Paypal are protecting scammers. Please help

49 replies
So I just got scammed out of $600 on Flippa.

This is the listing I won

https://flippa.com/2646979-big-packa...d-hottest-deal

And of course the person just disappears after and I don't hear from them.

Next thing I know I see this thread where the scammer is selling
the exact same domains.

https://flippa.com/2647206-big-packa...d-hottest-deal

And has scammed someone else too.

They've been banned by Flippa and it's clear that this person
is a scammer.

Well I phone up Paypal to let them know that I've been scammed
and that I've got proof and all they say is "sorry sir, we can't help
you because websites are intangible items."

I told the guy that I've got proof through the Flippa listings that
the persons a scammer but they just wouldn't listen.

It seems that unless you buy a physical product you have zero
protection yet the scammer has all the protection and is free
to go around stealing peoples money.

Please could some Warriors give me advice on how to get my
money back.

I also can't do a charge back because the $600 came out of my
paypal account balance.

Thanks.

Will
#paypal #protecting #scammers
  • Profile picture of the author bertboy60
    I would pursue it. Tangible or not you were not given what you bought.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

    It seems that unless you buy a physical product you have zero protection yet the scammer has all the protection and is free to go around stealing peoples money.

    There are certain product categories where PayPal does not offer Buyer Protection. Websites and other digital products fall into that group.

    If you had purchased through PayPal using a credit card, your card company would have likely given you some recourse, although that is not a guarantee either.

    If you got your website from the guy, then the scam is difficult to prove, even in small-claims court, unless you can prove that the guy promised an exclusive website to you.

    But your best bet will be small claims court, if the offender is in the same country as you are.

    It is not that PayPal is giving protection to scammers. It is in their TOS what kinds of purchases they offer buyer protection, and if you missed reading that, who is really to blame?


    p.s. Next time you buy anything on Flippa, use Escrow accounts to protect your investment. They will collect the money from you, put it in an account, and release the money to the seller once you have confirmed receipt of what you purchased.

    If a seller is unwilling to use Escrow on the purchase, let that be a red flag to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
      Originally Posted by tpw View Post

      It is not that PayPal is giving protection to scammers. It is in their TOS what kinds of purchases they offer buyer protection, and if you missed reading that, who is really to blame?
      Proof should over ride TOS. I'm a long time user of Paypal and
      have probably generated them thousands in revenue from my
      past payments.

      The fact is that Paypal wouldn't even listen. They could have just
      looked at the Flippa listings and seen that the person is scamming
      people and has been banned from Flippa and then make the right
      decision. Not just stand behind the wall and talk about intangible items
      bs.

      So yes I do see it as Paypal protecting the scammers, especially when
      there is proof involved.

      To be honest tpw I have no idea what country the scammer resides
      in because Paypal wouldn't tell me. (Again, protecting the scammer)
      But I don't think it's from England.

      Any other ideas on how to get my money back?

      Thanks

      Will
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  • Profile picture of the author michaelmea
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    • Profile picture of the author wtatlas
      If you funded the purchase through a credit card via PayPal you might find the bank willing to help you do a chargeback, digital product or not. You can prove that you paid and that the domains haven't been transferred to you.

      Obviously it depoends on the bank or credit card company, but I know that my bank doesn't have a "digital product, no help" policy such as that of PayPal. I had a situation where part of the payment I made came from funds in my PayPal account and the balance came from a credit card on record with PayPal. I didn't get any of the PayPal account money back but my bank refunded the balance that was drawn from my bank account by PayPal.

      Certainly worth looking into.
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      • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
        Originally Posted by wtatlas View Post

        If you funded the purchase through a credit card via PayPal you might find the bank willing to help you do a chargeback, digital product or not. You can prove that you paid and that the domains haven't been transferred to you.

        Obviously it depoends on the bank or credit card company, but I know that my bank doesn't have a "digital product, no help" policy such as that of PayPal. I had a situation where part of the payment I made came from funds in my PayPal account and the balance came from a credit card on record with PayPal. I didn't get any of the PayPal account money back but my bank refunded the balance that was drawn from my bank account by PayPal.

