Am I being scammed?

[Scottc91uk]

Hi all I probably should of asked this sooner instead of letting it go on so long but I’m here now. I did pay credit card so if it is a scam I’m hoping I could go to my bank. I wanted to buy a game from Facebook marketplace and asked to pay PayPal friends and family… hindsight should of been the initial warning. I paid, they told me payment is on hold and said I have to pay the same amount again to verify the payment and send me a screenshot of an email saying I have to make a double payment to authenticate and it will be refunded automatically. Stupidly I did and then was told there is a “three step verification” in effect and I have to send the same amount again to release the holds. I did… then I got told for some reason it didn’t work and PayPal told them to change their email address on the account and try again… at this point I couldn’t decide to cut my losses or just try… stupidly I tried. Same thing because It is a new email “three step verification”. They sent me screenshots of their account summary each time should payments on hold and some being verified… I left it as I read PayPal can hold a payment for 21 days and after a week or so I stupidly though I would try again and they sent me a screenshot of an email saying there time limit had expired I have to double pay again… Is this something PayPal does or am I well and truely being scammed?

[Scottc91uk]

So now I’m stuck. Do I cut my losses and contact my bank or do I send money again in the belief this is a PayPal process?

[kernowlass]

@Scottc91uk 

A friends / family (or gift payment) is intended as a transfer of funds from family or friends to one another. For this reason, there is no processing fee when payment is made with bank or PayPal balance.
However as it is a gift payment, there is also no buyer protection as no goods or services should have been exchanged.

If he was not a close mate or family member you should never use that option as it enables the seller to evade paying his Paypal fees and negates your buyer protection at the same time.

You would also not be able to open a dispute (apart from one citing an unauthorised transaction), which would be automatically closed as you did authorise the initial payment.

Be careful as using that option for purchasing goods is against Paypal rules and can lead to account limitation.

If you funded your Paypal payment via a credit card then contact your card issuer and see if they will help you but unfortunately they may decline as well as it was a gift payment.

SECONDLY even if the funds were on hold that would be between Paypal and the seller and nothing to do with you, if the funds were completed in your paypal account then you would have paid and the seller has to send the item (if they provide a tracking number funds are released from hold more quickly for them).

However the funds would not be on hold if you sent using friends/family PLUS you do not pay upfront or repeat payments for any reason.