

Clusterfuck for PayPal Germany in Progress? - blacktar
http://stopmebeforeiblogagain.com/paypalclusterfuck/

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blacktar
German law basically dictates that if you tell someone they won a prize, you
have to give them that prize, no ifs or buts:

§ 661a Gewinnzusagen Ein Unternehmer, der Gewinnzusagen oder vergleichbare
Mitteilungen an Verbraucher sendet und durch die Gestaltung dieser Zusendungen
den Eindruck erweckt, dass der Verbraucher einen Preis gewonnen hat, hat dem
Verbraucher diesen Preis zu leisten.

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jagermo
Yes, but there is also §119 BGB, disputability due to an error (not correct
translation).
[http://dejure.org/gesetze/BGB/119.html](http://dejure.org/gesetze/BGB/119.html)

If it was a technical mistake (which it seems it was), Paypal should be able
to avoid payment (again, not a lawyer. But yes. A clusterfuck (and one with
the potential of much lulz).

~~~
blacktar
We'll see how it turns out. Bring popcorn.

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blacktar
PayPal Germany confirms as mistake
[http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=...](http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fnetzwelt%2Fweb%2Fe-
mail-panne-paypal-verschickt-500-euro-gewinnbenachrichtigung-a-904399.html)

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blacktar
Another German legal blogger chimes in on the gaffe:
[http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=...](http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lawblog.de%2Findex.php%2Farchives%2F2013%2F06%2F07%2F500-euro-
von-paypal-schn-wrs%2F)

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blacktar
TNW broke the story in English
[http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/06/07/paypal-
accidentally...](http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/06/07/paypal-accidentally-
sends-out-emails-telling-users-theyve-won-500-but-they-havent/?fromcat=all)

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blacktar
TL;DR PayPal Germany seems to have sent mass-emails claiming German customers
have won 500,- EUR when they have in fact not. Kaspersky Labs have verified
emails as legit, coming from PayPal.

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blacktar
(Mental note to self: Never ever use "clusterfuck" in title when posting to HN
ever again. Karma mod trolls do not approve.)

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danbar87
Let's asume 500.000 PP-Users got this message - legal will force PP to pay out
- this is a 250 million EUR gift :D

