There was an automatic payment I didn't make

atomicPenguin
Contributor
Contributor

Hi Team, 

 

Yesterday (1st of December), I was notified of a PayPal transaction to an online gambling account. I was surprised as I haven't used their services since September 2021 so I suspected that the email was a scam. Upon checking, this was an automatic payment with a start date on the 29th of September 2021. Checking my account history, this was the first deposit to the gambling account even though there was an automatic payment.

 

I ruled out the possibility that someone accessed my account and put in a deposit from there. From the screenshot below, it is not possible as the authorisation has expired, meaning that PayPal directly sent money through to the gambling account without a request from site itself. 

 

 Error.png

 

I raised a dispute in the resolution centre, however, the case was closed with "Thank you for reporting this case. After our review, we found that certain transactions weren't unauthorised and hence weren't eligible for Buyer Protection." 

 

As it currently stands, the deposit remains in the account and I cannot withdraw it. I also cannot reopen the case as it's been closed. 

 

Can anyone help me with this situation?

 

I'm particularly concerned about the fact that PayPal has sent money out of my account without my permission. How many other automatic payments could there be that randomly trigger? 

 

Any help will be appreciated. 

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3 REPLIES 3

kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@atomicPenguin 

 

Check if you had a subscription set up and cancel it? If its still active then you have given paypal permission to send the funds.
Click on the profile tab (icon next to log out) > Click on payments third option along on the thick blue band top of page > "manage pre-approved payments.''


Advice is voluntary.
Kudos / Solution appreciated.
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atomicPenguin
Contributor
Contributor

@kernowlass 

 

Yes, the account is on the automatic payments page, but so is KFC, the ICONIC and other companies. This is not a subscription-based service and there is no subscription set up. 

 

If its still active then you have given paypal permission to send the funds.

To your point, yes, but this is also the equivalent of PayPal randomly sending money to KFC or the ICONIC without me purchasing anything. Just because I've added PayPal as a payment option, doesn't mean I give them permission to send money to KFC if I didn't order a meal. 

 

As I have shown before, the request did not come from the gambling account as it's not currently possible. I would have added PayPal as a payment option on 29 September 2021, and the transaction on the 1st of December is the first time PayPal sent money to them without my permission or a request. 

 

Unfortunately, I cannot reach out to PayPal as they have already closed my case.

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PayPal_Olivia
Moderator
Moderator

Hi @atomicPenguin

 

Thank you for your posts and for joining the PayPal Community! I'm so sorry to hear that there was an unauthorized charge.

 

It sounds like, since you did set up the subscription initially, that your account on that platform has been compromised, not your PayPal account. I would recommend reaching out to the customer service personnel at the platform in question for steps to report the unauthorized access to that account, and find steps or securing it immediately.

 

As @kernowlass mentioned, you can also cancel the billing agreement, t prevent any further payments from coming through. You can reestablish the connection by creating a new billing agreement once the account is resecured.

 

I hope this is helpful!

 

Olivia

 

 

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