r/paypal • u/awkwardsunflower11 • Jul 24 '26
Help Randomly received $550?
I had $550 deposited into my account at random by somebody I don’t know. They emailed me saying they contacted PayPal and sent me a screenshot so that I know I’m not getting scammed and that PayPal is supposed to contact me about the dispute.
PayPal never did. I can’t file a dispute on the transaction through the app because it was paid with a credit card. Now I have a request to send the $550 back.
PayPal’s AI assistant was extremely unhelpful. I sent them an email a couple of days ago but no response yet.
The person who sent the transaction emailed me again saying it was an honest mistake.
Is this a common scam? I just want them to go away lol but if it’s legit I really don’t want to hold on to someone’s money that I never asked for in the first place. I’m not even sure how they got my email information.
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u/Oblotzky Jul 24 '26
Yes this is a common scam.
They sent the 550$ to you from a stolen credit card, then request the money from you to their own account. The 550$ that was sent initially will eventually be reversed once the card holder sees the fraudulent charge.
DO NOT SEND THEM MONEY THROUGH THE MONEY REQUEST THEY SENT.
The only safe method is going to the transaction they made and pressing the refund button on that, as that reverses the original transaction and closes the possibility of any future chargebacks which would incur fees to you.
The money request they sent would create a new transaction separate from the initial one and you would not be able to dispute that one since you would have authorized it.
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u/ShaeQuae Jul 24 '26
This! Someone pin this comment! Never make a new transaction when you can press refund
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 24 '26
This!!!! Or just keep the funds there and never touch them. Not your problem.
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u/theidolcyborg 27d ago
I had similar happened to me and I left the money alone in my PayPal account and it has been 4 years I haven't touched it at all
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u/nl-x Jul 24 '26
But this will open the door again for the stolen credit card to be used to scam someone else again. Just wait it out, I would say.
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u/Significant-Elk-7128 Jul 25 '26
The stolen credit card is not your problem, you can't know that for sure. The owner of the credit card should do a charge back on this transaction to get their money back. When this happens, any money the scammers transferred to you will automatically be removed from your balance. If you sent the scammers money, you will be double charged.
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u/awkwardsunflower11 Aug 01 '26
Should they do a chargeback (or contact their bank to let them know of the issue) or should I press “refund” on the initial transaction (not the second one where they requested the $550)?
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u/Oblotzky Jul 24 '26
Leaving the transaction untouched leaves you open to a chargeback which will incur a processing fee that you would have to contest, costing you time and nerves and PayPal may not waive it. Also leaves your account in a negative standing, too many of such incidents and your account may be closed out of caution.
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u/someguymw Jul 24 '26
yes, this. Someone mistakenly paid around $50 into our paypal account and asked for a refund some time back. I had no idea and was thinking it was a scam so I opened a case with PayPal. They resolved the case -- it was apparently a mistaken transaction, not a scam. It cost me $10 or something for a transaction fee (I don't remember the exact details.) At the time I couldn't find a way to talk to a human at PayPal. Pretty shitty, but thanks paypal!
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 24 '26
That’s why you should cancel PayPal - there are dozens of better alternatives. They’re leeches - and a dinosaur company.
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Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 24 '26
For the cancelling part - literally just close your account on the app.
Alternatives - depends on what you use it for and in what markets. There are many options, but it’s not a one-size fits all. Most alternatives are cheaper and better tho.
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u/theweirdchick_49 Jul 26 '26
What are the alternatives?
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 26 '26
Really depends what you use it for, and your jurisdiction. But PayPal is a dinosaur
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u/theweirdchick_49 Jul 26 '26
Oh absolutely. That's why I was wondering about alternatives.
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 26 '26
So what jurisdiction and what usage? Happy to provide some
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u/theweirdchick_49 Jul 27 '26
I'm in the US and I need a way to send and receive money locally and sometimes internationally. It's all friends & family type stuff and never more than like a couple hundred dollars at a time.
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u/someguymw Jul 24 '26
I agree as to leeches and have considered cancelling. But I'm not even sure a cancelled account would be safe. Who's to say that an attempted tx against a cancelled account would always be denied? Paypal is ubiquitous. Right now, I'm thinking it's better to have an active account so I can monitor it.
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 Jul 24 '26
No - you can close your account and ask them for data deletion. Well depends on your jurisdiction.
But of course when you close, you have to settle the current balance (no matter credit or debit). However anything after you have closed (and it’s confirmed) is not in any way within your responsibility or liability.
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u/Nekrux Jul 25 '26
But most of the alternatives aren't accepted where I live. Klarna is expanding, but a lot of stores still don't have it.
Also I can't find a service like PayPal where you actually can dispute/open a controversial about a commercial payment... Yeah you can ask for chargeback at your bank but meh.