        Certainly worth looking into.
        Yes but unfortunately all the funds came from my Paypal account
        and have nothing to do with my bank so they wont be able to help
        me.

        By reading the second listing I'm sure that someone else has
        already reported the person too. So with more than 1 claim the person
        is a scammer I don't see why Paypal is protecting them.

        Will
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Flippa might tell you where the guy is located. They have already banned him, and they may want to protect their reputation by helping people who got scammed through sellers on their site.

    I have no idea how you are going to get your money back.


    Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

    Proof should over ride TOS. I'm a long time user of Paypal and
    have probably generated them thousands in revenue from my
    past payments.

    The fact is that Paypal wouldn't even listen. They could have just
    looked at the Flippa listings and seen that the person is scamming
    people and has been banned from Flippa and then make the right
    decision. Not just stand behind the wall and talk about intangible items
    bs.

    So yes I do see it as Paypal protecting the scammers, especially when
    there is proof involved.

    Proof should not override the TOS. The TOS is designed to protect PayPal, not you or the seller.

    There is a reason why they do not offer buyer protection on intangibles.

    Could you imagine moderating "He Said - She Said" disputes for a living?

    I would not want to touch disputes like that with a ten-foot pole either.
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    • Profile picture of the author wtatlas
      Unfortunately I can't offer any further advice to help you in your present situation but, for the future, if you're dubious about a seller either because of no feedback or mixed feedback or some other reason, ask them to confirm that they will send the website files on a CD, especially when you're paying a sizeable amount of money. This way if you don't receive the CD Paypal will be willing to consider a dispute.
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by wtatlas View Post

        Unfortunately I can't offer any further advice to help you in your present situation but, for the future, if you're dubious about a seller either because of no feedback or mixed feedback or some other reason, ask them to confirm that they will send the website files on a CD, especially when you're paying a sizeable amount of money. This way if you don't receive the CD Paypal will be willing to consider a dispute.

        Good point.

        That is a method that some sellers are employing to protect themselves as well.

        People who are looking to get a digital product for free may not return the physical product to ensure that refund.

        The protection will go both ways with PayPal, because they do offer protection on physical products.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ken_Stone
    Contact the FTC maybe?
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by EdJackson View Post

      Contact the FTC maybe?

      The OP is in Britain.

      The seller should be in the U.S. to garner any support from the FTC, although they are not obligated to help a Brit.

      But honestly, I think that is a dead-end path, because the FTC only goes after deep-pocket companies doing massive consumer fraud.

      This scammer is probably a lone wolf.

      Maybe a complaint to the IC3 might help: Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | File a Complaint

      My understanding is that although that is a U.S. organization, they will make referrals to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
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      • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
        Yes I doubt the FTC would be able to help.

        The only way I can see myself getting my money back is if
        other people make claims against this scammer and he/she
        gets their account frozen and someone at Paypal investigates.

        Apart from that it looks like the scammer has won.
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        • Profile picture of the author tpw
          Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

          Yes I doubt the FTC would be able to help.

          The only way I can see myself getting my money back is if
          other people make claims against this scammer and he/she
          gets their account frozen and someone at Paypal investigates.

          Apart from that it looks like the scammer has won.

          Do take a look at the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | File a Complaint).

          I was reading their documentation recently, and I think I recall that they work with other governments around the world to handle online fraud complaints.
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  • Profile picture of the author SuzanneH
    Maybe try this approach with PayPal: the guy was selling you a specific domain name, right? aqng[dot]com Send PayPal a link to the auction page and to the WhoIs listing for that site: aqng.com WHOIS domain registration information from Network Solutions and point out that you did not receive it. It may be "intangible" in a way, but you do have proof that you did not receive that domain name.

    Just a thought!

    Suzanne
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  • Profile picture of the author Ryan Rieth
    Sorry to say it but I think your out the $600. It sucks but PayPal is like that about some stuff it doesn't really make a lot of sense but they wont help you if you bought a website and I also know if you bought a "service" they won't help you either.

