Appreciation post: That $200 I lost on a bad mobile payment app

I signed up for a peer-to-peer payment app back in March 2023 because it promised faster transfers than PayPal, and I sent $200 to a guy for some used concert tickets. Turns out the app had no buyer protection and the tickets were fake, so the money just vanished into thin air. Has anyone else gotten burned by some trendy payment platform that looked legit but had zero safeguards?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericfox3d agoRising Star

Got burned on one of those instant transfer apps last year when I sent $150 to a seller on a deal platform and the item never showed up. They advertised themselves as having all this security but when I filed a dispute they basically told me tough luck because I used the "friends and family" option by mistake. So now I only use PayPal goods and services or just hand cash to people in person if I can help it.

the_wesley3d ago

Dude, that's rough. I had a buddy do basically the same thing with some sports memorabilia off a Facebook group. He sent $200 on one of those apps for a "signed" jersey and the guy just ghosted him after he got the money. He learned the hard way that the "goods and services" option is the only one with any actual protection, and now he won't even look at a deal unless it's through PayPal.