Crux Polaris
14 November 2005, 09:00
What to do if you’re a victim of online fraud
A general guide to what to do if you've been made the victim of an online scam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every year, millions of people become victims of online fraud. Globally, this costs victims hundreds of millions of dollars, Euros, Yen, or whatever your currency is.
There are not only individual victims. Companies, organizations, churches, and charities also fall victim to the criminals operating the wide array of online fraud that exists, making the tracking of losses and the establishment of jurisdiction difficult.
The one thing that is important to remember if you find out you have become a victim of these criminals is that you are not alone! There are millions of other people out there who have suffered losses at the hands of online scam artists, and there are numerous support groups and websites set up to help you.
The group of people who comprise Fraudwatchers.org all have extensive experience with online scams and with providing support to those who have been robbed by the scammers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here follows a short manual of what you should do if you find that you’ve been scammed.
First and foremost don’t panic. Sit down, take a few deep breaths and clear your head. There is no immediate danger to any one or any thing. If you’re calm and collected, the next steps will be that much easier to get right.
Second, take a moment to assess the damage that has been done. Again, don’t panic – and don’t feel ashamed at being robbed; it was not your fault. Do you blame the victim of a street-robbing for being robbed? No. This is the same thing.
The important thing is to remember what the goal is, namely, to get your life back on track and do what you can to minimize the effects of what happened and get help from those who know about these things. Gather together the evidence you have of what has happened. This will in most cases include e-mails (with full headers), faxes, telephone bills, credit card statements (if you’ve used it to withdraw cash to send), and also all other paper trails you can think of that might contain information about the criminal.
We would also like to recommend you take a look at the articles on what to do if you’ve become a victim of identity theft (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253&highlight=crux). If you have provided the scammer with your personal information, you are at risk.
Contact your local law enforcement agency - they can refer you on to others as necessary. Make sure that you file a report with the police and turn over all your evidence to them. This is a very important point because a lot of insurance companies, credit card companies, and banks demand that there is a report filed with the police before they can do anything at all to help you. Make sure you get a confirmation letter from the law enforcement agency handling the case saying that the case has been reported, and what it is about, that you can take to your bank, etc.
Contact your bank and credit card company. If the scammer has your account numbers, these will be at risk and must be frozen, the numbers changed before they are reopened. Your credit card company will most likely be helpful if you have acted swiftly to limit the losses, and to make sure that noone can abuse your cards. Make sure you offer them a copy of the confirmation letter from the police. See the information here (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253&highlight=crux).
If you have given the scammer your Social Security number, or your country’s equivalent, look into getting it changed. This isn’t always possible, but you should try. Also, have your telephone number changed. Explain the reason to the telephone company and they will often do this free of charge.
Contact your friends and family if they have been affected by the scam. Tell them what to do and what you have done.
Get together with your closest family and tell them what has happened and what you need help with. Don’t be afraid of doing this – they will support you and help in any way they can. If you do not have any close family or friends you can contact, contact a professional support group as soon as possible.
Take the process on a day-to-day basis. Money can be replaced, and you will pull through this. Feel free to contact us by e-mail, private message, or through the forums if you have more questions.
-Crux Polaris-
For Fraudwatchers.org; Crux Polaris
This article Copyright:
Fraudwatchers.org 2005
A general guide to what to do if you've been made the victim of an online scam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every year, millions of people become victims of online fraud. Globally, this costs victims hundreds of millions of dollars, Euros, Yen, or whatever your currency is.
There are not only individual victims. Companies, organizations, churches, and charities also fall victim to the criminals operating the wide array of online fraud that exists, making the tracking of losses and the establishment of jurisdiction difficult.
The one thing that is important to remember if you find out you have become a victim of these criminals is that you are not alone! There are millions of other people out there who have suffered losses at the hands of online scam artists, and there are numerous support groups and websites set up to help you.
The group of people who comprise Fraudwatchers.org all have extensive experience with online scams and with providing support to those who have been robbed by the scammers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here follows a short manual of what you should do if you find that you’ve been scammed.
First and foremost don’t panic. Sit down, take a few deep breaths and clear your head. There is no immediate danger to any one or any thing. If you’re calm and collected, the next steps will be that much easier to get right.
Second, take a moment to assess the damage that has been done. Again, don’t panic – and don’t feel ashamed at being robbed; it was not your fault. Do you blame the victim of a street-robbing for being robbed? No. This is the same thing.
The important thing is to remember what the goal is, namely, to get your life back on track and do what you can to minimize the effects of what happened and get help from those who know about these things. Gather together the evidence you have of what has happened. This will in most cases include e-mails (with full headers), faxes, telephone bills, credit card statements (if you’ve used it to withdraw cash to send), and also all other paper trails you can think of that might contain information about the criminal.
We would also like to recommend you take a look at the articles on what to do if you’ve become a victim of identity theft (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253&highlight=crux). If you have provided the scammer with your personal information, you are at risk.
Contact your local law enforcement agency - they can refer you on to others as necessary. Make sure that you file a report with the police and turn over all your evidence to them. This is a very important point because a lot of insurance companies, credit card companies, and banks demand that there is a report filed with the police before they can do anything at all to help you. Make sure you get a confirmation letter from the law enforcement agency handling the case saying that the case has been reported, and what it is about, that you can take to your bank, etc.
Contact your bank and credit card company. If the scammer has your account numbers, these will be at risk and must be frozen, the numbers changed before they are reopened. Your credit card company will most likely be helpful if you have acted swiftly to limit the losses, and to make sure that noone can abuse your cards. Make sure you offer them a copy of the confirmation letter from the police. See the information here (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253&highlight=crux).
If you have given the scammer your Social Security number, or your country’s equivalent, look into getting it changed. This isn’t always possible, but you should try. Also, have your telephone number changed. Explain the reason to the telephone company and they will often do this free of charge.
Contact your friends and family if they have been affected by the scam. Tell them what to do and what you have done.
Get together with your closest family and tell them what has happened and what you need help with. Don’t be afraid of doing this – they will support you and help in any way they can. If you do not have any close family or friends you can contact, contact a professional support group as soon as possible.
Take the process on a day-to-day basis. Money can be replaced, and you will pull through this. Feel free to contact us by e-mail, private message, or through the forums if you have more questions.
-Crux Polaris-
For Fraudwatchers.org; Crux Polaris
This article Copyright:
Fraudwatchers.org 2005