Newly created business account limit, potential scam

[Antoncousins]

I am selling my shoes, the buyer only wanted to use PayPal for payment, the buyer sent me $300 which apparently is over the business account limit, I received an email saying the buyer needed to send me $200 more to expand my account limit and then I send the $200 back to the buyer, once the additional payment was sent I received an email saying I need pay back the buyer out of my own pocket in order to receive the original payment, seems really suspect, is this a scam? I am from New Zealand

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @Antoncousins, 

Welcome to the PayPal Community! I can certainly understand how selling with PayPal can seem like a lot. I'm glad you reached out about this. In short, this situation does not sound like a legitimate sale. You should never have to pay money to someone to receive a payment. While PayPal does charge a fee for goods and services, you pay it directly to PayPal and it's paid right as you receive the payment. Also, there's no specific limit for a personal account to make it a business account. Here are a few resources you may find useful when selling with PayPal in the future: 

How do I spot a fake, fraudulent, or phishing PayPal email or website?
How do I receive money through PayPal?
 

I hope that helps!

- Jon K

[Bvalgre1]

Hello I had a very similar situation, where someone sent me money for an item, I received an email stating they needed to send me $600 and I would send it back to them to receive my original amount and expand to a business limit. I stupidly did this and I have now received no money and the $600 has gone to someone but not the original person and I have received no money. Is there anyway I am able to get my money back? This is my first time using paypal so I was extremely confused.

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @Bvalgre1, 

Welcome to the PayPal Community! I'm sorry to hear you've run into a similar situation. Your purchase protections would depend on how the payment was sent. If you sent it as a Goods and Services transaction, you may have the option to open a dispute. Otherwise, your protection would be limited to unauthorized access only. If you paid with a debit / credit card or bank, I'd recommend reaching out to them to see what options may potentially be available.

Good luck and best wishes!

 - Jon K

[Lola96]

Same thing happened to me, when trying to sell a fish tank on Facebook marketplace. The person reached out was very polite and kept insisting that this is very legitimate and he had to do it many times before to receive payment. It’s very easy. He created a profile with a photo of kids on it. Now that I looked at it closely there is nothing else there, just one photo. Kelvin [removed]. There is thankfully another post in this community about the scam. They position it as if they pay you, and you return the money - but when you return the money (according to another user) you return your own money and they get sent to a random place. Been in discussions with this person all evening. Very unsettling. Glad I checked the community.

[MoralesMaria09]

I almost commit this. Luckily before the payment were effective some things about the scammer were suspicious from the start. First: The email they say wasn't paypal official. Always check the official emails. Second: Their contact were suspicious and the method of  "refund" the money were gift cards. Be safe of scam