Sending money to a differnt person using g&s?

[Lauramaso28]

I want to use g&s to pay for a bag, but the lady I’m buying from says her PayPal isn’t working and asked me to send it to a friends PayPal, am I still covered if I send the payment to a person who I’m not buying the item from?

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @Lauramaso28, 

Welcome to the PayPal Community! I'm glad you reached out about this transaction. You should never send a payment for something you're purchasing as Friends & Family. You do not have any Purchase Protection if you never receive the item or if the item you receive is not as it was described in it's listing. 

I cannot definitively state this is a scam, but this does sounds like common scams we've encountered before. I would proceed with caution with this purchase, and if there are other red flags popping up, you may want to look for that item from a different seller. 

Good luck with this and future purchases, 

 - Jon K

[Lauramaso28]

Hi sorry if my question didn’t make sense. I will be sending the money as goods and services, but the money won’t be going to the lady that is sending me the bag. It will be going to her friends account as her PayPal isn’t working. I will be sending it as goods and services but not to the persons account that is sending me the item. Am I still covered using the goods and services option if the payment is going to someone else?

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @Lauramaso28,

Thank you for the clarification! Purchase Protection would apply to your transaction regardless of the account to which you send the payment as long as all other requirements of the protection are met. The holder of the receiving account will be responsible for ensuring the shipment of the item.

However, there is something further that you'll need to consider. If the person is saying that they cannot use their account, it is possible that the account has a limitation. Assisting in circumventing a limitation is not permitted. Additionally, even if it were permitted it would be riskier for you because if there is indeed a limitation, it may well be for: seller performance, risk, fraud, or any number of other issues. While meeting the guidelines of Purchase Protection would ensure a refund if the goods are Not Received, if you receive an item that is Not as Described, you would only receive a refund if the difference is determined to be significant and then only if you ship the item back at your own expense. These are important factors to consider in any purchase. When there are warning signs of additional risk, it's often best to find another seller.

Evaluating the risk of your transactions before making them is a very important step in deciding whether or not to purchase, and I'm glad you're trying to be cautious!

Olivia