Student targeted by Paypal scam
A university student has been fleeced of more than $600 after somebody set up a fake PayPal account.
It comes as banks and police warn people to be “more diligent” with their cards.
Holly Jackson, a third-year primary education degree student, was shocked to see $617.67 had been withdrawn from her account in 10 different transactions.
“Someone set up a fake PayPal account and used my debit card to withdraw money, I’m lucky it’s through PayPal or I may not have got the money back,” she said.
“My first thought is ‘am I going to be able to get this money back’? It was a public holiday and I didn’t know who to ring.”
PayPal have a 100 per cent fraud guarantee and are processing the claim.
Ms Jackson searched online using the number of the account used to take the money — and found many pages of people who had been stung by the same person.
“Apparently the scammers use random generation from previous transactions to get the right information,” she said.
There is not much she could have done about it.
“It can happen to anyone,” she said.
The Department of Consumer Affairs advises people to know their rights and responsibilities.
“Talk to the shop or business involved, put it in writing and make a formal complaint,” a spokesperson said.
If you have been targeted by a scam, or wish to make a claim visit the commerce website, www.commerce.wa.gov.au.
