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On my Facebook page, a guy commented on a post that they wanted to tip me. So I messaged them. I get an email that I should have found suspicious about getting a 50 dollar redeem code (Steam, iTunes, PSN etc) to complete the Paypal transaction. My mind was not in the right space. I only make like 200 bucks from blogging, I saw the extra money as a blessing because we need new stuff that I need to save for. In most cases, logic is overwritten. The email I got about the ‘transaction fees’ should have grabbed my attention. Paypal’s emails always have their logo
Like this email. Paypal’s logo is there. At the bottom, a link to their contact info is there along with their copyright info.
The alleged email about the fees didn’t have any of this. Let’s add their reason was ‘its a company account’ regardless of what account you have, Paypal does not ask for redeem codes.
This is after putting everything together. Sites change their rules. So I assumed it was a new change from Paypal and I missed the email letting me know. Sometimes innocent emails land in my spam folder, which I never check.
Like I said I wasn’t thinking straight at the time so other times where I used Paypal didn’t click.
I don’t ever recall Paypal asking for you to buy a redeem code for someone to send you money, That should have screamed a scam. I’ve used Paypal when collecting my blog money from Coinbase the only fee I pay is a small one to send the money to my card. Its deducted from my earnings. I didn’t need to give PP a redeem code. At most, I felt fees are deducted from what the person sends you depending on their country. It’s like getting a job and they say ‘you have to give me a 100 redeem code for Uber.’
Remember depending on your country, there are send fees, I thought the gift code was compensation or whatever (thinking about it that doesn’t make sense)
Also, PayPal’s emails always used my name. This email says ‘hello customer’ this should have said this is a scam. Paypal’s email is service@paypal.com. Any site you use will ALWAYS have the username you picked when you joined the site
Paypal’s logo is not in the fake email. Paypal’s logo can still appear in a scam email. But they will never ask for personal info. They will never request you send personal details to get your account back or whatever the scammer is doing to scare you.
According to this guy, the first code was invalid because I didn’t send the receipt fast enough, according to them. You do not need a receipt to redeem a gift card code on any platform. Maybe you can scan your receipts to have them on file. Back in 2016, a guy gave me a Steam code for any game of my choice. They sent me the code and that’s it. I wasn’t against the clock like the guy made it seem.
While I was sleeping, the guy messages me saying I need to be quick in getting the codes. Originally I was thinking if the money is not claimed, Paypal will refund them and they have to wait a certain amount of time before they can try again (in case this is an anti-fraud system or something) and they didn’t want to wait.. However, Paypal gives you like 20 days to claim the money. There is no race against time-claiming codes.
That should have told me the guy is up to something. When you buy gift cards or get a gift code in your receipt, they usually last a month or so.
When my grandpa gets 5.00 coupons for getting his meds, the coupon has an expiration date but usually, you have a month to use it, depending on when you obtain it.
What I mean is, when I was asleep, the guy messaged with an excuse for not giving the money they promised. When I checked my messages on FB, it was 4 am for me when I got the message. That’s when the guy said I needed the receipt and asked me am I aware I have to be quick and that’s when they said the code was ‘invalid’ and they needed a new code with the receipt. I should have found it odd that from the start, they didn’t disclose the needing the recipt beforehand.
They also sent another fake Paypal email as well after the claim that the code was ‘invalid.’
It seems like the guy was giving these codes to someone else and then tried using them on their account to mislead me into believing the card was bad.
I don’t have proof, however, when I send the second Game Stop code, around maybe 2 it was 2 hours or more before I heard from them again. Then he came back around 4 or 5. It doesn’t take 2 hours to redeem a code. During that time, they could have been waiting for their friend to respond and used the code. Then tried using it on their account and then send me a screenshot about the code not working.
Plus when you get a Steam gift card, or PSN, or Xbox. When you claim it, it goes to your account and you can use it to buy games. How could the guy get the money from Steam to Paypal? I also tried to use the card that was ‘invalid’ and I got an error message that the card had been used already. So the guy must have given the code to someone else and they tried to use it.
The second time the guy got an error that the code had been redeemed saying Steam has a problem with Paypal. Paypal has nothing to do with any site except if you use Paypal to shop online. Or if the site has a service (like let’s say Steam had something called Steam Plus, as PSN and Xbox live you can chat with people) you can use Paypal to pay your monthly bill.
Also about him claiming he needs a redeem code for fees as stated in the fake email. Paypal’s fees are within the app. When someone sends you money on Paypal, you have to claim it and more likely fees are deducted there.
