Warning Using Paypal As Gift Service

[M1ke]

Bank Transfer offers you no protection at all the only information that needs to be correct is sort code and account number and could be hijacked account or one opened using false details!

Not too sure I agree with you. I can't see how someone can hijack your account without also possessing all of your security log on details? The only action they can do with your account is pay money in. Millions of transactions are carried out this way every day. At least with a Bank transfer you have concrete details of the person to give to the police should the sale go wrong. The police under certain circumstances can obtain a court order under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) to force the bank to provide the customer details and address. Much safer IMHO.

[John p]

I would rather do cash and face to face even if it means travelling.

[jetski]

i always give paypal payments as a gift when buying something that paypal will not insure anyway as i would rather the seller or myself keep the paypal charge instead of paypal getting it for nothing at all. if it was something they DO insure then its different, although trying to come to some sort of sensible conclusion with paypal is no easy task. according to them even if you win the argument they will only give you what they can retrieve from the other guys account. this, if the other guy is pulling a fast one will be no money at all. as previously said if its an airgun paypal will not look into it anyway as they are restricted so theres simply no point paying that 3.4% + 20p

i always prefer to be paid via paypal gift but if the buyer would prefer to pay through a transaction i always oblige..... unless its over £100, then i insist they cover the charges or pay a different method

[LUCAN07]

Not too sure I agree with you. I can't see how someone can hijack your account without also possessing all of your security log on details? The only action they can do with your account is pay money in. Millions of transactions are carried out this way every day. At least with a Bank transfer you have concrete details of the person to give to the police should the sale go wrong. The police under certain circumstances can obtain a court order under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) to force the bank to provide the customer details and address. Much safer IMHO.

Not hijacking your account Mike but I could certainly hijack several accounts to accept payments you have no concrete details trust me even less safe than paypal, people forget that if you pay from your card you have a second safety net. Paypal did once try and scam me for several hundred until I used Visa to recover my losses from them they will take the easiest option to avoid losses tip pay from your card to pay pal or nochex never your bank unless you are sure who you are dealing with!

[M1ke]

Not hijacking your account Mike but I could certainly hijack several accounts to accept payments you have no concrete details trust me even less safe than paypal, people forget that if you pay from your card you have a second safety net. Paypal did once try and scam me for several hundred until I used Visa to recover my losses from them they will take the easiest option to avoid losses tip pay from your card to pay pal or nochex never your bank unless you are sure who you are dealing with!

Not too sure what you are saying now? Take it from me, it is far safer to accept payment by Bank Transfer than any other payment, That goes for cash too, which can be counterfeit, or if it involves a large amount of cash, you run the risk of getting turned over in a lay-by miles from anywhere. If you are in any doubt about Bank transfer, speak to your bank and they will re assure you that it is generally the safest bet.

[jetski]

i have given my sort code and bank account number out to people i dont know several times so they can pay me with a bank transfer. to be honest i really didnt like doing this. i used to put my bank statements through a shredder so people couldnt find out these numbers and now im handing them out. sounds risky to me

[LUCAN07]

Not too sure what you are saying now? Take it from me, it is far safer to accept payment by Bank Transfer than any other payment, That goes for cash too, which can be counterfeit, or if it involves a large amount of cash, you run the risk of getting turned over in a lay-by miles from anywhere. If you are in any doubt about Bank transfer, speak to your bank and they will re assure you that it is generally the safest bet.

To receive it is perhaps the safest method, to pay it is one of the most unsafe methods!

[ngethin]

i have given my sort code and bank account number out to people i dont know several times so they can pay me with a bank transfer. to be honest i really didnt like doing this. i used to put my bank statements through a shredder so people couldnt find out these numbers and now im handing them out. sounds risky to me

The only details you need to pay money in to an account is sort code and account number (8 digits). No money can be withdrawn from an account with these details, it's impossible, the main number any scammer would need is the long card number, but of course, you don't need to give that out.

[jetski]

that long card number is only used on debit cards. if you have a current account that isnt debit enabled then you dont have that long number or indeed a chip so im pretty sure you can get money out without it

[ngethin]

I was only really mentioning the long card number in terms of a contrast, they wouldn't even be able to charge to the account with that information they need what you would put into a website when purchasing online, CSV number and expiry date etc. But I can assure you, if someone had the sort code and 8 digit account number there is no way that they can remove funds from the account or charge anything to the account. It's just not the way the banking system works.