I've been scammed. What should I do?

[bluewalker849]

I made my second online exchange on Reddit and was scammed a few hundred dollars. All I want is my money back.

Here's the story

The guy that scammed me was clever. He used an aged Reddit account and talked in a clueless foreign manner which made me allow behavior I otherwise would not allow. I decided to go first in this trade and sent my payment to his PayPal. My payment was declined multiple times to several of his PayPal accounts. I thought the problem was coming from my end. After several more payment attempts, I told him that this seems fishy and I won't be going first. He responds by reporting me and causing a ruckus. Witnessing this, I thought to myself, "A scammer wouldn't report me and cause a ruckus.". As such, I decided to resume the trade. Finally, he gave me his "real" PayPal and my payment finally went through. After sending my payment, I wait for him to send me the digital item I bought. 5 minutes pass. Nothing. 20 minutes pass. He deleted all his Reddit posts and leaves me in the dark.

What I discovered after researching the scammer

I decided to perform research on the person that scammed me and discovered many things. The first thing I found was several of his Steam accounts which were all banned. The second thing I found was countless angry reviews posted on his steam profiles from gamers who've all been scammed by him. The third thing I surprisingly found was his official Steam and Reddit account. There were many personal things on his Reddit account. One thing I was found his professional resume.

What Should I do?

Keep in mind the Reddit account I used to make this trade has my real name, university, and location tied to it. All I want is my money back. What should I do?

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

Dispute the deal in PP for starters.

 

[JavascriptPufferfish]

how much did you send him? open a dispute with Paypal ASAP.

 

[vigyavan]

Open a dispute on paypal and get your money back if not sent by friends and family.

 

[FatBee]

So you speaking about a Knife, CSGO? Yes?

Nothing. You can do nothing beside bank chragback,.

 

[bluewalker849]

Dispute the deal in PP for starters.

I sent my payment through F&F unfortunately. However, since I paid via credit card, I am considering making a chargeback

 

[bluewalker849]

So you speaking about a Knife, CSGO? Yes?

Nothing. You can do nothing beside bank chragback,.

I bought crypto.

 

[FatBee]

I bought crypto.

LOL, even worse.

 

[Fussganger]

I decided to perform research on the person that scammed me and discovered many things. The first thing I found was several of his Steam accounts which were all banned. The second thing I found was countless angry reviews posted on his steam profiles from gamers who've all been scammed by him. The third thing I surprisingly found was his official Steam and Reddit account. There were many personal things on his Reddit account. One thing I was found his professional resume.

You might wanna do this first before you purchase anything in the future.

Paypal dispute is the only option.. unless you sent him via "Friends&Family" - If yes, then forget about the money and move on.

 

[SirSmash]

I sent my payment through F&F unfortunately. However, since I paid via credit card, I am considering making a chargeback

Sounds like you already know the answer to your question.

The only issue being PayPal is going to try and fight it as you sent F&F, and claiming something like "unauthorized charge" is going to be a hard ask when PayPal likely sees you using the same IP and cookies every time and now you've suddenly claimed unauthorized. There's a fair chance you might be hosed, as PayPal can give that to your card issuer to decline your chargeback... and they do fight it, because PayPal hates misuse of F&F because they're not getting fees but still paying the merchant percentage when you use a card.

 

[Mrbear88]

you can still dispute the payment if sent via friends and family

 

[Dresden]

I sent my payment through F&F unfortunately. However, since I paid via credit card, I am considering making a chargeback

Do a chargeback on your CC. I don't think PP will be able to help you out since you sent the payment as F&F but it's still worth a try.

 

[bossofthebosses]

After doing everything else others have suggested: u can send a PM containing the links to his social profiles from an anonymous account to all those reviewers/commenters who said they got scammed.

 

[Capo Chino]

I feel the vibe. Back in the days, I tried to purchase a Instagram account via Reddit. I didn't have money on bank account at that time so I pulled out some of my crypto investments.

Eventually, I got scammed and blocked.

I had only the guy's anime-related (apparently) Reddit account and the Instagram account that I wanted to purchase (hiphop related, memes, etc.).

I did the craziest and deepest research of lifetime. Wrote every single note down.

12 hours later, I knew his girlfriend's religion, knew at what time his class will start the next day, and at the end - I sent him a snap to his personal Snapchat account with his photo on my desktop and with my gun placed right next to it. When he responded and realized (he was also shocked about how I got his Snapchat account) that it's me, the guy that he scammed, he asked me a question: "Okay, I see. And what if I don't send you the money back?" to which I responded: "Don't worry about it now, just make sure you're at school tomorrow **school's address and time of the first class**." Guess what? A few minutes later the money came back into my PayPal account.

Sometimes, when nobody can help you, even the officials - you got to take the matter in your own hands. And against people with bad intentions the best way is to out-smart them, out-play them and destroy their confidence so they start fearing for their lives.

P.S. I don't promote violence nor violent behaviour, it's just literally from my personal experience. At the end of the day, I got my money back and that's what matters.

 

[TopEye]

Raise a dispute in PP (mostly it wont end in your favor). Charging back through the card provider should work.

 

[bluewalker849]

Raise a dispute in PP (mostly it wont end in your favor). Charging back through the card provider should work.

If I chargeback through my card provider, would PayPal penalize me?

 

[cryptogodjay]

Do a chargeback on your CC. Thats the only option you have to get your money back. I've done a chargeback from my cc i used on paypal when someone scammed me 2 years ago and paypal didnt do anything to me besides send me an email.

Can I just ask, why are you buying crypto from some dude on reddit? Serious question as im very much into crypto

 

[fasttrak]

I feel the vibe. Back in the days, I tried to purchase a Instagram account via Reddit. I didn't have money on bank account at that time so I pulled out some of my crypto investments.

Eventually, I got scammed and blocked.

I had only the guy's anime-related (apparently) Reddit account and the Instagram account that I wanted to purchase (hiphop related, memes, etc.).

I did the craziest and deepest research of lifetime. Wrote every single note down.

12 hours later, I knew his girlfriend's religion, knew at what time his class will start the next day, and at the end - I sent him a snap to his personal Snapchat account with his photo on my desktop and with my gun placed right next to it. When he responded and realized (he was also shocked about how I got his Snapchat account) that it's me, the guy that he scammed, he asked me a question: "Okay, I see. And what if I don't send you the money back?" to which I responded: "Don't worry about it now, just make sure you're at school tomorrow **school's address and time of the first class**." Guess what? A few minutes later the money came back into my PayPal account.

Sometimes, when nobody can help you, even the officials - you got to take the matter in your own hands. And against people with bad intentions the best way is to out-smart them, out-play them and destroy their confidence so they start fearing for their lives.

P.S. I don't promote violence nor violent behaviour, it's just literally from my personal experience. At the end of the day, I got my money back and that's what matters.

I would like to officially welcome Mr Neeson to BHW, it is nice to have you with us

 

[TopEye]

No. You wont be penalized. Dont worry..

If I chargeback through my card provider, would PayPal penalize me?

 

[SunnyLeon]

At least discredit him on the subreddit, help people avoid his scams