THEY ARE GOOD....

[bowen2370]

ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO I RECEIVED A PHONECALL SAYIN I WON 4 MILLION DOLLARS FROM LIBERTYS SWEEPSTAKES NOT ONLY DID THEY HAVE LEGITIMATE PHONE NUMBERS, BUT THEY SENT ME A FAX STATING EVERYTHING. WELL 2 DAYS LATER I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL FROM THE IRS SAYING I NEEDED TO PAY THE TAXES ON THIS MONEY BEFORE I COULD RECEIVE IT. THE TAXES AND EXPENSES WERE 10,500.00 AND THIS WOULD TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING. THEY CALLED AND TALKED TO LOTS OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS AND HAD THEM CONVINCED ALSO THAT IT WAS LEGITIMATE. I EVEN CALLED THE FBI IN WASHINGTON DC, AND THEY SAID THAT THE ADDRESSES CHECKED OUT AND THE BUILDING OR SUITE THEY WERE CALLING FROM WAS THE SWEEPSTAKES COMMITTEE. SO I BELIEVE IT WAS REAL. MY MOM WHO HAD JUST INHERITED THE MONEY FROM MY GRANDMOTHER PASSING, DECIDED SHE WOULD LOAN IT TO ME. I SENT THE MONEY AND NEVER SEEN IT AGAIN. I CALLED THE FBI BACK TO TELL THEM AND THEY SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING. THESE PEOPLE WERE SCAMMING FOR 6 WEEKS AFTER THAT AND NO ONE WOULD ARREST THEM. THE SCAMMERS CURSED ME AND TOLD ME THEY HAD ALL MY INFO. IF I DIDNT STOP CALLING THEY WOULD STEAL MY I.D. 3 MONTHS LATER THEY DID THE SCAMMERS OPENED 17 CREDIT CARDS AND TOOK THE REST OF MY SAVINGS. NOW I HAVE NOTHING . I OWE 50.00 TO EACH CARD AND 10,000.00 TO MY MOM. MY CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING ALL BECAUSE OF SCAMMERS. NOW I GET SCAM EMAIL AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. I GUESS YOU MUST LIVE AND LEARN BUT I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THE FBI WOULD NOT HELP.

[Frazzle]

Hi,

A sad story indeed.

But I don't think you can owe $50 for a credit card that you didn't initiate. I would refuse to pay that charge. If you weren't party to opening the account, then I think the credit card company were surely negligent in failing to check out the ID properly. I suggest you contact a lawyer about this.

The FBI won't help because they can't -- the crime was committed outside their jurisdiction. They can do nothing about a crime committed by a Nigerian living in Nigeria, for example. If any of the transactions involved the scammer sending stuff to you by paper mail, you could try the US Secret Service, I think.

If receiving scam mail bothers you, close your email account and open a new one. Tell your friends about the new one, and don't ever post it on a web site or guest book.

[Daneel]

If you say you called the FBI, IRS etc... can I assume those were numbers the scammers gave you? And they were US phone numbers? And they opened credit cards in your name? In that case they must be US-based or at least have accomplices there. Sadly often there isn't much the police can do even if you manage to get them interested, being a bit more persistent may help though, especially if the scammers are in the US.

[Nyla]

ABOUT 7 MONTHS AGO I RECEIVED A PHONECALL SAYIN I WON 4 MILLION DOLLARS FROM LIBERTYS SWEEPSTAKES NOT ONLY DID THEY HAVE LEGITIMATE PHONE NUMBERS,

When you say "legitimate" phone numbers, I assume you mean "functioning". Would you care to provide us with those phone numbers? I'm guessing they will check out as being mobile phones. Anonymous, prepaid mobile phones, paid for in cash, most likely. That's definitely a good thing to bear in mind for anyone who might be contacted by someone suspicious. Just because you phone and someone picks up at the other end, that doesn't mean the person on the other end is truly who they say they are.


BUT THEY SENT ME A FAX STATING EVERYTHING.

Again, just another heads up for others who might be reading this thread. There are actually online services that will allow you to fax documents. Some are even free. Faxes used to be confined to legitimate businesses and landlines in the past. That's no longer the case.



