What to Do If You Get Scammed

Life seems full of all types of con artists, thieves and scammers. From the big name scammers like Bernard Madoff who scammed 50 billion dollars to local identity theft experts who sift through your trash looking for stray bits of valuable information, the odds are likely that - at some time - you will get scammed.

Getting scammed is an unfortunate part of life for millions of people. It may happen to you as a result of a business opportunity presented to you by telephone, the internet or mail or an investment by a seemingly legitimate financial planner. This article will not look at measures you should take to avoid getting scammed. We will look only at what to do after it happens.

First. Don't panic. I know, this will most likely happen at first. But after a few days when you have had a chance to recover a little and get a breath of air - count your blessings. This may seem impossible to do and may take some time, especially if your loss is large and/or is of sentimental value. Talk about this with friends or family, a trusted clergy member or therapist. Talking about your loss with someone you trust is therapeutic and will help to alleviate the stress you are feeling. It will also help to offset some of the stigma, embarrassment and guilt associated with these types of crimes. Remember, You are the victim - it is not your fault.

Second. Take inventory of what you have lost. Identify the dollars and cents of the investment opportunity you have participated in. Separately include email costs, phone calls and mail you may have sent. List the items you may have exchanged - property, vehicles, clothing, furniture, or any other valuables (anything with an asset value) that you provided as a result of the con and give an estimate of their value.

Third. Detail the transaction. To the best of your ability, detail exactly what was stated, the phone calls that were made and at what time and how long they lasted, print out all relevant emails, assemble all mailings and documentation you received. Write down everything that was said to you and even what you thought they meant by what they said. Be sure to note your thoughts as thoughts only, not what was actually stated. If you have the technical savvy and if the scam involves the internet, obtain screen shots of each website involved and get visitor statistics for each.

Fourth. Go over the incident in your mind. How were you first contacted? How did the scam progress? Who said what to whom? What were your feelings? You want to lay out in a timeline form all the events, statements, emails, phone calls, mail, and emails between you and the scammer. You use these to provide as detailed as possible a record of events in the order they occurred. Then rehearse this. Ask yourself questions. How did they first contact you? What did they say? What promises were made? Also ask yourself if there is anything you have forgotten. This question often serves to bring up pertinent facts and details we may have otherwise overlooked. Now, assemble everything in order and make multiple copies of everything, storing at least one copy in a safe location where only you have access and will not need it.

Fifth. Contact the appropriate authorities. A scam is illegal. You have been materially and possibly emotionally injured and damages are owed to you. You can expect to receive the appropriate compensation if available or justice to be done to those who have hurt you.

The first step is to contact your local police. Let them know what happened, how it happened and how much you may have lost. They will most likely request copies of your documentation although there may be nothing they can do about the incident as it may lie beyond their jurisdiction.

Next is the Better Business Bureau. Although they have been helpful in many cases, for this matter, you are not expecting their help; you are simply informing them of a scam being operated by a business in their jurisdiction. Cooperate with them fully if requested, but they have no legal authority to prosecute a crime. This is a crime, focus your energy in that direction.

Next, contact the state Attorney General in which the business or scammer is located. Let them know that you have been scammed, the amount of the scam, how much it has hurt you and ask them - politely - what they can do about it. Tell them you have documentation of the incident and will forward it to them upon request. Let them you know you expect progress and will check in on them at periodic intervals.

The FBI, the SEC, and the FTC. What happened to you may lie under the jurisdiction of any one or all of these organizations. With the rise of the internet, online frauds and scams have proliferated and each has a department tasked to handle such matters. Contact that department from their website and follow their lead. Tell them the scope and size of the scam providing all the detailed information you have. Tell them of your documentation and suggest you send it to them. As these organizations are very busy, they may or may not be able to help you depending on the size and nature of the scam, or they may take a long time to get back to you.

A local attorney. Your local attorney may be able to help you or refer you to an attorney who can. If you can afford their help, it may serve you to seek their assistance. You may wish to file for damages in civil court or - if you suspect a large scam - open a class action suit against the company or scammer.

