A stranger transfers your money to Paypal? Be careful, this is a scam

This is a well-organised scam, which initially seems like a banal mistake: a few tens of euros transferred to the Paypal accounts of internet users who have no idea of ​​the sender’s identity.

The latter then contacts them: he explains that he accidentally reversed the sum and asks his victim to reimburse him. This, explains the How It Works website, is the point at which you must not fall into the trap. This is really a scam to get rid of your euros.

A now consolidated technique

How does the sender of the bank transfer defraud you? Counting on your good faith, it asks you to use Paypal’s “Friends and Family” option to make the refund.

And it is precisely by selecting this option that the scam occurs. In fact, if it allows you not to pay commissions on the transaction, the “Friends and family” option does not allow the reimbursement of the transferred amounts.

The perpetrator of the scam, however, can ask the platform to refund the amount “accidentally” transferred to his account by selecting the “Payment for an item or service” option. In the end it is his victim who ends up giving him money, without him having paid anything.

What to do in case of a suspicious transfer to your Paypal account?

If you notice that a sum of money (in any case around ten euros) that you were not expecting has just been transferred to your Paypal account, and that the issuer then contacts you, do not choose the “Friends and Family” option.

For your information, Paypal has the ability to refund amounts transferred in error, which is simply called “Issue a refund”. By selecting it you ensure that the refund transfer is not a new transaction.

Finally, if you smell a scam, don’t hesitate to report the suspicious email or site to the following address: [email protected].

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