    Whenever you buy a domain always, always make sure to use an escrow service.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

    Please could some Warriors give me advice on how to get my
    money back.

    Thanks.

    Will
    No way anyone here can help you get your money back. If Paypal won't give it back, what could we do?

    Sorry you got scammed. Have you started a Paypal dispute? If you do screenshots of both of those auctions and escalate it to a claim with attachments showing that you purchased, but did not receive the domains and that the seller is banned and sold them also to another person, you have a better chance. I have won claims like that with attached proof in spite of their intangible product rules.
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  • Profile picture of the author globalpro
    While I feel for you getting ripped off, I fail to see how this has anything to do with PayPal, especially the comments form the ones above deriding PayPal for not doing anything. They did their part, they transferred the funds from you to the other person.

    Look at it this way. If someone came to your door selling something and you paid them upfront before receiving the item, then didn't receive the item, who's fault is it? And if the item was represented as being from a reputable brand name company, would that company be liable for you getting ripped off?

    Is why you never pay for something upfront without the goods being delivered.

    PayPal can't monitor every transaction as far as who is getting paid for what. They have their hands full with phishing schemes, unauthorized transactions from accounts that the people have allowed to be hacked, disputes with serial refunders. etc.

    Maybe consider this a learning experience and move on to making money. What Bill suggested with using and escrow account is your best bet in the future.

    Still feel bad for you though.

    Thanks,

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    I agree with John above. It's sad that you lost your money, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but I fail to see how it's PayPal's problem or PayPal's fault.

    If you had traveled to this person's place of business and handed over cash for the domains, you'd be in the same position as you are now. All PayPal does is take the money from you in one place and give it to the person you want it given to. Just like Western Union but over the internets.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    I feel for ya but use it as a lesson learned and next time consider using...

    http://escrow.com
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  • Profile picture of the author brocktoon93
    That is real horrible. Some people are just such scum bags. Sorry I dont have any advice on getting your money back. Although Ive always had the opposite feeling towards Paypal, where they protect the buyer too much. Ive sold many items and every time the buyer just puts in one of those Paypal disputes for the money back, even if I provide proof of selling the intangible object, they still side with the buyer. My only suggestion is to just put in a dispute through the website for your money back and not deal with them over the phone. You'll put in your side and odds are the other guy wont even respond, so then there's a chance they could side with you. hope it works out for oyu.
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    • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
      Thanks for the replies everyone.

      I've emailed paypal and given them all the information I
      can so hopefully they'll do something about it but who knows.
      If they didn't listen to me over the phone I doubt they'll care about
      my email.

      Anyway. Thanks.

      Will
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      • Profile picture of the author Azarna
        I am sorry to hear you got burnt

        *hugs Will*
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    Well this is interesting because anytime I have had a person raise a dispute on a PLR blog digital download I have had to PROVE that the buyer got the download. Had I not sent the Proof to them, the money would have gone back to the buyer.

    Perhaps you should try entering a dispute? I see you say you cant do that because it came from your paypal balance - there's no way to do that from the transaction? I've never done one myself but it seems like there should be.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    i would see how much flippa is willing to help. certainly they have the guys ip and other contact info. they certainly dont want their reputation to go south on them.

    i would also get my information very organized and then contact the registrant who holds the domain. i think it is very unlikely you will actually get the site, but i do think it is fairly likely you will cause the scammer some additional problems. no real business like to facilitate scammers.

    you may not win, but you might help to make it harder for this guy to scam others.

    the TOS's of all these companies do have loopholes, and the bad thing is that the honest people usually kinda skip over these things and believe people will do the right thing.

    the scammers read the TOS's with a magnifying glass and look for opportunities... sad but true.

    also as a side not, you can claim the loss as a tax deduction...
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    • Profile picture of the author steve m
      Originally Posted by owslaw123 View Post

      i would see how much flippa is willing to help. certainly they have the guys ip and other contact info. they certainly dont want their reputation to go south on them.

      i would also get my information very organized and then contact the registrant who holds the domain. i think it is very unlikely you will actually get the site, but i do think it is fairly likely you will cause the scammer some additional problems. no real business like to facilitate scammers.

      you may not win, but you might help to make it harder for this guy to scam others.

      the TOS's of all these companies do have loopholes, and the bad thing is that the honest people usually kinda skip over these things and believe people will do the right thing.

      the scammers read the TOS's with a magnifying glass and look for opportunities... sad but true.

      also as a side not, you can claim the loss as a tax deduction...