If nothing much seems to be happening, start with step one again - the local police and ask them how their investigation is progressing. Continue with each step until you feel some progress is being made.

With these procedures, you should be able to recover some of your dignity and receive some satisfaction from the pain that was inflicted on you. The nature of these types of crimes make it unlikely that you will recover all of your money or property although it is possible you will receive some, but you must always maintain hope.

Good luck.

The Scam Report

Scams are ubiquitous these days. They arrive via email, postal mail, Internet, telephone, newspapers and magazines, even door-to-door. And as the economy worsens, you can bet that these scams will increase. They attack homeowners, car owners, unemployed, job seekers, senior citizens, students, the rich, the poor, the middle-class. I'll show you how they go phishing. How can you protect yourself? This article will answer those questions and help you protect your pocketbook.

These scammers have one thing in common, GREED! They want your money and will stop at nothing to do it, including lying, intimidation, bluffing, even physical threats. Let's look at the various means they do it.

In PRINT. They sometimes will run a full page advertisement in a magazine or newspaper. Most of us want something for nothing, or the next best thing. Get it 'below wholesale'. Usually a scammer leaves out the most important item in an ad. NO name, NO phone, NO email, NO website. NO way to reach them except the mailing address to mail your check to. And, some won't even accept a check. They want cash or money order.

They typically don't accept credit cards, as they would lose their merchant account as soon as they were discovered. If the ad has none of this information and demands cash or money order, STOP! Don't send for it. It's probably a scam. A legit company will proudly post their full name, who they are, a website, an email if you have questions, and a phone number, usually a toll free number.

And they will accept credit cards. Ordering by credit card helps protect you, as you have some recourse with their help. One way to help prevent others, is to write a letter of complaint to the publication. Why are they helping a scam artist? If it is legit, you may hear back from the editor.

By Email. Email, for the scammer, is a cheap way to mass communicate with millions of people virtually instantly. 20 years ago they had to do it my postal mail, and postage gets expensive. The email will have some outrageous headline. You click on the response in the ad, and are directed to a website that extols the virtues of the program, and how you can get rich too.

They say tomorrow is to late. Click now, and have credit card ready. Or, it's FREE, but you wind up paying $50 to $100 or more on your credit card without you knowing it.

By Phone. The Telemarketing scam. They call and appeal to your generosity in the past, and ask you to donate, (via credit card) to their 'charity'.. Another is jury duty scam, where someone calls saying their from the police dept, or court house, and you failed to report for jury duty (even though you were never selected).

Then scam you out of a few hundred dollars, taking advantage of your fear. Advice, Never give credit card number or social security number over the phone.

By Mail. You receive a letter stating you won a lottery in Canada, Europe or other nation. Call this number and collect. But first you need to pay the 'taxes' or other 'fees' to collect. They then collect several hundred dollars from you to collect your 'winnings' of thousands. Or the infamous Nigerian scam.

That's where you receive a letter stating some official in Nigeria dies, and they need to get millions out of the country. And if you let them deposit the millions in your bank account, you get a percentage of the money. Once they get your bank account and social security number, they are gone, along with your money.

Phishing. You receive a call or email advising you to visit a website that looks identical to your banks website. They want you to confirm certain information, like account numbers, passwords, social security number. Then of course they have access to your account.

Foreclosure frauds, and loan modifications. They take advantage of homeowners in trouble and fleece them for thousands, some times losing their home in the process.

Job Offers. More recently scammers are attracted to website with resumes of people looking for jobs. They promote a fake job, getting you to fill out job apps and paying for information or fees, and getting personal information.

Fake Checks or Counterfeit. The FBI reports this is a fast growing crime. Sending you a fake check, they look so real, then you deposit them in your account. If you are selling your car, say for $5000, they will send you a "Certified Check" for $6000, saying the extra thousand is for shipping costs, and please forward that thousand to some company. You wire the money, and a week later, the 'certified check' fails to clear, and you are out the money.

