Cyber Security Magazine
Are you using PayPal or plan on opening an account any time soon? Then this guide is exactly what you need. Find out what’s the most common occurring PayPal scam and why everybody falls for it every time.
What’s this about me getting scammed on PayPal?
So, the most common PayPal scams of all time involve seller who has yet to open a PayPal account. Yes, I know that sounds a bit off, considering that you want to sell your stuff, but it’s on the ‘to-do’ list.
Here how this plays out. Let’s assume that you have an Etsy profile on which you advertise your goods. Out of a sudden, someone comes along saying that he’s interested in your goods. More than that, he even offers to set up a PayPal account. How does the scammer know that? Because he does some research beforehand.
When he sees that PayPal’s not your first payment choice, he will send out an email in which he will invite you to set up a PayPal account so that he can make the payment.
You really ought to reconsider if you see someone playing the Good Samaritan online. The chances are that it’s just an attempt to make you ‘spit out’ precious info. So, the next step would be you registered for a PayPal account. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. When you’re done, the scammer will tell you that he wants the package delivered to his address of choice. Naturally, as a seller, you will have to oblige, being the first order and all.
However, once the package reaches the destination, the scammer will report to PayPal that the package never arrived. Doesn’t matter if you fire up a dispute or not: the address is correct, but the person on the other side will keep his story straight – that your goods never arrived.
So, where does that leave you? Apart from the fact that you’ve lost the goods, you also provided the scammer with some very personal info like name, physical address, phone number, and even some sensitive credit card details like the CVV.
Wrap-up
How to protect yourself against this kind of PayPal scam? If you someone offers to open up a PayPal account on your behalf, simply decline the offer, hop on PayPal’s official page and open one yourself. So, do you have any interesting scamming stories? Hit the comments section and let me know.