      There is probably one or two of them working together do all of these listings, flippa will no doubt have the ip of a shared VPN or they have used proxies. which is no help at all.

      they could have multiple accounts set up in the same day with different ip.


      Tax deduction, that will make him feel better
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  • Profile picture of the author steve m
    Will,

    In all honesty you'll not get your money back. Especially as its from the paypal funds. I have had this happened to me few times. And never managed to get my money back, it will be a a costly lesson learned.

    Like stated above use escrow, although with escrow you'll at least receive the site. but if it does not make the income stated, then you've lost your money again. Escrow is not all it's cracked out to be with sites that supposedly make money.

    I see on flippa these day's selling short domains at ridiculously low prices, with accounts created that day.

    I will only bid, buy sites from members with aged accounts now and good feedback. Not feedback from a $30 sale, with a brand new account.

    All the best

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Scripteen
    It was probably your fault believing all those domains with PR can be bought for 600$ heck a single pr 6 domains costs more.

    For domains always use Sedo.com escrow service not escrow.com
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    • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
      Originally Posted by Scripteen View Post

      It was probably your fault believing all those domains with PR can be bought for 600$ heck a single pr 6 domains costs more.

      For domains always use Sedo.com escrow service not escrow.com
      In my defense it was very late at the time and I tiredly thought I was
      getting a good deal and didn't want to miss out. Yes it was dumb.. but
      I fell for a scam.

      My fault? Nope I would say the scammer is at fault for, well, scamming.

      As an update, well I never got my money back despite emailing
      Paypal several times. Flippa said that they would provide Paypal
      any information that they needed but trying to get a helpful
      response out of Paypal is impossible.

      I tried opening a dispute and gave Paypal all the information I
      had plus I told them that Flippa were on my side and gave them
      Flippas details but guess what.. Paypal still sided with the scammer!

      Unbelievable I know but that's Paypal for you and I now understand
      why PaypalSucks.com has over 8,000 members!

      I'm just glad that it wasn't something like 10 grand I lost otherwise
      I would have to be hiring some mercenaries to go get the guy lol.

      Like some people said above this was an expensive lesson but
      a helpful lesson none the less!

      Will
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      • Profile picture of the author Scripteen
        Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

        In my defense it was very late at the time and I tiredly thought I was
        getting a good deal and didn't want to miss out. Yes it was dumb.. but
        I fell for a scam.

        My fault? Nope I would say the scammer is at fault for, well, scamming.

        As an update, well I never got my money back despite emailing
        Paypal several times. Flippa said that they would provide Paypal
        any information that they needed but trying to get a helpful
        response out of Paypal is impossible.

        I tried opening a dispute and gave Paypal all the information I
        had plus I told them that Flippa were on my side and gave them
        Flippas details but guess what.. Paypal still sided with the scammer!

        Unbelievable I know but that's Paypal for you and I now understand
        why PaypalSucks.com has over 8,000 members!

        I'm just glad that it wasn't something like 10 grand I lost otherwise
        I would have to be hiring some mercenaries to go get the guy lol.

        Like some people said above this was an expensive lesson but
        a helpful lesson none the less!

        Will
        Even if paypal ended this in your side, the scrammers account mostly won't have funds for the reversal so you end up with nothing both ways.

        Your best bet is just to make use of this bad experience in future deals and never look back.
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        • Profile picture of the author andy moore
          Hey Will,

          I was recently ripped off $100 for a so-called Solo Ad from someone who said he was on here.

