Scammed on PayPal? How to Try to Get Your Money Back (2026 US Guide)
Whether PayPal can refund you hinges on one thing: did you pay as 'Goods & Services' (covered by Purchase Protection) or 'Friends & Family' (not covered)? How to open a dispute in the Resolution Center, the 180-day and 20-day deadlines, unauthorised-charge reporting, and the card-chargeback backstop.
If you lost money through PayPal, your odds of a refund hinge on how you paid: a Goods & Services payment is covered by PayPal Purchase Protection, while a Friends & Family payment is not. Here is exactly how to dispute it, the deadlines that matter, and your backup options.
What to do right now
- Open a dispute in the Resolution Center. Log in → Resolution Center → Report a problem → pick the transaction → choose "Item Not Received", "Significantly Not as Described", or unauthorised activity. Do this within 180 days of the payment.
- Escalate to a claim within 20 days. Opening a dispute starts a 20-day clock, if you and the seller can’t resolve it, escalate it to a claim before that runs out, or the case closes for good.
- For account takeover, report unauthorised activity. Go to paypal.com/disputes → "Report a problem" → "I want to report unauthorized activity." PayPal protects against unauthorised transactions and emails an update within about 10 days.
- If a linked card funded it, you can chargeback with the issuer. Credit-card payments carry Fair Credit Billing Act rights; this works only when a card (not your PayPal balance) funded the payment. See our card chargeback guide. File reports with the FBI at ic3.gov, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and a CFPB complaint.
Goods & Services vs Friends & Family, the distinction that decides everything
PayPal Purchase Protection covers eligible Goods & Services payments where an item never arrived or was significantly not as described. Friends & Family payments are treated as personal gifts and carry no protection at all, which is why scammers push buyers to "send it as Friends & Family." PayPal itself says to refuse: if a seller asks for a Friends & Family payment for something you’re buying, walk away.
Unauthorised vs authorised payments
If someone accessed your account and paid without your permission, that is an unauthorised transaction and PayPal’s protections apply, report it fast. If you sent the payment yourself after being deceived, it is "authorised," and your route is Purchase Protection (only if it was a Goods & Services purchase) or a card chargeback, not the unauthorised-activity process.
How to protect yourself
- When buying, always pay as Goods & Services: never Friends & Family.
- PayPal will never ask you to send money to "verify" or "release" funds.
- Don’t act on payment alerts or "you’ve been paid" emails, check your real PayPal balance in the app or at paypal.com.
Frequently asked questions
I paid Friends & Family and got scammed, can PayPal refund me? Purchase Protection won’t cover it. If a linked card funded the payment, dispute it with the card issuer; otherwise your options are limited.
How long do I have to dispute a PayPal payment? 180 days from the payment to open a Goods & Services dispute, then 20 days from opening to escalate it to a claim.
Someone used my PayPal without permission. Report it at paypal.com/disputes as unauthorised activity; PayPal protects against unauthorised transactions.
Can I get money back for an item that never arrived? Yes, if you paid Goods & Services, open an "Item Not Received" dispute within 180 days.
Related guides
- Scammed on Zelle? How to try to get your money back
- Scammed on Cash App? How to try to get your money back
- Card chargebacks explained (Visa, Mastercard and more)
If you have lost money to a scam, you are not alone, see our United States reporting and recovery guide and our country-by-country guide to reporting cybercrime and recovering your money.