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Paypal is one of the most popular electronic payment gateways in the world. It has millions of users across the globe and it makes sending and receiving money online very easy. However, there are scammers out there who use the platform to fool unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money.

Here are some tips that would help you avoid PayPal scams:

How to Avoid PayPal Scam

1. Beware when dealing with unknown parties

PayPal is a fantastic resource for sending and receiving money online. But if you’re not dealing with someone familiar, or at least someone you trust, it’s worth taking extra precautions before sending any funds.

PayPal offers protection against fraud when you use its services for payments that are made to an unknown party. They’ll cover your loss of up to $200 if the recipient doesn’t send your item or deliver the service they promised when they accepted payment from you through PayPal.

2. Always check the payment status

If you’re a buyer, always check your payment status. If it says that the payment has been cleared, then your money is on its way to the seller.

If you’re a seller, make sure that all payments have been received before dispatching goods. If there are problems with the payment and customer service isn’t available (because it’s nighttime), contact PayPal customer services as soon as possible if you can’t solve it yourself.

3. Don’t send money to a stranger

PayPal does not recommend sending money to people you do not know. If you receive a request for money, always consider the following first:

• Is the email from PayPal?
• Does the email contain any suspicious language or content?
• Does the email request information from me that I would never normally provide in an email?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, PayPal recommends using one of two options:

• Use the goods and services option if your payment is due to goods or services
• Use purchase protection if it is not related to goods or services

4. Avoid No-Name sellers to Avoid PayPal Scam

As you are browsing online, be aware of the following:

• The email address is from a domain that does not match the name of the company or seller. For example, if you’re buying from eBay and your seller has an email address with “eBay” in it, beware! This could be a sign of a scammer.
• The website’s URL does not match the company name or product being sold. Again, this is another oft-repeated red flag for scammers who want to hide their true identities behind fake websites and emails. If you see something like “[email protected],” it’s probably safe to assume that something shady is going on here!
• The physical address used by these scammers doesn’t exist at all (i.e., they’ve made it up), or there are several other addresses located nearby that do exist but have no relationship whatsoever to what might be happening with these particular scammers’ operations — especially if those operations involve selling something online through PayPal as opposed to conducting other types of fraud/illegal activity directly under someone else’s nose using their own credit card account instead–which would likely also include legal consequences when found out unless they had someone else willing enough to take responsibility for them which makes me wonder… why would anyone do that? Hmmm…

5. Don’t use Paypal Friends and Family option

If you’re selling something on eBay, for example, it’s best to use the Paypal Goods and Services option. This is because the Paypal family and friends option isn’t protected by Paypal. If someone decides they don’t want to pay or decide not to return an item after receiving it, then there’s nothing that can be done about it.

However, if you have used a buyer protection plan with their payment method (the PayPal goods and services option), then they are required to go through that process first before trying anything else.

Related: How to Report PayPal Scam

6. Use PayPal safely and ensure you take precautions when using it.

• Make sure you have the latest version of the PayPal app. This is important because it’s the only way to ensure that your information is protected.
• Check the URL. If you ever receive a link from a PayPal email, make sure it begins with https://www., which means that it’s secure and encrypted, so nobody else can see what you’re doing online unless they have access to your device or phone.
• Check who sent the email – if someone you know has sent an email from their personal account instead of their work account (for example), then something may be off!
• It’s best to call them up or check through other emails sent by them before proceeding further with any transaction using PayPal or anything else in general because this could mean trouble down the road when dealing with credit cards and banks if there was ever fraud committed against them on behalf of someone else using your details inappropriately during some sort of criminal activity taking place within one’s home without knowledge until after the damage was done.”

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps you to Avoid PayPal Scam, Keep your eyes open and your head up, and always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

More: Paypal Cofounders: Who Are The PayPal Founders and What Is Their Net Worth?