          Like a sucker and new to Solo Ads, I gave him $100 by CC through Paypal and waited for my millions to roll in. Never heard from him again.

          After four days of trying to contact him through Skype and emails, nothing!

          So I opened up a complaint with Paypal - not phone - and went through the claim process. I expected nothing back but just went through the motions anyway.

          During a week I kept hearing from Paypal saying they were looking into it. Then suddenly they told me they had found in my favor and were returning the $100 to the CC I had paid with.

          I was gobsmacked and very, very pleased. To me it was a complete bonus as I didn't expect to hear anything again let alone see the money. So in my case, I am impressed with Paypal and the recovery program.

          Whilst I am very sorry about your situation and completely empathize, it is a lesson for all of us to conduct due dilligence before splashing out money on 'empty' promises.

          I can tell you that I have learned so much from that experience and will do my best to prevent it happening again.

          Best Wishes to you I wish you every success.
          Andy Moore
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      • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
        Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

        In my defense it was very late at the time and I tiredly thought I was
        getting a good deal and didn't want to miss out. Yes it was dumb.. but
        I fell for a scam.

        My fault? Nope I would say the scammer is at fault for, well, scamming.

        As an update, well I never got my money back despite emailing
        Paypal several times. Flippa said that they would provide Paypal
        any information that they needed but trying to get a helpful
        response out of Paypal is impossible.

        I tried opening a dispute and gave Paypal all the information I
        had plus I told them that Flippa were on my side and gave them
        Flippas details but guess what.. Paypal still sided with the scammer!

        Unbelievable I know but that's Paypal for you and I now understand
        why PaypalSucks.com has over 8,000 members!

        I'm just glad that it wasn't something like 10 grand I lost otherwise
        I would have to be hiring some mercenaries to go get the guy lol.

        Like some people said above this was an expensive lesson but
        a helpful lesson none the less!

        Will
        Your greed got you into this, and now you're expecting PayPal to bail you out. Why? What happened to you isn't much different than the guy who buys a fake Rolex on the street corner for the unbelievable low price of $400...

        PP did just what you asked them to - took your money and gave it to the seller. They're not your nanny, they're not the internet nanny. They're not the police. They didn't "side" with the person who took your money dishonestly. It's not up to them to try to get your money back.

        Quit whining on and on about PayPal. Would have been no different had you used Western Union or any other money transmitter.
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        • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
          Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

          Your greed got you into this, and now you're expecting PayPal to bail you out. Why? What happened to you isn't much different than the guy who buys a fake Rolex on the street corner for the unbelievable low price of $400...

          PP did just what you asked them to - took your money and gave it to the seller. They're not your nanny, they're not the internet nanny. They're not the police. They didn't "side" with the person who took your money dishonestly. It's not up to them to try to get your money back.

          Quit whining on and on about PayPal. Would have been no different had you used Western Union or any other money transmitter.
          No need to be rude.



          PS: Thanks to everyone who were helpful but this happened a
          while ago now and I'm not trying to get the money back anymore.

          Will
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          • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
            Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

            No need to be rude.



            PS: Thanks to everyone who were helpful but this happened a
            while ago now and I'm not trying to get the money back anymore.

            Will
            Will, I'm not being rude. I'm being perfectly honest. You continue to blame PP for something they had nothing to do with and no responsibility to get involved with.

            There's nothing wrong with trying to get your money back from someone who took it dishonestly - but you were trying to get it back from the wrong party, and complaining when they wouldn't give in to your requests.
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            • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
              Originally Posted by SteveJohnson View Post

              Will, I'm not being rude. I'm being perfectly honest. You continue to blame PP for something they had nothing to do with and no responsibility to get involved with.

              There's nothing wrong with trying to get your money back from someone who took it dishonestly - but you were trying to get it back from the wrong party, and complaining when they wouldn't give in to your requests.
              Steve, to end the thread. Yes I'm a bit annoyed at PayPal for siding
              with a scammer.

              Did I say it was PayPals fault? NO.

              Am I over it. Yes, it wasn't me who brought this thread up a
              month later.

