Hi everyone!
I want to write this post specifically to help new and experienced sellers spot when a buyer may not be legitimate. This includes recognizing fake emails and tricks fraudsters use to obtain items without actually paying.
Common Email Scams:
- Emails made to look like they are from PayPal using our information for the email account “name”. Hovering over the name or replying will show that the actual email address isn’t registered to paypal.com
- Emails may say that “You have money” or “You’ve been paid,” but there is absolutely no record of the payment in the PayPal account. These will also generally say something along the lines that the payment will not post to the PayPal account until replying to the email with tracking information.
- PayPal will never ask that you reply to an email with tracking in order to complete a purchase. Tracking should always be added to the transaction in the PayPal account.
- There are some situations where we place a hold on a payment until tracking shows an item has been delivered, but there will always be a record of the sale in the PayPal account, and it will show a “pending” account balance. If there is no record in the PayPal account, do not ship the item!
- Emails will say that you’ve received a payment considerably more than the sale amount. These will advise you to use a competitor payment processor to send the difference to a “shipping agent” that will come pick up the item or back to the buyer directly.
- Processing payments is kind of PayPal’s thing, and we will never ask you to send money using another company.
Common Fraudulent Orders:
- The buyer may request a seller send an invoice instead of paying through the seller’s website or on eBay.
- This is a means to obtain the seller’s email address to commit the above scams.
- The buyer asks that you ship to a different address after sending a payment.
- There are situations where this may be an innocent mistake by the buyer, but it is also a means for fraudsters to circumvent our security measures.
- In both cases, always refund the payment and ask that they resend it with the correct shipping address. This will protect you in the event a dispute happens, and a legitimate buyer won’t have an issue correcting their error.
- Buyer sends an invoice to confuse new sellers into believing it is a “pending” payment.
The key is to stay informed and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are unsure if it is safe to ship an item. We’re always happy to help here or you can contact our customer support directly by following the Help & Contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also reach us on Facebook or at @AskPayPal on Twitter.
Sell safely and thank you!
Michelle
If this post or any other was helpful, please enrich the community by giving kudos or accepting it as a solution.
