"recipient may receive less due to foreign taxes" question

[jakkitheresa]

Hi,

I was about to make a payment for goods and services and I noticed the message "recipient may receive less due to foreign taxes".  I've not noticed the message before and was wondering if that means the person is international or it's just a message on every transaction in case it is international?

Full story:  I'm about to make a rather large purchase from a website I'm unfamiliar with.  While it seems legit, their business says they're in Colorado (USA), if this message means I'm about to send money internationally, pretty sure that would identify a scam.  - I've had an iffy feeling about this transaction - 

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @jakkitheresa, 

Welcome to the PayPal Community. I'm sorry to hear there's been some concern with a recent transaction you're attempting. You're correct, you normally wouldn't see that specific text unless the recipient was in a foreign country. While there are a few different reasons as to why a business would have an international PayPal account but state they're in the US, one of those reasons may indeed be because they are a fraudulent seller.

While we're unable to say for certain they are, here are a couple Help Center articles you may find useful: 

How do I spot a fake, fraudulent, or phishing PayPal email or website?

What are common scams and how do I spot them?
 

I hope that helps. Good luck with this and future transactions,

 - Jon K