              Will
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              • Profile picture of the author Kay King
                YES, you did say again it was paypal's fault. You claim the company "sided" with the seller - and that's not the case at all. That you can't see that is disturbing.

                Just because the TOS are there that doesn't mean they are set
                in stone. There are many companies that will break the rules
                and help their customers if it's the right thing to do.
                And I've known paypal to reverse on several occasions when the product was digital and the funds could be recovered. If the funds are gone - paypal is not going to take the loss for you.

                The reason people are still arguing with you is because you have been determined from the subject line of this thread to place blame on Paypal - and it is not deserved in this case. Clearly you don't get it - but perhaps others reading this thread will.

                kay
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                • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
                  Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                  YES, you did say again it was paypal's fault. You claim the company "sided" with the seller - and that's not the case at all. That you can't see that is disturbing.



                  And I've known paypal to reverse on several occasions when the product was digital and the funds could be recovered. If the funds are gone - paypal is not going to take the loss for you.

                  The reason people are still arguing with you is because you have been determined from the subject line of this thread to place blame on Paypal - and it is not deserved in this case. Clearly you don't get it - but perhaps others reading this thread will.

                  kay
                  The only people arguing with me are you and Steve.

                  I'm not going to argue with you anymore because there is
                  absolutely no point.

                  I don't hate PayPal and I still use them. I'm just disappointed that
                  they decided to side with and protect a scammer that I know for
                  sure had other disputes against him and was likely being
                  investigated.

                  Please stop being rude and saying you "find it disturbing" about
                  me. I came to the Warrior Forum for help on the subject and
                  thankfully there were some Warriors who gave some
                  helpful responses.

                  But then there are a few Trolls that just want to come and stir
                  things up and argue.

                  To all the helpful Warriors I believe I left a thanks.

                  Will
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                  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
                    [QUOTE]But then there are a few Trolls that just want to come and stir
                    things up and argue.

                    Right - we're just out to get you. Apparently your definition of "troll" is anyone who tells you facts you don't want to hear. Whatever...
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                    Helping Both Ends of the Leash
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                    • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
                      [quote=Kay King;4906007]
                      But then there are a few Trolls that just want to come and stir
                      things up and argue.

                      Right - we're just out to get you. Apparently your definition of "troll" is anyone who tells you facts you don't want to hear. Whatever...
                      You haven't told me any facts, all you've done is
                      come to a thread where I asked for help and shown
                      your appreciation for PayPal.

                      There's giving your opinion and then there's stirring.

                      You just seem to be stirring and wont let it drop
                      which is what I'd consider trolling..
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                  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
                    Originally Posted by Amitywill View Post

                    The only people arguing with me are you and Steve.
                    Maybe because we see it's useless to tell you anything you don't want to hear... and gave up on participating in this thread. (Till now)

                    Your thread title was/is biased. And despite the many advice and facts in the replies - you don't want to admit it.

                    It has been suggested several times to start a dispute. You kept telling us about your phone calls... and never said whether you started a dispute or not.
                    Phoning them and starting a dispute in the proper channel is not the same.

                    You would like that a company "bend" the rules (TOS) if that is advantageous for you. Otherwise you'd, probably, hate their 'flexibility'.

                    Even if a moron resurrected this thread after a month - why did you feel you must reply to it?


                    Let it go...
                    Signature

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                    • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
                      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

                      Your thread title was/is biased.
                      Istvan, I'm not the BBC so I don't have to be unbiased. :rolleyes:

                      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

                      You would like that a company "bend" the rules (TOS) if that is advantageous for you. Otherwise you'd, probably, hate their 'flexibility'.
                      Would I? Please don't speak for me.

                      And if you had actually read the thread you would see that I
                      said I did raise a dispute and PayPal still sided with the scammer.