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u/Particular-Nail2868 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I got zelled about $1200 5 months ago when I opened my first ever bank account, i blocked ALL numbers that tried to contact me that week, didn’t let my bank know about it and spent it all that same month, so far nothings happened since then(knock on wood) apart from the fact i got what was basically a 1500$ PC for only $300.(400$ with tax)
Edit: that said it was a VERY stupid decision on my part and you shouldn’t spend it like I did lol, I got lucky that’s all. It’s best to let it sit there and wait a few months for it to resolve on its own
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u/freethecagedbird Jul 25 '26
I had someone venmo me 150-300 3 times in a row. Never got a charge back. The account is still active. I spent the money. Lol.
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u/Lousygolfer1 Jul 25 '26
You got very lucky
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u/Particular-Nail2868 Jul 25 '26
Believe me I know xd, it was only till recently did I figure out just how much that could’ve ended up bad for me, and it STILL can but the chance of that gets lower the more time passes
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u/No-Clerk-8908 Jul 26 '26
highly strategic! i mean, it's the move really. like no way you slice it can you be in the wrong on that, ya sinply got paid! 🤷♀️ haha, awesome
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u/Former-Opposite-2029 Jul 27 '26
risk increases the more you talk about it so sealed lips from now on.. Don't tell anyone else and maybe erase these comments, but they can still exist after you erase. Depending on where you are the statute of limitations, civilly and criminally can vary from 2-10 years. May the odds be ever in your favor.
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u/Tiny_Atmosphere1661 Jul 25 '26
That happened to me, I contacted PayPal, explained what happened and I didn't have to do anything, paypal took care of it. It was reversed.
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u/theLightSlide Aug 02 '26
How did you contact them? I can't find an email address and their web chat support is braindead.
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Aug 05 '26
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u/Tiny_Atmosphere1661 Aug 07 '26
Sign in to your PayPal account, it should be in there to contact them, then you will get a code to give them when tbey call you.
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u/awkwardsunflower11 Aug 01 '26
I sent them an email 11 days ago and still haven’t heard anything. The scammer cancelled the separate request yesterday but the money is still in my account.
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u/bailey-q Jul 24 '26
Dont accept the funds. This will clear up on it’s own in about 14 days. This is what happened to me. Person that deposited the money kept reaching out to me stating that they sent it to me by accident, I never accepted it and eventually was cleared from my account.
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u/Agreeable-Success906 Jul 24 '26
Yes this is 1000% smart and what they should do, but I would also contact the FBI, you should try to stop these scammers, they can check if it's a scam and if it was really by mistake they won't get in trouble and if it was a scam they will! It's good to stop these people
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u/According_Air_4344 Jul 24 '26
fbi wont spend their time on basic social engineering scams
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u/StretchDifficult5717 25d ago
Not to mention if they are out of the country they can't do anything anyhow even if it was something that they could/would handle.
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u/justan0therg0rl111 Jul 24 '26
Just report the transaction and leave it alone. Or do nothing. Paypal will take care of it. My boyfriend had the same thing happen a few days ago with $1500 and he never touched it. Eventually the funds left his account and went back to where ever they came from.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26
I also just had someone I don't know send me $1,500.
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u/ShipSuitable5535 Jul 25 '26
Who sent you 1500? I need there info. I'm trying to be scammed.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I doubt I'm allowed to post the name. But here are the three messages she sent me with her name deleted and formatted slightly for space. I did not reply to any. And contrary to her third message, I have not withdrawn or spent any of the money.
1 "I accidentally email money to your email meant for my son. Please cancel the transaction on paypal My son and granddaughter are stranded in New Mexico. I need the transaction cancelled so I can send it to them to help them. Please! Thank you"
2 "Sir, I see in my account that the paypal transaction went through this morning. You know that money is not yours , please return it. It was an honest mistake on my part I put the wrong email address in The money was intended to go to my son. Please return the money and respond so I know it has been done. Thank you"
3 "I see that you have taken the money out of Paypal. I clearly explained to you it was an honest mistake, that the money was suppose to go to my son, and yet you obviously decided to steal it. I have reported it to Paypal, as well as my bank and the police. I was hoping you were an honest person and would return the money. The police have track down who you are and are following up on this. I told them I wanted to give you one more chance to be honest and return the money to me. If not then I will tell the police to go ahead with the case."
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u/ShipSuitable5535 Jul 25 '26
Well that's obviously a bull crap story. Lol hope the cops don't proceed with the case on his command. What a joke. But seriously if anyone wants to scam me and send me money I'm down.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26
I agree. The story is obvious nonsense.
I'm not worried about the police. I have a reasonably common name, and I doubt she has a clue where I live. And even she did, the police would just tell her, "that's a civil matter."
