Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

PayPal Friends and Family Scam - Send Payment via Goods and Services
PayPal Friends and Family Scam - Send Payment via Goods and Services

A lot of PayPal users are getting scammed via PayPal Friends and Family. The scammers behind the fraudulent scheme encourage potential victims to send the payment using the PayPal "Friends and Family" option, instead of "Goods and Services". The scammers will claim their potential victims will save on fees, so they could potentially sell whatever they are selling a little bit cheaper. And, the scammers may also claim that their potential victims will get their items or services faster because there will be no hold on the funds. But, when you pay using the Friends and Family option for goods or services, you don’t have any protection.

If you sent money that was intended for a purchase and used the "Friends and Family" option instead of "Goods and Services", you may get scammed. If you’re buying something online via PayPal, the seller should send you a PayPal invoice. This way you will get Buyer Protection. Therefore, if anything goes wrong you can follow the buyer protection procedures to get your money back.

Remember, always ask sellers to send an invoice. Have them setup a pay button on the website, or send a basic money request. Or, even send the money directly, but make sure to do it with Goods and Services, and type in exactly what you’re buying.

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