I wanted to buy a GPU online from someone who listed some a fairly affordable price. However, this person wanted to transact using Venmo or Cash App, not PayPal Goods and Services.
PayPal G&S has the advantage of buyer protection, so if he ended up not sending me the card I could file a claim and get my money back. However, the guy said he was owed money from PayPal (a large check that was on hold) so he didn't want to use PayPal. He convinced me that I could just file a chargeback with my credit or debit card on Venmo or Cash App if I didn't receive the item by claiming an "unauthorized purchase" charge.
He has sent me screenshots and accounts of people who have supposedly bought from him, but I take these with a grain of salt. Presumably this guy doesn't know that I am a UI/UX designer and I can easily fake realistic looking screenshots, and also create fake social media accounts...
I also offered initially to meet him in person through a friend (since he's not in my state), but for some reason he was vehemently against the idea.
I like giving people the benefit of the doubt, but the rest of the story about why he is selling it at such a good price also seems kind of... strange to say at the least.
With all this being said, I don't really care about his story as long as I can pay using a payment method where I am completely covered and have no worry about losing money. Is it possible for me to pay through Venmo or Cash App, and have reasonable certainty (as I would through PayPal G&S) that I could get my money back if I ended up not getting the item?
Edit: thanks for the answers, everyone! I sent the person a link to this question. He went completely silent (after having constantly bugged me for days on end). So I think it's safe to say that it was indeed a scam, and I'm glad I didn't fall for it. Hopefully this question will be able to prevent anyone from falling into a similar scam in the future.