The third time the guy was asking for personal info like if I have a car( I assumed they wanted the plate #)
after asking for so much info then he asks for another redeem code. This guy swore and promised they would get it this time and still fell through on their promise.
this was when it clicked that the guy is being shady. Paypal never asks for personal info.
They need your SSN but that’s for taxes on YOUR account and to verify your ID so they know it’s you accessing the account. I’ve used Paypal to buy things.
I’ve used Paypal to send someone money to buy masks they made and all I needed was their email. I didn’t need their car information or credit card and all that stuff. Also, the person I sent money to didn’t have to give me a redeem code either.
They said ‘it’s a company account’ Paypal has a business account for if you sell stuff and a personal account. I used a business account and no one has to give me a code. The guy wanted my card number, PIN, the 3 digit code on the back. Paypal doesn’t need all of that. They would need THEIR card information NOT mine. I’ve sent money to someone struggling and all I needed was their Paypal link, I put in what I wanted to send, picked my credit card, and that’s it. it didn’t take me hours to a day like this guy was doing.
Remember when you’re caught in a tough position logic is overwritten. The fact that I needed extra funds for a snowblower and other stuff overrode logic. People can say ‘get a job’ but you can’t just walk into a place and get hired. You’re up against 100s of people after the same job. Restrictions for COVID are back so.
Also, jobs are inaccessible for disabled people, and employers refuse to provide the adjustments we need to work. It costs money to get a job (gas money/bus fare, clothes, parking fees, etc) disabled people’s funds are limited. You don’t make that much on SSI and they cap what you can make extra.
Paypal doesn’t ask for redeem codes. The only case is you can buy a Paypal gift card and add the credits to your account.
The guy was begging me to get another code after losing 150 dollars. He said I am rejecting his efforts. Sir, you’re not the one who lost 150 bucks. Of course, I want to reject a scammer’s ‘efforts.’
This guy swore the play store code would work and it didn’t. I noticed how it took them so long to ‘send the money.’ it takes SECONDS to send someone money on Paypal. You go to the person’s link and follow the directions.
Why is it taking this guy so long for something that takes seconds to do?
Another thing I should have found dodgy is when I linked my Paypal link, he said it ‘wasn’t allowed.’
It would really help me out if you could donate. This guy used me, never intended to tip me, and was only using me to buy their friend’s gift card codes. You don’t have to donate. However, those of you who use Paypal can email me what you use it for (ex-art commissions) which can also serve as further evidence the guy is scamming saying Paypal doesn’t send money without a redeem code.
I should have called them out like ‘looks like you just want me to pay for your games etc you can use that bullshit ‘company account’ all you want. I looked into Paypal accounts on their official forums and nothing said anything about buying a gift code to send someone.’
There are scammers out there who want to use your situation to their advantage. It’s sick. Being neurodivergent, I don’t read social cues well. So this guy hopped on the train to take advantage of someone who cannot detect social cues.
They wouldn’t listen when I told them I am not buying any more cards nor could I afford to keep blowing money only for them to have some excuse and want another code
They screenshot ‘ proof’ of other people getting their money. It seemed legit at first, after thinking about it, how do I know they didn’t make a fake text? This guy wanted my freaking card information for ‘Paypal’ I seriously doubt those people wanted to give that pos their card information.
Anyone can get scammed, but folks like me are more vulnerable. Yeah, I am stupid for falling for it. At least I learned from it and I know what to look out for.
When I get emails from Paypal or any crowdfunding site, I know to look for their logo and info they’d always have in their emails. Look for grammatical errors, illiteracy, the email address from the site, etc. Paypal or any other site never asks for personal information. Paypal or whoever doesn’t ask for redeeming codes.
I went to Paypal’s fees section and there was no mention of redeem codes for transactions. What I mean by redeem code is a Steam card or Visa gift card etc. They had nothing saying you have to give the sender a code. This was after their behavior rose suspicion.
The guy keeps saying ‘trust him’ yet I’ve bought 3 gift cards and every time he had an excuse and told me he needed another code. Should I out this guy? I fear retaliation if I out him in public. I did it in a more discreet place, my IG stores since IG stores last 24 hours
When I got the google play card he swore he had a plan and it will work and it didn’t. YouTubers/Twitch streamers etc will get people who wanna donate. At least establish a connection.
The next day the guy asked me was going to get a card. I put my foot down and they kept begging me. I brought up the fact that they promised 3 times they’d send the money and the
code will work and I am not getting any more cards just so they can make more excuses and run me dry. Before I banned them, they said something like ‘you don’t trust me anymore, that’s bad.’ Yes, I don’t trust people who make promises and don’t keep them.
I gotta work overtime (meaning creating extra content) to make back the money I wasted trusting this scammer. I lost 150 dollars because this guy couldn’t keep their stories straight.