                      It's not me that brought this thread back up so why don't
                      you let it go..
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                      • Profile picture of the author Holiday Car Hire
                        Rather stange that you were scammed Will! I have tried to get a refund from Paypal for a service you did not provide but unfortunately the 45 day limit has expired and you have refused to answer my and many other warriors requests for answers by email pms etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul200
    Really sorry to hear that you got scammed. When you are buying domains always ask the seller to quickly change the whois on them so that you know they own and have access to it. I do the same if I am going to buy a site or a domain name. I allways ask the seller to make some changes or upload a file to the site or whois. Hope this helps you from getting scammed again
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  • Profile picture of the author cldnails
    Unfortunately I've been down this same road, not long after Flippa initially launched. However, for $600, it's just not worth fighting, just some stupid tax paid and a lesson learned. From now forward use an escrow services, I personally like escrow.com and have had nothing but positive things to say about them.

    PayPal does not care about digital items or online real estate. I am very sorry you were scammed, trust me, I know, I've been there.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jon Patrick
      Originally Posted by tpw

      Do take a look at the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | File a Complaint).

      I was reading their documentation recently, and I think I recall that they work with other governments around the world to handle online fraud complaints.
      The United States government also has treaties with many countries which require cooperation between our respective law enforcement agencies in the event of a cross-border crime. OP, how much information do you have about the person who stole your money? If it's enough for law enforcement to be able to track them down, you need to file a police report with your local PD as soon as possible. There are channels in place specifically for the purpose of dealing with situations like this, and your scammer will end up receiving a not-so-friendly visit from his local police as a result of what he did to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I tried opening a dispute and gave Paypal all the information I
      had plus I told them that Flippa were on my side and gave them
      Flippas details but guess what.. Paypal still sided with the scammer!
      A month later and you are still blaming paypal. Makes no sense to me.

      Flippa can be on your "side" - because Flippa doesn't have to give your money back. They allowed a scammer to operate on their site, didn't they? Yet you don't blame Flippa.

      Paypal tells you up front that digital purchases are not guaranteed - but you went ahead. Sometimes Paypal can and does reverse such a transaction but there is no guarantee of that. Paypal did not "side" with a scammer - just followed its own TOS.

      You sent cash rather than using a credit card which might have provided some level of protection.

      Advice to use an escrow service is given whenever Flippa is mentioned - but you chose not to do that.

      Did you get scammed? Yes, you did and that's unfortunate.

      Paypal doesn't have your money - the scammer does. If Paypal has no way to recover the money (i.e., from money in scammer's account) they aren't going to take a $600 loss for you.

      kay
      Signature
      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      ***
      Helping Both Ends of the Leash
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      • Profile picture of the author Amitywill
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        A month later and you are still blaming paypal. Makes no sense to me.

        Flippa can be on your "side" - because Flippa doesn't have to give your money back. They allowed a scammer to operate on their site, didn't they? Yet you don't blame Flippa.

        Paypal tells you up front that digital purchases are not guaranteed - but you went ahead. Sometimes Paypal can and does reverse such a transaction but there is no guarantee of that. Paypal did not "side" with a scammer - just followed its own TOS.

        You sent cash rather than using a credit card which might have provided some level of protection.

        Advice to use an escrow service is given whenever Flippa is mentioned - but you chose not to do that.

        Did you get scammed? Yes, you did and that's unfortunate.

        Paypal doesn't have your money - the scammer does. If Paypal has no way to recover the money (i.e., from money in scammer's account) they aren't going to take a $600 loss for you.

        kay
        Kay I'm over it. Yes this happened over a month ago but I
        didn't bring this thread back up did I.

        And yes I was pissed off with PayPal because over the years
        they've probably made several thousand dollars off of me
        in past transactions yet when I ask them for help and have
        proof I was scammed they refused to help. So in that sense
        yes I blame PayPal for siding with a scammer over a longterm
        "should be" valued customer.

        Just because the TOS are there that doesn't mean they are set
        in stone. There are many companies that will break the rules
        and help their customers if it's the right thing to do.

        Do you treat your customers like this, Kay?

        Because if you're taking customer service tips from PayPal then
        remind me to never buy anything from you.

        Will
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  • Profile picture of the author Billy Levin
    Pro tip: Don't buy sites when sellers don't accept Escrow payment.
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