you find any.
3. Report this unauthorized transaction to PayPal.
4. Call PayPal's hotline to explain the situation and contact your bank to report it as well.

I followed these steps and eventually received all the money back from PayPal. I hope you can also get your money back soon.

Good luck!

[Qumir_art]

Thank you so much! I already put the complain and followed the steps. So, right now, I have an open case. I was checking my Facebook payments and it also appears those transactions. I've been trying to report it. Did you also report it in Facebook?

[Rui_Liu_]

Hi Qumir_art,

I haven't found any related payments in my Facebook account. If you discover any, I suggest you also report this unauthorized activity to Facebook.

Don't worry too much. I believe you will succeed in your claim and get your money back!

Good Luck!

[Jsaxe2015]

They closed mine as a non fraudulent transaction. Wtf