Consumer complaint received 2023-08-27
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
The Venmo interface malfunctioned and I was NOT able to pay for a product with " buyer protection ''. 

In the past, when I hit the pay button, I was offered the " buyer protection '' option for the transaction when I hit the pay button. 

In this instance, Venmo just paid the " seller 's '' account WITHOUT the option for buyer protection being offered. This was a Venmo malfunction XXXX XXXX  Transaction XXXX on XXXX ... {$300.00} paid XXXX account through which we communicated : XXXX XXXX Phone number provided by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Email provided by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX It turns out that the " seller '' was a scammer who had not provided the product or responded to my repeated requests for either the product or a refund. 

I previously contacted venmo disputes and was told to contact law enforcement and my bank... I have done this ( copy of Venmo 's emailed response below ) I will contact the CFPB about this Venmo interface malfunction IF Venmo will not refund the {$300.00} that I paid without the option for buyer protection. 

-- -- -- -- - Team Venmo ( Team Venmo ) XXXX To : XXXX XXXX Tue, XX/XX/XXXX at XXXXXXXX XXXX  Venmo Help You have a new message from Venmo regarding request # XXXX. To respond, simply reply to this email. 

Hello XXXX, Thank you for reporting this activity! We take these reports seriously and will review the other party 's account. However, we are not able to discuss the specifics due to our Privacy Policy. 

Unfortunately, based on the information you've provided, it sounds like the person you were transacting with did not fulfill their end of the transaction. For resolution, we first recommend that you reach out to the recipient of the payment, as we are not able to provide reimbursement or mediation in this instance. 

We want to make sure people using Venmo can feel confident when making or receiving payment for a purchase. Whether youre buying something in a store using your Venmo QR code or selling something to another Venmo user, we want to do what we can to help if something goes wrong. You can learn more about whats covered in the Venmo Purchase Protection program on our website. 

If you are unable to contact this person, you may consider filing a report with your local law enforcement agency. Law enforcement can send a request for information to XXXX. Once we've received this request, we will be more than happy to assist the agency with their investigation.

Please keep in mind that when transacting with people whom you don't know or trust there is always the potential for problems to arise. We encourage you to review this article on our Help Center for some information on how to avoid this type of issue in the future.

I apologize that we are unable to assist further with this matter. 

Regards, Account Specialist Venmo is a service of XXXX XXXX XXXX, a licensed provider of money transfer services. All money transmission is provided by PayPal , Inc. pursuant to PayPal , Inc.s licenses. 

PayPal is located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX [ XXXX ] -- -- - Forwarded Message -- -- - From : Team Venmo ( Team Venmo ) XXXX To : XXXX XXXX XXXX Sent : Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Subject : [ Venmo ] Your Venmo Chat Transcript Venmo Help You have a new message from Venmo regarding request # XXXX. To respond, simply reply to this email. 

Hello XXXX, Thank you for reporting this activity! We take these reports seriously and will review the other party 's account. However, we are not able to discuss the specifics due to our Privacy Policy. 

Unfortunately, based on the information you've provided, it sounds like the person you were transacting with did not fulfill their end of the transaction. For resolution, we first recommend that you reach out to the recipient of the payment, as we are not able to provide reimbursement or mediation in this instance. 

We want to make sure people using Venmo can feel confident when making or receiving payment for a purchase. Whether youre buying something in a store using your Venmo QR code or selling something to another Venmo user, we want to do what we can to help if something goes wrong. You can learn more about whats covered in the Venmo Purchase Protection program on our website.

If you are unable to contact this person, you may consider filing a report with your local law enforcement agency. Law enforcement can send a request for information to XXXX. Once we've received this request, we will be more than happy to assist the agency with their investigation. 

Please keep in mind that when transacting with people whom you don't know or trust there is always the potential for problems to arise. We encourage you to review this article on our Help Center for some information on how to avoid this type of issue in the future.

I apologize that we are unable to assist further with this matter.

Regards, Account Specialist Venmo is a service of PayPal , Inc., a licensed provider of money transfer services. All money transmission is provided by PayPal , Inc. pursuant to PayPal , Inc.s licenses. 

PayPal is located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - I also filed a fraud report with the FBI IC3.gov Online Fraud Reporting IC3 Complaint : XXXX XXXX To : XXXX Tue, XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX Thank you for filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center ( IC3 ). 

Your complaint has been successfully submitted. Please retain the following information for future contacts with the XXXX : Complaint Id : XXXX Password : XXXX If you wish to view/download your complaint or have any additional information to provide to the IC3, please use the following link and login with the above complaint id and password. 
http : XXXX The IC3 's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 aims to give the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism.

Complaint Status The IC3 receives thousands of complaints each month and does not have the resources to respond to inquiries regarding the status of complaints. It is the IC3 's intention to review all complaints and refer them to law enforcement and regulatory agencies having jurisdiction. Ultimately, investigation and prosecution are at the discretion of the receiving agencies.

Evidence It is important that you maintain any evidence you may have relating to your complaint. Evidence may include canceled checks, credit card receipts, phone bills, mailing envelopes, mail receipts, a printed copy of a website, copies of emails, or similar items. Please keep the items in a safe location, in case you are requested to provide them for investigative purposes. 


Additionally, to learn more about Internet schemes and ways to protect yourself, please visit XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation