I have been noticing an increasing trend of Facebook ads for popular products that link to polished looking websites that look very legit. EVERY SINGLE ONE has the same pattern:
Facebook or other social media "Page" that sells home decor/personal comfort items/tech gadgets - they all look similar and run concurrently.
Ad is placed for something that may or may not be part of what they normally sell, but is really popular at the moment - MOON Puzzles for COVID-19 stay at home, or some high-tech device that usually sells for big $$$ being offered for $20-40 + shipping, etc.
Customer gets tracking (from Chinese shipping company or even UPS) but always receives some kind of junk speaker or other crap, or address is wrong and someone else received it.
Customer looks for contact info on website, but it is either made up like **email address removed**, or doesn't exist.
Customer asks for PayPal refund.
Scammer offers a pitiful refund IF they return the item and pay the return freight.
Customer refuses.
Scammer sends PayPal tracking number with delivery confirmation.
PayPal sides with scammer and closes dispute.
This story has been laid out in these posts:
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/I-orderd-from-Yuzhi-Qing-Cultural-a-music-instrument-but-they/m-p/2104609#M115712
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/paypal-sided-with-the-scammer/m-p/2170100#M128702
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/USFITWEAR/td-p/2139227/page/2
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/Do-not-buy/m-p/1921247#M76819
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/Getting-Help-problem-with-Abiluff-Store/m-p/2161739#M126263
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/Rip-off/m-p/2143000#M124291
https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Disputes-and-Limitations/Chinese-Scam-site/m-p/2157254#M125313
I could go on but it would take too much time to gather every single thread that has the EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I don't know how to address this with PayPal directly - I was one of the lucky ones that actually got a refund because I opened my dispute just a day after I sent the funds because I realized it was a scam. When Yuzhi Qing begged me to stop the claim process and I refused, they sent a fake tracking number and tried to say I received the product. My claim was denied at first and it took a phone call to customer service to get a full refund. Most people are not as lucky as me. I think Facebook has a responsibility in vetting ads and PayPal should be honoring refunds if hundreds if not thousands of claims are all the same against the same type of people scamming. It could very well be all the same company running several scams at once. Every time I see a fake ad come up (I know how to recognize them now) I flag it as a scam and report the page. It's going to take every single one of us to do this and learn how to spot them in order to fight them.
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