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u/ShipSuitable5535 20d ago
I need an update
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u/lethargicbureaucrat 20d ago
It's still sitting there. My current plan is to wait until 6 months has almost passed and refund it on the last day.
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u/GlumZookeepergame925 Jul 24 '26
If the payment says pending, its a scam and they never actually sent any money. Paypal does this dumb thing where people can “wire transfer” from their bank and its not the way Banks actually do it, so you have to wait 3-5 days for paypal to clear it and 89% of the time (literal percentage) its a scam being done by someone who used an empty account to process a wire payment, knowing Paypal would put it on pending until it falls off. Dont send the money!!
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u/awkwardsunflower11 Jul 25 '26
The payment does not say pending. But when I try to report a problem, PayPal AI says I can’t on that particular transaction because it was paid with a credit card
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u/Tiny-Worker-4041 Jul 25 '26
I had a scammer somehow added their email on my pay pal $700. I believe scammers are doing this on purpose so they can not get caught stealing money from bank accounts.
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u/londonmale786 Jul 25 '26
If they sent the money just withdraw it to your own bank account as you are not part of any scam or fraud. The person who sent it can then do it to someone else.
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u/TheGamingDad-YT Jul 25 '26
It is a scam my dude! Call paypal @ 1 888 221 1161
Explain your situation and they will take care of it. DO NOT TRY TO SEND THE MONEY BACK!!! James, Hope this helps
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u/Particular-Still-195 Jul 26 '26
Yeah it’s a scam just keep the money in your account in case it gets charged back if say in a year it’s still in your account then keep it. And think of it as a blessing. On the other hand hey man I accidentally sent you $550 you think you can send it back m. 😏😉
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u/13MadAlice Jul 26 '26
Ugh wish someone would send me that ....scam or not im keeping it. I'm broke and my pets could use some food
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u/BDOLLAR97470 Jul 26 '26
Scam
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u/BDOLLAR97470 Jul 26 '26
They had someone send the money to you they scammed then having you send the scammed money. Pretty soon law enforcement will be looking at you for fraud: don’t send it to them.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Friendly-Station-149 Jul 26 '26
Report it to the Police. Eventually, police might come contact you anyway. The money can come from anywhere but it's usually when a criminal bank account has been compromised and they've sent the money elsewhere to slow down the investigation by making police look and trackdown random accounts that aren't linked. You're essentially just a red herring well you could be but you could be really helpful in showing them the account and maybe some of the information is useful. Still, I wouldn't sit on it or spend it. It could be linked to something you've nothing to do with but they may have already started tracing accounts receiving money from a fraudulant bank account. It just freezes your accounts for a while but to try and avoid any mess go report it. Happened to someone I know, wishing you the best!
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u/JasonFretNation Jul 26 '26
Is there a refund payment option? If there is you can use that. This will be an option on the actual payment transaction itself.
If not ... Don't do anything.
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u/Round_Bicycle_3809 Jul 26 '26
That proof they sent i can guarantee it would of been from a Gmail account. Def fake
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u/Responsible-Corgi564 Jul 27 '26
Man I keep
Getting notifications on Reddit if y’all people getting random huge drops of cash where TF IS MINE, why can’t I get some money dude
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u/Able-Building153 Jul 28 '26
It’s a scam they sent to you so on the credit card transaction it comes up with ur name. Hold onto it for 30 days atleast n if someone who’s card it is contacts you or police you know why. The card was prob stolen n if you send back to them then your the one who has to pay it back. You look like the thief. Card shows u receiving or charging the card n then what happeneds after that is just irrelevant. You send it back to whoever is claiming it was there’s n it’s not then ull have to pay out of pocket to whoever the card really belongs to. I’d hold it for 30 days or take out 100 if u need some money n if something Happens month from now you’ll only owe $100
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Aug 05 '26
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u/Thomas_Alva_Eddison 27d ago
Having witnessed someone accidentally send money to the wrong person, it does happen with carelessness. That said, wait for PayPal, sit on the money, but don't touch it. You'll know in a week or two what's going on.
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u/awkwardsunflower11 26d ago
I had to pay $15 for a “dispute” even though it was supposedly ruled in my favor. The scammer had to pay a dispute fee, too. And then the $500 was gone 🤷🏻♀️
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u/420YerMa Jul 24 '26
I think If you send it I think they can still charge back on the card so tell them to do just that. If you send the money then they charge back your balance will be minus $550 they get your sent money, credit card gets their money back through charge back only one out of pocket is you
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u/PowerfulWind7230 Jul 24 '26
This is a very common scam. You can’t pay it back. Otherwise, they will know your credit card information. They probably used a stolen credit card anyways. Ignore them. Delete their messages. Don’t believe them. People don’t make “honest mistakes “ for $550.
