If sending money through the app, how can I protect myself from a suspicious purchase?

[ATLJSNM]

I've known a woman for a few months. Lately she's been subtly asking for money to help with some vague debt she is not forthcoming about explaining. I don't want to prod too much, I generally trust her, and the money isn't too big of a deal for me, though the situation overall feels suspicious to me. Assuming I send her the money, what steps can I take beforehand to make sure that if something goes wrong and she ends up disappearing with the money, that I can get that money back?

[PayPal_RachelK]

Hi @ATLJSNM,

Thank you for your post!

I do understand your concern with this. It is very kind of you to help this person out by sending them money, however, I would advise you to not send any money to someone you don't know. It can be difficult to know if someone is genuine without meeting them.

To be eligible for protection on payments you send, you must send the payments as Goods and Service. Friends and Family payments or Donations would not be covered.

Please be aware, as you are sending the payments without expecting an item/service in return then you may not be covered. PayPal Buyer Protection Policy covers transactions when a buyer does not receive an item/service, or the item/service they receiver is not as described. 

If you have any further concerns please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Support. To contact us, simply click here. Alternatively, you can contact us via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PayPal or Twitter @AskPayPal.

I hope this helps!
 

- Rachel