Other scams include, home repair, car repair, the Deaf and Mute using TTY, Identity theft, assemble products at home, stuff envelopes, evens kids and seniors get scammed. Other scams include: Dating, Business Opportunities, Tax Refunds, Pyramids, Missing Child Hoax, Online Auctions, weight loss, anti-aging, and promotions for 'government bailouts' and phony investments. And Now, the 'NEW STIMULUS Checks' scam.

GDI Scam

I have been around the Internet for a while and I have noticed that there are many network marketing companies out there that offer a lot of benefits for becoming part of them but many times they lie just to get you to join. That is why when I ran in to global domains international I thought it was just a GDI scam.

Many people think that GDI is a scam because of is low price and to be honest some of its members give it a bad reputation. The way they approach you with the business opportunity makes it seem as if all they care about if your money and this makes people think GDI is just a scam.

I was one of those people until I decided to try it out, I mean I didn't have anything to lose as they offer a free 7 day trial to try it out and is only 10 bucks a month. I told myself the risk was not that high so might as well try it out. This had to be the best decision I had made that day.

The potential residual income you can get from GDI is just mind blowing and no wonder people scream GDI scam. I honestly could not believe it myself until I experienced it first hand. I can tell you right now that GDI is far from being a scam and is a great opportunity for people to make some good income.

If you think that GDI is a scam the best suggestion I have is to try it out for the 7 days and see what happens. You truly have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

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How to Recognize Forex Frauds and Scams

Forex is a great profitable system, and unfortunately there are people out there using the system to scam you out of your money since you are trading over the internet. These scam artists are now becoming more popular with the growth of the Forex system. Scam artists can find people to scam through the media (newspapers, TV, radio etc).

Most scam artists pick on the new traders, since the experienced traders can spot a scam from a mile. As a new trader, you should thoroughly research the Forex system that you plan to join, and you should also gather all the background information on the system as well as any businesses you are considering to trade with.

With Forex trading there is always risk, and one way of finding a scam artist is to see the people who promise you no risk. It doesn't matter which company you trade with, there is always risk, so don't believe anyone who says there isn't, they just want your money!

You need to know that if you are trading in Forex you must have knowledge of this, otherwise you will fall into the basic trap, and could lose a lot of money.

Another obvious way of spotting a scam artist is a company that not only guarantees no risks, but also guarantees profits. Profiting from the system is up to you, and you alone as no one can say that you will (or won't) profit from a trade. If someone says they can guarantee you profits then stay away from them!

Another way to spot a scam artist is to find someone who promises you employment if you use their system. This is a way of making you spend money in their system to give them funding for their business. The basic tactic of these artists is to attract you with their training sessions, then they will take your money with various techniques and promise that you will make money from the training you have received.

To check if a company is under a scam artist influence, then check for Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and National Futures Association (NFA). Many respected businesses are members of these two groups, and if they're not, then you should be careful as they could be scam artists.

Know that scams can become technical since the Forex system is unregulated. If you do unfortunately get scammed then the best thing to do is contact the CFTC, as they are a federal agency that will investigate the scam and enforce their laws.

As you can see there is a risk to the Forex system of getting scammed. However, if you read this article before going into a trade and making sure everything checks out with the business you will have less risk of trading against a scammer.

Learn more about Forex [http://www.learnforexonline.net]. This website includes great information for learning Forex including Fundamental Analysis, Charting, and answers many FAQs regarding Forex Trading. You can also sign up for a free demo account to use to practice, as well as a Forex e-course, and download a free Forex Fundmentals ebook.

Wealthy Affiliate Review - A Scam Or Not?

If you are coming to this page then most likely you are really researching the website known as Wealthy Affiliate. Do you think that Wealthy Affiliate is a scam? I know that some do. However, I use this membership website right now and I have to tell you that I believe it to be far from a scam.

Wealthy Affiliate is a one stop shop If you need any online tool or resource in order to become successful at Internet marketing then Wealthy Affiliate is really the place to be. With tools that help you with keyword research, article creation, ppc campaigns, website builders and free website hosting you can really see the value.

But the true value of Wealthy Affiliate is in the member forum. With the help of other members you can get a better understanding as to why your marketing methods are falling short. If you need one on one coaching this website has you covered. I have personally been helped by Carson to aid me through a campaign I was building. Never in my life have I had that level of service from any membership website.