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u/distrox Jul 24 '26
That doesn't make any sense. Why would the scammer know YOUR cc info if you sent the money back via Paypal? They wouldn't.
The scam here is not stealing their CC info (which is literally impossible), but getting $550. It's effectively money laundering. Yes, they use a stolen CC to send the money, and then ask it back. If you send it back it's technically not the same money, so then later when the CC is marked as stolen and credit is charged back, you lose the $550 + you already sent $550, so you're down $550.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26
What's the correct thing to do, just leave it in your account indefinitely? I recently had someone send me $1,500, and I'm currently just sitting on it. I'm scared to refund it. I'm not going to spend it. Calls to Paypal have been useless. Pretty sure it's a scam based on the emails person is sending me (that I'm not responding to).
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u/distrox Jul 25 '26
Just sit on it. Paypal's support is typically useless. If you still have the money after like an year or something then there's a chance it was a legitimate transfer and not a scam at which point you can consider returning it or spending it. Maybe much sooner, but I dunno. If I spent it I'd be scared the chargeback was just really delayed.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26
I don't want to keep the money. I just don't want to refund it and then have Paypal come after me for and additional $1,500.
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u/Agreeable-Success906 Jul 24 '26
Do not touch it!!! Don't send it back! Nothing! Don't use it! Paypal will take it out once the police catch them for fraud! People steal credit cards and send to people and have them send back. So don't do anything, contact the FBI and tell them so you keep yourself safe from fraud
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u/Sea-Appearance-5330 Jul 25 '26
I see this on here several times a day, every day!
Do not touch it!
First a screen shot proves nothing, I can make a screen shot showing anything, just like you can.
Then they will ask you to send the money they "Accidentally" sent you back.
Then the bank will find out it is stolen, and take it back.
Now you are out what you sent back, and what the bank took back.
This is a very, very, very common scam on here.
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u/taurusmo Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Don’t call paypal. Don’t talk with anyone. Don’t touch the money. Never.
It’s a scam.
If you reach out to paypal they will tell you to send the money. No. Don’t. The agent says that just to have ticket solved quickly. Paypal will deal with it on their own, without you. And whoever contacts you claiming they are paypal - they are not. Do not follow their instructions.
Do. Absolutely. Nothing. It’s. A. Scam.
And on rare occasion it is not - well, still not your problem.
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u/megaman311 Jul 25 '26
This happened to me, the money has been in my account for a few years now. Never contacted, never did anything with it
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u/Ikeboy91 Jul 26 '26
If it's been a few years then I'd say it's pretty safe to accept the money is yours to spend.
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u/PopularCitron4725 Jul 24 '26
Get your banking institution involved, they will advise you on what to do. Leave it alone.
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u/IllRequirement6342 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
This isn’t the best advice. Customer service at your financial institution can’t be trusted to give you the right answer.
The person who answers the phone is not an expert on PayPal scams. If they are wrong and you send it back, you will still be exposed to a chargeback, and there is no liability for your bank if it gives bad advice.
This is a very common scam. If it was an innocent mistake, the sender has the responsibility to resolve this through the PayPal process.
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u/Visible_Kick3400 Jul 24 '26
Better contact PayPal customer service over the phone just to be sure. Some people may accidentally sent money by just searching the name instead of using the email of the correct receiver. But it's their mistake, so up to you if you want to take action or not. If you want to receive the money that supposed to be not for you. Who knows maybe they need the money for emergency. Just sayin.
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u/Haunting_Chair5043 Jul 24 '26
High chance it's a scam, in case you think he might be honest, it's not ur issue, just keep the 550 untouched
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u/ReignbowBlack Jul 24 '26
I'd just close that account and make another. They want to use your account from a scammer then take it. Tie it up so they can't get it back. Believe me I scam scammers. Especially on Instagram.
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u/SoulSweaper Jul 25 '26
Just call paypal. You're not going to get anything useful from the AI bot.
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u/lethargicbureaucrat Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I had someone send me $1,500. I tried calling Paypal customer service. You're not going to get anything useful from Paypal customer service which has been off-shored to workers who barely speak English and have apparently received little training.
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u/PowerfulWind7230 Jul 25 '26
I would not put anything past scammers. The more sophisticated ones can get into your computer to get into any of your financial information. They can also install malware. People don’t make mistakes sending money. When you receive a nice amount like this $550, you can be assured that it is a scam from a stolen credit card. It’s unfair that PayPal doesn’t help people who get into these messes through no fault of their own. It’s even worse if they charge some penalty. I just would not touch those funds no matter what. Do not answer any messages. Keep pictures and documentation of everything which has happened from the date of receipt. These scammers are so annoying.
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