When selling goods on Ebay classifieds, a lot is communicated via chats. The agreements and price expectations are very flexible. But where there is trading, there may also be an attempt to cheat. The Paypal scam is one such example. TECHBOOK explains how it works and what to look out for.
You advertise your iPhone 13 on Ebay classifieds because you switched to the iPhone 14. You will then receive a message from a prospective buyer who would like to pay for your iPhone via Paypal and then pick it up. It actually sounds like a normal process, but TECHBOOK advises caution at this point. Paying via Paypal is a popular scam on Ebay classifieds and can be an indication of fraud. Both the “Friends & Family” and “Goods & Services” payment functions harbor risks.
Paypal scams are particularly brazen forms of fraud on Ebay classifieds because they initially give a safe impression. A distinction is made between two Paypal scams.
Collection after payment via “Goods & Services”
In the first scam, the buyer is the scammer and the seller is the victim. In the case of your advertised iPhone, the interested party wants to pay for the goods via PayPal with the “Goods and services” option and even pays the fees for PayPal’s buyer protection. He now sends someone or even picks up the goods himself. Up to this point, the sale looks less like a scam on Ebay Classifieds and more like a regular transaction through PayPal.
But a little later, the buyer reports again: He claims not to have received any goods and switches on PayPal. PayPal will then request proof of shipment or collection from the seller. But since there is no corresponding receipt, PayPal decides in favor of the buyer and refunds the purchase price. In the end you are left as a seller without money and goods. Therefore: In order to avoid this form of Paypal fraud on Ebay classifieds, you should always choose an insured shipping method and keep the receipt – or only accept cash upon collection.
Also interesting: Triangle fraud on Ebay classifieds can happen to anyone!
Payment via “Family & Friends”
The second popular eBay classifieds Paypal scam is “friends & family” payment. In this case, you are not selling an iPhone, you are a buyer this time. With this scam you have discovered an advertisement with an unbeatable low price and tell the seller that you are interested in buying. He will offer you to pay the amount via PayPal via “Friends & Family” and give you an e-mail address. The seller assures you that he will ship the iPhone immediately after receiving the sum.
This is where the PayPal scam begins on Ebay Classifieds. The seller receives the money from the account directly into his pocket under a PayPal account set up at short notice and under a false name. The goods are never shipped, leaving you with no money and no goods. You notice the fraud and report it to the police? It is often too late for this, as the perpetrators immediately forward the money and delete the fake account. Sending the purchase amount via “Family & Friends” does not simply allow you to claim the money back. Because with this payment option there is no right to buyer protection.
Appropriate: A payment method that should never be used with PayPal
The police in Lüneburg confirm this approach and warn all consumers before this scam on ebay classifieds. “Before the first injured parties file criminal charges because they have not received their items, the user accounts on PayPal and Ebay have already been deleted and there are already new ones under other personal details in order to commit further fraud,” says a police statement.
Therefore: In order to avoid this form of Paypal fraud on Ebay classifieds, you should always pay with the “Goods & Services” option. In this case, buyer protection applies if the seller cannot prove the shipment and you will get your money back.