I have been scammed before and Wealthy Affiliate is no scam. I know what a scam is and unfortunately have plenty of experience in getting scammed. The creators of this website go through enormous effort to ensure that everyone is getting all the help they need. If you want to be a success then the first place I would start would be to look into Wealthy Affiliate.

Do others on the Wealthy Affiliate website believe it to be a scam? I know that some do. They are just disgruntled marketers who do not understand how much actual work it takes in order to be a success at this. Success does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of work. If you are looking for a quick fix then Wealthy Affiliate is not for you.

If Wealthy Affiliate made those claims then I would know it was a scam. Only the real low life's try to make you believe that all you have to do is tap into the Internet money machine and money will start flowing. That is a lie. The Internet is not some magical ATM machine where all you have to do is push a few buttons and people will pay you.

If you take the time and join Wealthy Affiliate for just one month you will truly the value of this website. Look over the many tutorials, the free resources and contact the website owners Kyle and Carson and see what they have to tell you about what you are doing. The only way to prove that this website is not a scam is to join and see for yourself. That is really the only way I was going to find out for myself.

So is Wealthy Affiliate a scam? In my opinion this is the only place to be to get really great information. The other websites are just inferior. I would not go so far as to call them a scam as I have not tried everyone of them.

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Work at Home Scams - The Ones to Avoid

We all have heard about work at home scams. I like to call these time wasters. These scams not only take our money, but they waste our most irreplaceable asset: our time.

Common schemes and scams

As an entrepreneur I have checked out and started many businesses. Along the way I have discovered many internet schemes and scams masquerading as legitimate businesses. They are usually advertised as easy and low cost. Here are some of the ones I have checked out. Surprisingly some of these have turned out to be legitimate although most are not.

Envelope Stuffing

Most of the companies who advertise envelope stuffing are just out to sell you a list of companies. Some companies are looking for people to mail out brochures. The reason they want you to mail their brochure, is because the return on investment stinks and they want you to waste your postage. Here's how they work. They give or sell you brochures and have you buy a mailing list. You mail out the brochures advertising their product(s). If a sale comes through they mail you a commission. Most ALL Envelope stuffing offers are work at home scams!

Mystery shopping Legitimate, But Not Worth Much

Here's how it's supposed to work: You sign up with a mystery shopping company to go into stores and pretend to be Joe Schmoe their average customer. You're checking to see if they are caring for customers and doing presentations the way the home office wants. You follow instructions on each shop, the way the shopping company wants it done and file a timely, accurate, well written report.

Now-a-days most shopping companies test you and have you sign up for Free on their internet sites. You sign a confidentiality agreement so you cannot share anything about them or the clients with others. When a successful shop is completed they mail you a check or pay you through PayPal. If you buy anything during a shop you usually are reimbursed. Many folks get into shopping for the free meals, drinks and goodies.

You can become a certified shopper online at the MSPA Association web site as many companies like to see that you are certified. Many shopping companies do their own testing as well.

I did work as a mystery shopper, to see just how much money can be made at it. It is Not a Scam although there are a few companies involved that are scammers. There is one that runs newspaper ads to get you to call in to an 800 number. When you do, they charge you a small fee to mail out a package.

This might be o.k., but it's what else they do, that is wrong, in my mind! While they have you on the phone, they try to enroll you in a buying club and a business where you have an internet shopping mall. The start up fee, that day, is small but the next month they charge you 9.95 a month for a listing of shopping assignments. Then, they charge you a fee for the shopping mall each month and 14.95 a month for the buying club. Seems like a boiler room operation to me.

Most legitimate companies, will not charge you to sign up, nor will they charge you for the listing of available shops each month. The biggest problem I had with this, is the lack of good shops to go on and the small fees they pay. Once you pay for gasoline it's unlikely to make any substantial money.

Filling Out Online Surveys

This one is all over the internet and many home business sites will try to get you to sign up to fill out surveys. I have always thought his was a scam, as these companies want to charge you a sign up fee to take surveys. Don't pay anyone to fill out surveys Some of the companies are charging a fee of 29.95 to 35.00 to sell you a list of survey companies. I would not buy that list. I have always thought surveys are a scam.