Each time I put my foot down, the guy would not accept no for an answer.
Yeah, I’m stupid for believing this guy, at least I don’t scam people and lie.
I game on an app called Mistplay. You can earn credits for gaming and redeem gift cards. I redeemed a visa card and was able to use it. What I should have done was tested this guy’s thing with the mistplay gift cards. I’m not spending actual money. Then once I caught wind that the guy was lying, I wouldn’t have lost any real money. I wish I would have remembered Mistplay. The most important thing is learning from this and remembering the golden rule of any site.
I may make stupid mistakes but at least I’m learning from this and will dig into things. Calling this guy out and hopefully getting their Facebook close so they won’t scam anyone else should be the next priority.
https://3speak.tv/embed?v=aaliyahholt/ecerjqie The video where I expose the scammer. Report them!
The video is also on my Instagram: I Am… Jazz on Instagram: “A ‘supporter’ wanted to tip me when they found me on Facebook. However, things got suspicious when they claimed they needed a ‘redeem code’…”
They wanted me to promote them on here talking about they will give you ‘a blessing’ scamming you out of heaps. Blessing my ass. Warning people about them is a blessing.
Also when I told them I couldn’t get any more cards because my grandma will interrogate me, he said ‘don’t let her see me.’ I told him we’ve got an alarm, might I add the property is on 24/7 surveillance and the alarm talks when you open the door. This idiot thinks I can leave without being seen on a property on 24 HOUR surveillance.
The number 1 red flag. If this guy calls themself an influencer or whatever, why don’t they have a Facebook PAGE and instead of using a PERSONAL ACCOUNT? Their excuse for making me buy them gift codes is their Paypal is ‘a company account’ this guy allegedly is associated with a company and scamming people under their name. Facebook’s TOS state you can not use your personal account as a business page. On pages, you can leave reviews. If the guy made a page people can post reviews. If people land on the page and see bad reviews, they know to turn away. It’s possible that’s why they are using their personal account. They know no one will trust them if people land on reviews.
Anyone can fall for a scam. I have an example. A Youtuber called Onision was falsely copyright striking people who held him accountable for his actions. A small Youtuber also has her videos hit. She thought about suing him but it saw will be expensive so somehow, she was told she could take him to small claims court (like Judge Judy) and asked people to help her fund it on Patreon.
Why she did in Patreon should have made people suspicious, but logic was overwritten. I’m quite sure the people who donated either themselves or follow a Youtuber who had also been copyright struck by Onision. She was already in hot water for how she treated an artist who did FREE art for her. Later on, people got suspicious when she wouldn’t share any information about her progress with her lawsuit.
Later on, it turns out she scammed these people. She refused to show receipts that shes doing the lawsuit. Her not using GoFundMe could have been a good sign. It’s against GFM’s rules and the law to not use the money towards what the campaign says it’s going to. Also
Onision himself would have been freaking out on Twitter if he got the word that he’s being sued. When his Patreon got banned he lost it. He got in trouble with his state before, was notified, and made videos about it. His silence noted this Youtuber was scamming people.
These people wanted justice for themselves or their favorite Youtuber. One commentary YT confirmed this is a scam since he lives in the state Ash (what we’ll call the Youtuber who claimed to sue Onision) had to go to for the court case; when he pulled up the website of the courthouse where the case would be and nothing has been filed. Also, the weekend Ash was going to fly in for the court case, posted in her Instagram stories of herself at a concert.
This person made folks believe she wanted to sue a Youtuber abusing copyright but made them fund her vacation. She knew she couldn’t use GFM. She knew Patreon doesn’t do refunds since it’s not a charity, it’s for creators who want to provide exclusive content to viewers. The best you can do on Patreon is to cancel your pledge if you are not happy with the content.
The fact that she refused to show proof and blamed it on viewers who wanted to know her progress when they gave her their money to do so, was a sign she was up to something. I think she made a mistake. I think she was told she needs proof that Onision struck her video. YouTube sends you an e-mail when your video gets taken down and there is some info in your YT studio. She’ll also need proof there were damages. She probably realized she didn’t have that. Instead of admitting she made a mistake and refunding everyone, she lies. Also the amount of money she asked for. I am not 100% sure but I think she made like 10K or something. You can ask yourself why she needs that much money. Scammers are smart.
This is just to show how anyone can fall for a scam. Scammers are smart. They will only get smarter. Just like the guy didn’t show me any receipts to show he was going through with tipping me like he said he was. He claimed he needed a redeem code to pay me, the fact that he didn’t show any receipts to back the claim should have said something. If this guy messages you, I advise you ban/block him.
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