Why Do Scammers Love PayPal Friends and Family?
Friends and Family transactions are subject to lower transaction fees—for the domestic U.S. and UK payments, you don’t need to pay any. For international Friends & Family transfers, the cost goes up to 5% of the amount wired.
That is precisely why a lot of shady sellers insist on using the Friends and Family option and avoiding the additional transaction fees. PayPal classifies the Friends and Family transactions as non-refundable, so scammers rely on keeping your funds after the fact and will always do their best to sway you to use this payment type.
It’s best to use the Friends and Family functionality only for transferring funds to your close contacts. For online purchases, spend a few more bucks on the standard Goods and Services transactions and invest in the Buyer’s Protection program.
How To Get a PayPal Friends And Family Refund on Your Own
If you prefer to handle the refund request by yourself, there are a few different approaches. You can try to prove that the transaction occurred as a result of a hacked account and ask for a refund directly from PayPal, or you can go through your bank.
There are two means to request a refund from PayPal:
- PayPal Resolution Center
- On-site Messaging
Request a PayPal Family and Friends Refund Through the PayPal Resolution Center
Follow the instructions to request a refund via the Resolution Center:
- Log in to your PayPal account
- Go to the Resolution Centar
- Hit the Report a Problem button
- Select a transaction you would like refunded
- Click on the pop-up to report a problem with the transaction
- Click Continue
- Fill in relevant details about the fraudulent activity
- Click on Submit
- Check your email for a response
How To Request a PayPal Refund for Friends and Family via Chat
Follow the instructions ahead to request a refund via on-site messaging:
- Log in to PayPal
- Open the Messenger
- Initiate the chat
- Describe the fraud
- Follow the ensuing instructions
How Can I Check the Status of My Friends and Family PayPal Refund?
All of your requests and their respective statuses will be listed in your PayPal Resolution Center.
The refund status can be:
-
Pending: A refund is pending when PayPal hasn’t received the funds from the buyer’s bank or because the seller issued an eCheck that hasn’t been cleared with their bank. It takes 3–5 business days for the amount to be shown in your PayPal balance
-
Refunded or Partially Refunded: If your status is one of those, it means that the refund is done. The money should be back on your credit card or PayPal balance
-
Temporary on hold: If your refund status is “held,” this means that the transaction is refunded before the money even left your bank account. This process takes 3–5 business days, and the refund will be credited to your account once the process is completed
When Will the Friends and Family PayPal Refund Be on Your Account?
PayPal refunds take up to 30 days to be processed, depending on your payment method. If you manage to prove that the transaction was made by a hacker, here is when you can expect your funds to be back:
| Original Payment Method | When Will You Get a Refund? |
|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Your refund will be credited to your PayPal balance. From there, you can transfer it to your bank account. It usually takes three to five days for the money to show on your bank account |
| Debit or Credit card (including PayPal Credit) | Your refund will show up on your credit or debit card balance within 30 days of the request |
| PayPal balance | You’ll get the refund on your PayPal balance the same day it is issued |
| PayPal balance and credit card | If the transaction was paid from both, you would get a refund of the respective amounts to each payment method (the same day the refund is issued for the PayPal balance and up to 30 days for the credit card) |
© 2021 DoNotPay All rights reserved.
We thought you would write the article yourself.