One of the biggest reasons PayPal is so popular is its security features. It’s so much easier to enter your card info on a trustworthy site like PayPal than it is to enter the info on some random webshop. But what if you get scammed? Can you get your money back? The answer is yes.

It wouldn’t be the first time that we hear someone ordered something online that seemed like a bargain, then got a box with a stick in it. Scammers like that are common online, and everyone can fall for them. You should be careful with where you spend your money online and what tools you use for buying online.

PayPal offers its Purchase Protection Program to protect its users from getting scammed. If you order something offline and you get the wrong item or even nothing, you may still be able to get your money back through PayPal.

What should you do if you want your money back?

You obviously can’t just take your money back after you paid something, there are a few steps you have to take, and usually, you’ll have to prove that you’ve been scammed.

The first thing you should do is see if you can cancel your transaction. If you can’t, you should try to contact your seller. Mistakes happen, and maybe the seller is willing to give you your refund without having to involve PayPal support in this.

If the seller isn’t willing to cooperate, you can open a dispute.

Go to PayPal’s Resolution Center and report a new problem as a fraudulent transaction. Follow the steps and be careful to explain everything clearly. You will then have 20 days to contact the seller and if he’s unwilling to cooperate. If you didn’t solve the problem after 20 days, open the Resolution Center again and select Escalate. After that, PayPal is going to solve the case. That usually takes around 30 days.

The great thing about this is that there is an actual person working on solving your case, but you should know that it’s not 100% sure that you will get your refund. Sometimes the seller has a better case, or PayPal just makes a bad judgment. But if you’ve been clearly scammed, you will most likely get your money back.

Tips to stay safe when online shopping

There’s a common saying that should be applied here: “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t”. If you find a deal that just seems like a complete bargain on a random site, you should probably first read some reviews about the site to make sure it’s safe.

You can also find the term “Buyers Protection” on popular shopping sites. Buyers Protection means that the shop guarantees refunds if they sell a bad item or they’re just late with their delivery.

Probably the best tip is to just stay on popular websites like Amazon and eBay, or on official web stores.