Criminal operators of fake shops have recently started using the Paypal payment function “send money to a friend,” warn the Hamburg police and the Hamburg consumer advice center. With this payment method, buyer protection is bypassed and monies paid cannot be reclaimed. Several affected consumers have contacted the Hamburg consumer advice center in recent weeks.
Paypal trap in the fake shop
If payment is offered via a Paypal link in fake shops, the redirection to the payment service provider is usually configured so that the purchase amount and the “Send money to a friend” option are preset. “If you don’t check everything carefully during the payment process and transfer money using this function, you’ll never see it again,” warns Julia Rehberg from the Hamburg Consumer Center.
According to Rehberg, consumers often classify paying with Paypal as safe because of the so-called buyer protection. But sometimes they are wrong. The payment service provider's buyer protection only applies to the Paypal payment function "Goods and Services", which allows you to claim money back in the event of problems. With the “Friends and Family” option, however, Paypal buyer protection does not apply. Criminal fraudsters take advantage of this fact.
Also be careful with Paypal payments
“Many people are now more cautious when shopping online and refrain from ordering if they can only pay by credit card or in advance,” reports consumer advocate Rehberg. With these two payment methods, which are most commonly used in fake online shops, the amount paid cannot be easily refunded if the goods are not delivered.
In order to avoid fraud when making payments via Paypal, consumers should generally ensure that they do not transfer money as personal “payments to friends and family”, but rather actually “pay for items or services”. The respective payment function is indicated by Paypal or can be identified by a gift symbol for the “friends and family” recipient group.
Don't fall for questionable online shops
It happens again and again that goods are only offered on websites as an illusion and are not subsequently delivered. The Hamburg consumer advice center regularly publishes the URLs of questionable online shops on its website and provides useful information about online orders.
Anyone who suspects they have become a victim of fraud should contact the police immediately. The Hamburg police have provided interesting information about crimes on the Internet and tips for filing a report on their homepage.
Source:
VZHH
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