Facebook Messenger PayPal scam

There has been a surge of reports where the recipient has received messages through Facebook Messenger from friends/family requesting to use their Pay Pal account to receive funds from the sale of items on EBay. Overall, between 1st June 2020 and 31st July 2020 a total of 95 reports have been made which specifically mention that the item sold was a camera.

Messages are sent by fraudsters pretending to be friends/family stating that they have sold a camera on eBay but that they are unable to process the payment as they either do not have a PayPal account or because their Pay Pal account is not working. The request is that the message recipient receives the funds into their own Pay Pal account, then, after transferring it into their own bank account, they forward it onto an account controlled by the fraudster.

If the victim agrees the payment is transferred into their Pay Pal account but, after the money is transferred out, the initial transaction is reversed leaving the account in negative balance.

Multiple reports have also been received from victims stating that their Facebook Messenger accounts have been hacked and that these fraudulent messages have been sent to all their contacts on their behalf. The total reported loss for these reports is £44,035.

Please note: original communication ‘Compromised Facebook accounts used to lure victims into PayPal scam’ sent by City of London Police (published 18/08/20) Ref: 2007002

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