In order to be open minded, I did sign up for free with one of the survey companies to try them out. In about two months I did not get a check and found that, in most cases, the amount of time involved was more valuable to me than the pittance they pay to complete a survey. I still think they are scams. If I ever find a good survey deal I will let you know. Many home business sites promote surveys. They do this for Greed. For every customer the site owner gets a commission. Online surveys are work at home scams as far as I can see.

Home Business Match Up Services

There are pages across the internet that claim that they will match you up with companies to start a home business. What they do is have you fill out a form and register. What happened? You just gave them permission to sell you name and e-mail as a home business lead.They will sell it over and over again and your e-mail box will overflow with home business offers. You'll also get unsolicited phone calls from unsuspecting distributors who bought a hot lead! These home business match ups are work at home scams.

Internet Malls

The pitch on internet malls is a too good to be true one, if I ever heard one. Usually the only one making money on an internet mall is the guy or gal who set it up. The premise is here is: you own this internet page with all these goods people can buy. The catch is it takes a lot of traffic to make sales and if you are just another site selling at retail. Why would anyone buy from you? They can probably buy cheaper with a little shopping. Most malls prey on the ignorant and so they are work at home scams.

Paid Survey Scam Sites - Not All That Glitters is Gold

It seems like there isn't a single area of the internet that hasn't been hit by the old scam bug. Wherever there's money to be made, you can bet people will use shady methods to promote a new type of service. Their only goal is to take away your hard-earned money, after that you'll most likely never hear from them again. There are plenty of warning signs when it comes to scams in general, and these can often be applied to paid survey scam sites as well.

The good news is that you're aware and searching for information on this subject, which is the best thing you can do. Arming yourself with the power of knowledge, you can cast aside the darkness of ignorance and expose these propagating scam sites for what they are. So why target the paid surveys genre? It's quite simple really. Paid surveys are a well-known way of earning an income from home, which amounts to two things. More potential people to scam, and perhaps even more importantly, many people who are newcomers to the internet and making money online, and are more likely to be fooled than the veteran web surfer.

A well written sales pitch, some phony testimonials, and a shiny, professional looking exterior is all it takes to convince many people that these sites are legitimate. They end up shelling out a good deal of money and getting next to nothing in return. These scam sites usually have nothing but links to free sites that could be easily found somewhere else on the web with having to pay a premium fee.

A common paid survey scam of companies is to charge users for the right to take individual surveys. Whether you're with a free or paid survey site, this should never be the case. The company is most likely skimming money from the top, or simply won't send you money. In conjunction with this, these sites often have minimum payout limits before you'll receive any money. You'll need to continually pay them for surveys, and by the time you reach the minimum payout amount, you'll realize they aren't going to pay you and you just lost all the money you've invested in the surveys, as well as the time it took to complete them.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are many legitimate sites which offer services that may seem like a paid survey scam, but actually aren't. One of the most misunderstood and mistrusted of these is the product review job, which requires you to pay the shipping fee on an item so that you can receive and review it. These most often are not scams at all, but legitimate offers. You'll get to keep the product, as well the money that you'll earn from writing up the review about it.

Another common system which may seem like a scam at first glance is the points reward system. This one is similar to the minimum payout amount scam, as it will take a number of surveys to complete before you have a chance to claim any reward. These points systems are not scams though and will reward diligent survey takers with some nice merchandise after enough surveys have been taken.

Be aware and follow our advice of what likely constitutes a paid survey scam and what doesn't and you'll be well on your way to having an enjoyable online survey taking experience.

John Glover has seen it all and has been through most of the paid survey scam that exist online. Being fed up with these rip-off sites, he went on a quest to find the few legitimate paid survey sites that actually turn out to be a great additional source of income. On his website [http://www.paidsurveyspro.com] he offers a collection of paid survey tips as well as reviews and customer feedback of paid survey programs. If you want to avoid the paid survey scam sites then you should visit his website today.