Paypal Take £150 From Friends A/C That He Didn’t Spend?? Can Anyone Help??

[Smowball]

Ok, I have an online friend( like you lot!) who I’ve never met but we met in mutual FB group and have kept in contact daily since, which is about a year. He was made redundant and is currently seeking work, but is very low, and I know struggling.
Yesterday me he’s aged me to say that PayPal have taken £150 from his bank and that his bank(Barclays) aren’t helping. He says they just keep saying he either must have bought something and forgotten and to take it up with PayPal. He hasn’t bought anything, and had tried to spk to PayPal but it’s all automated. He’s tried Barclays several times but can’t get anyone to take him seriously and is getting in a right state. I can’t speak to them as I’m not the account holder, but is there a number, anything that maybe I could speak to someone to at least explain the issue and get them to maybe call him?? Or a number I can give him that will actually listen to him??

[ToraToraTora]

just go into the paypal account and look at the transactions it will tell him all the transactions and what they are for.

[wolf63]

There is a possibility that your friend is actually trying to scam you.

It might be wise to not get involved.

[Smowball]

I e told him to log into his PayPal account, he says he hasn’t used it for years and can’t get into it.
I genuinely don’t think he’s trying to scam me as he hasn’t asked for a thing, and even if he did he wouldn’t get it.

[THECORBYLOON]

If he's forgotten his password, send him this link.

https://www.paypal.com/uk/cshelp/article/ive-forgotten-my-password-how-do-i-reset-it-help143

[Smowball]

Thanks TCL - I’ll give that to him now x

[ToraToraTora]

Has he sold anything that maybe the buyer bought via paypal and then rejected it and a refund issued? This does sound pretty odd to me.

[ToraToraTora]

He'll have to get back into his paypal account, follow their links to reset password etc should be simple enough. The UID is the email address.

[Zacs-Master]

'There is a possibility that your friend is actually trying to scam you.'

Yes, I'd be very careful, Smow. Sounds like the first play to get your sympathy to me.

[Barmaid]

I did think that he might be pulling a fast one. If I buy anything through paypal, I seem to recall that I get a text message with a code that I have to input.

On larger transactions they have texted me to ask if it was me and to respond Y or N.

I'd be wary.

[brainiac]

I'd be very careful, Smow - you've been taken advantage of trying to be helpful in the past, haven't you?

[Old_Geezer]

Folk you haven't met but only know through social media, are not friends. At best they are acquaintances whose existence you've known of for a while.

[ToraToraTora]

Yeah if he starts asking for dosh to pay for his granny's hip op, run a mile!

[Smowball]

He now reckons that PayPal have rang him out of the blue and are sorting it!??

[ToraToraTora]

Smow 12:52, I'll let Del Boy answer that one......

[pastafreak]

Since when does PayPal phone users?

[Smowball]

I didn’t know PayPal did……
What the point of the whole thing was I don’t know - he never once asked me for a thing! V odd!

[Karamia]

This has happened to me twice. I had inadvertently subscribed to something and got shock when money came out after a year. Had to go into PayPal to find transaction and find out how to cancel it and get refund from the companies. Scary when it happens and couldn't believe I had done it again second time with a different company. It was some sort of auto renew I was unaware of. Never used PayPal again.

[Barmaid]

He may have picked up the vibes that you were not going to fall for it.

Or he may yet come back to you and say "they say it will take 7 working days and I really need to take me cat/dog/hamster to the vet and could you lend him the £".

[ToraToraTora]

paypal would never phone a user. They, like most online companies spend huge amounts making it almost impossible to phone them, why would they call out?

[Barsel]

Hi Smow, I've heard of people who have met someone on dating sites or on holiday and sometimes they correspond with them for a long time before one of them asks for money and the other one obliges.
Your online friend hasn't asked for money from you so far, but please be aware that this could still happen.
Please don't fall for it just in case it is a scam.
There are so many scams going on these days you have to be so careful.
Please be careful Smow. x