INDIANAPOLIS — The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana (BBB) is warning people about a scam that is targeting people who are shopping online.
The BBB Scam Tracker is getting numerous reports about shopping tricks that are exploiting PayPal’s policies by delivering incorrect items and using stolen tracking numbers.
The scam happens when someone purchases a product that uses PayPal at checkout. The customer gets a confirmation email with a tracking number, but what shows up isn’t what they ordered.
The BBB provided examples of buying a six-foot artificial Christmas tree but getting a bottle brush Christmas tree. Another variation of the scam is the package is delivered to the wrong address.
If the customer tries to correct the mistake, they either find that the website is not responsive or not helpful. In some cases, they can’t find any contact information, or no one responds to emails or calls.
The BBB says some victims that filed a claim with PayPal were denied a refund. They provided one example of a customer filing a dispute after their item was shipped to a fictitious address, but PayPal closed the dispute after the seller insisted they delivered the package.
This is despite PayPal’s protection promise that says customers can file a dispute if their package never arrives, is counterfeit or differs significantly from what…