WELL 2 DAYS LATER I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL FROM THE IRS SAYING I NEEDED TO PAY THE TAXES ON THIS MONEY BEFORE I COULD RECEIVE IT. THE TAXES AND EXPENSES WERE 10,500.00 AND THIS WOULD TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING. THEY CALLED AND TALKED TO LOTS OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS AND HAD THEM CONVINCED ALSO THAT IT WAS LEGITIMATE.

The IRS would never contact someone and request taxes on a sweepstakes winning you haven't even received, yet. They certainly wouldn't be asking to speak with family members and sharing confidential information about your personal tax situation, either. Even in state lotteries, where you have purchased a ticket, the taxes are not requested out of your pocket. They can be taken out of your payment, but you are not required to pay them up front. I have to agree that the "IRS" was almost certainly one of the scammers posing as an IRS representative.

A good rule of thumb is to never, ever speak to anyone claiming to be your bank or the IRS when they phone you. Always insist on hanging up, looking up the contact number for the organization yourself, and phoning THEM. And always look up the toll free contact number in a trusted source. You may spend some extra time navigating voicemail options, but at least you can be certain you are speaking to a legitimate representative. The real IRS would probably know that it is illegal for any sweepstakes to require an advance fee in order to collect a prize. That law is in place specifically to protect people from these sorts of scams.


I EVEN CALLED THE FBI IN WASHINGTON DC, AND THEY SAID THAT THE ADDRESSES CHECKED OUT AND THE BUILDING OR SUITE THEY WERE CALLING FROM WAS THE SWEEPSTAKES COMMITTEE. SO I BELIEVE IT WAS REAL.

Again, if you can provide the number, I feel this will prove out to be an anonymous mobile. Even the most junior FBI agent would know that advance fees are illegal for sweepstakes or lotteries operating in the United States. If the scammers provided this number to you, it is going to be one of their own. I doubt the real FBI would even bother checking into it. They would be more likely to refer you to your local police.


MY MOM WHO HAD JUST INHERITED THE MONEY FROM MY GRANDMOTHER PASSING, DECIDED SHE WOULD LOAN IT TO ME. I SENT THE MONEY AND NEVER SEEN IT AGAIN. I CALLED THE FBI BACK TO TELL THEM AND THEY SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING. THESE PEOPLE WERE SCAMMING FOR 6 WEEKS AFTER THAT AND NO ONE WOULD ARREST THEM. THE SCAMMERS CURSED ME AND TOLD ME THEY HAD ALL MY INFO. IF I DIDNT STOP CALLING THEY WOULD STEAL MY I.D. 3 MONTHS LATER THEY DID THE SCAMMERS OPENED 17 CREDIT CARDS AND TOOK THE REST OF MY SAVINGS. NOW I HAVE NOTHING . I OWE 50.00 TO EACH CARD AND 10,000.00 TO MY MOM. MY CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING ALL BECAUSE OF SCAMMERS. NOW I GET SCAM EMAIL AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. I GUESS YOU MUST LIVE AND LEARN BUT I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THE FBI WOULD NOT HELP.

Did you actually report the scam to the legitimate authorities? Did you contact your local police and file a police report? You need ot get this on file with the real authorities. I suspect you haven't spoken to anyone who is actually with the IRS or FBI thus far. The phone company can be subpoenaed and they can see where the calls you received came from. Have you reported the identity theft? There are steps you can take that can help prevent further losses, and possibly reduce your debt. The ID theft center is here http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

Read this portion, especially. http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/con_steps.htm

It tells you what you should do after ID theft. I would also suggest legal counsel, if possible. Most lawyers offer free consultations, initially. They would best be able to counsel you on whether personal bankruptcy, or other legal steps should be taken. Having a lawyer to negotiate with your creditors is a good idea.

I'll be honest. It's very, very, very unlikely that reporting it will result in an arrest or recovery of your money, especially if it was transferred by Western Union or a similar service. Especially since a lot of time has passed. But getting this crime on record helps protect YOU, and that should be your primary concern right now. Debts can eventually be managed, credit can be rebuilt, but the first step to doing that is in your hands now. And the first thing you need to take care of is reporting this to the police, and getting your ID theft on record/preventing further damage.

