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Fraud Center
If you have lost money from an online scam it is almost
impossible to reclaim those funds. As such prevention is the key
and not to fall into a trap to begin with is the answer to avoiding
online scams. The two most basic rules when dealing with online
sites are to never pay cash and to sense check the offer. If it
is too good to be true then more than likely it isn't.
The most
basic rule: Do not ever send cash for online purchases!
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The importance of never paying cash is that you can
always claim a refund with your credit card company or third party
processor such as Paypal. The only time you cannot make a claim
is if you pay in cash.
If you believe you are a victim of fraud or have been
scammed there are multiple avenues to pursue your complaints though.
But do not expect a prompt response or reply from any organizations
in regards to online scams.
The below sites are either governmental websites or
other fraud focused organizations that either investigate scams
and frauds or collect data for future investigative purposes for
either the public to use, or civil and crimial law enforcement agencies.
IC3 - Internet Crime Complaint Center
Governmental website that refer complaints to the appropriate
law enforcement agency.
The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and
easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities
of suspected criminal or civil violations. IC3 accepts online
Internet crime complaints from either the person who believes
they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant.
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Econsumer
econsumer.gov is a portal for you as a consumer to report
complaints about online and related transactions with foreign
companies.
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Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection
agency, collects complaints about companies, business practices,
identity theft, and episodes of violence in the media. The
FTC enters all complaints it receives into Consumer Sentinel,
a secure online database that is used by thousands of civil
and criminal law enforcement authorities worldwide. The
FTC does not resolve individual consumer complaints.
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Online Fraud and Scam Sites
If you have been a victim of fraud it is important to alert
others of the websites that are fraudulent. This may also
be one of the most efficient ways of shutting down a website.
With Google searches anyone can now find out some history
on specific websites. The more postings the easier they
are to find.
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http://www.scam.com
http://www.ripoffreport.com
Google
search for other sites
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