We'll offer all the advice, information and support we can as you do, but you really do need to talk to your local police as soon as possible. I know that can be daunting, but they won't be judgmental, and they'll offer you all the help they can.

[bowen2370]

HERE ARE ALL THE PHONE NUMBERS I HAVE. 1-800-670-6480, 1-435-578-0304,1-978-223-2960, 1-888-332-3565 AND THE FBI NUMBERS I CALLED I GOT STRAIGHT FROM THE COMPUTER THEY ARE 1-202-278-2000,1-202-324-3000. I WENT AS FAR AS TO FAX ALL THE INFO TO THE FBI... TO EVERYONE THAT READS THIS .I FILED A POLICE REPORT I CALLED AND FILED A REPORT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND FILED WITH SEVERAL CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES. ALSO YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST 50.00 OF EVERY CREDIT CARD OPENED WHETHER YOU DID IT OR NOT, YOU CAN CHECK THE LAWS ON THIS YOURSELF.. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE NAMES AND MORE INFO. YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT <admin edit - email address removed for security purposes>

[Daneel]

1-800-670-6480

Mobile phone number according to this page (http://www.800domains.com/67/06.htm).
Found another who got scammed by the same gang here:
http://www.fortwayne.bbb.org/alerts/20050502.html
10. A northeast Indiana resident called to report that she had sent $1,700 to Security Sweepstakes [same criminals, different name], representing NSA 800-670-6480 out of Costa Rica. They told her that she and her husband had won $4.5 million and the $1,700 was needed for insurance. She did as they asked. The next day they called again and she won "even more than they thought" and she needed to send them $8,000 more. Consumers, please think it through. These sweepstakes lotteries are SCAMS! Once these con artists get you on their list, they often will continue to hassle you. You will never get your money back from an International lottery or from anyone who contacts you! Never give out your credit card number, your bank account number, a check, or anything they can use to get MORE cash from you.
This may well be a purely American brand of scamming scum. Makes you wonder how many other victims there are, sadly these kinds of crimes often go unreported or unacted upon, whether it's Nigeria or in the middle of the US.

The second two numbers appear to be landlines, they may possibly be traceable. The fourth I would guess is to an anonymous mobile phone as well.

The second FBI number definitely is the FBI. I'm not 100% sure about the first, but I doubt it belongs to any scammer.

[Frazzle]

ALSO YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST 50.00 OF EVERY CREDIT CARD OPENED WHETHER YOU DID IT OR NOT, YOU CAN CHECK THE LAWS ON THIS YOURSELF..

Hi,

I don't live in the USA, so I don't know the nuances of US law. And I'm not a lawyer.

However, a fundamental tenet of the law is that you cannot be held responsible for something which you did not do. And perhaps did not even know about.
Therefore, if a scammer fraudulently opens a credit card account in your name, then you can't be responsible for any part of the debts that he runs up on the card. Not even the first $50.

If you had nothing to do with opening of those accounts, then I suggest you point this out to the credit card companies and refuse to pay anything. I also suggest that you discuss this with an attorney.

[poirot]

By the way bowen2370, you should never post your email address in public forums. You can edit it out. The scammers harvest these. Use Fraudwatchers' Private Message (PM) instead.

[bowen2370]

THANK YOU, FOR ALL YOUR HELP. WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME I DID NOT KNOW ANY OF THESE SCAMS WERE OUT THERE. AFTER I GOT SCAMMED FOR MORE THAN 10,000. DOLLARS. THE POLICE TOLD ME I WAS 1 OF 6 PEOPLE IN MY SMALL TOWN THAT HAD BEEN HIT.I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS GOING ON ,NOW I TRY TO SPREAD THE WORD. ELDERLY PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA AND ARE STILL VERY TRUSTING TO PEOPLE. I HOPE MORE PEOPLE READ THESE STORIES AND KEEP THERE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS.