Have You Been Ripped Off? Here's What You Do!

ridewiththewind

ridewiththewind

♥ Hippie Hustler ♥
Silver Member
If you have been ripped off by a seller/buyer here, it is considered Internet Fraud. Internet Fraud is handled by the FBI. If you call them, they are going to tell you exactly what I am....you have to fill out their Internet Fraud Complaint Form first. So, to save a little time, here's the link:

http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx

After you have done this, then you can contact your local FBI Field Office...the number often being in the phone book, or go to the FBI's Website:

http://www.fbi.gov/


I might also suggest contacting the one of the FBI Field Offices in the state that the seller/buyer lives in whom ripped you off. This way you are rattling multiple cages.


If you are residing overseas, you will need to contact one of the FBI Legal Attache' Offices, which are often housed within a US Embassy or Consulate. This info is also available at the FBI's website, but it can be tricky finding the correct office to contact, so if you need help with that, shoot me a PM, but I will need the country you reside in.

Now you are armed with some ammunition with which to fight back....do it!

Lisa
 
people like you

people like you are the reason im always on this site . i have met some very nice people on here unlike most fourms i have been on , thanks for looking out for us new people :thumbup:
 
If you are the buyer

Try to pay with USPS money order and have the sellers phone number and of course address for the local Post master. They can have warrants issued for postal fraud.
Nick :)
 
I would be wary, and ask for references from, anyone who is a new member who immediately starts listing For Sale ads. I am by no means stating that new members are any more or less dishonest than a more established member...just saying that some individuals have no qualms about setting up multiple accounts on a fairly regular basis...just be a little extra cautious, is all.
 
nick serdula said:
Try to pay with USPS money order and have the sellers phone number and of course address for the local Post master. They can have warrants issued for postal fraud.
Nick :)
Click to expand...

I would like to add that if you are a seller, and receive payment for an item via a USPS Postal Money Order, take it to your local Post Office to verify it is a legit MO before sending out the item or taking the MO to the bank. There have been counterfeit USPS Postal Money Orders circulating around in the past, and it does happen periodically. Protect yourself.
 
Have you been ripped off........

Very useful and good information..............Thanks
 
ridewiththewind said:
If you have been ripped off by a seller/buyer here, it is considered Internet Fraud. Internet Fraud is handled by the FBI. If you call them, they are going to tell you exactly what I am....you have to fill out their Internet Fraud Complaint Form first. So, to save a little time, here's the link:

http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx

After you have done this, then you can contact your local FBI Field Office...the number often being in the phone book, or go to the FBI's Website:

http://www.fbi.gov/


I might also suggest contacting the one of the FBI Field Offices in the state that the seller/buyer lives in whom ripped you off. This way you are rattling multiple cages.


If you are residing overseas, you will need to contact one of the FBI Legal Attache' Offices, which are often housed within a US Embassy or Consulate. This info is also available at the FBI's website, but it can be tricky finding the correct office to contact, so if you need help with that, shoot me a PM, but I will need the country you reside in.

Now you are armed with some ammunition with which to fight back....do it!

Lisa
Click to expand...

This is extremely valuable info Lisa, appreciate you posting. It should really be added to a sticky thread. I've been lucky thus far with my transactions (touch wood), but it's good to know what I need to do if I ever meet with such problems.
 
Keep Bumping...

If everyone who has read the last couple of posts by Lisa would bump them with some comment...even a simple "thanks" for the info, they probably will become a "sticky"! :thumbup:

Lisa, I'm not sure what exactly "got your goat" that made you feel you needed to share the last couple of posts...but it seems as though it may have been a double-edged-sword situation...we all benefit from whatever fired you up!!! I'm sorry if something negative happened to you in order for something positive to happen for the rest of us! :o

I'm typically the type of guy who likes to "spit" in his hand and shake on it...not real conducive in an internet environment...it's just a different time...with society in general having different moral and ethical values nowadays. (Yeah, the spitting in the hand thing was figuratively speaking...but I would if I had to...:p)

You definitely expressed some TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL information to those of us internet and AZ "laymen"! :thumbup:

Thank you very much...you are very much appreciated! :thumbup:

Jason
 
ridewiththewind said:
I would like to add that if you are a seller, and receive payment for an item via a USPS Postal Money Order, take it to your local Post Office to verify it is a legit MO before sending out the item or taking the MO to the bank. There have been counterfeit USPS Postal Money Orders circulating around in the past, and it does happen periodically. Protect yourself.
Click to expand...

^This
I saw someone in the post office last week get turned away from cashing a MO. They determined he had been paid by a fake due to lack of water mark.
 
Great info

Great info right there. It is ashame we have to do this and get this information, but this is what the world is coming to. Thanks.
 
ridewiththewind said:
If you have been ripped off by a seller/buyer here, it is considered Internet Fraud. Internet Fraud is handled by the FBI. If you call them, they are going to tell you exactly what I am....you have to fill out their Internet Fraud Complaint Form first. So, to save a little time, here's the link:

http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx

After you have done this, then you can contact your local FBI Field Office...the number often being in the phone book, or go to the FBI's Website:

http://www.fbi.gov/


I might also suggest contacting the one of the FBI Field Offices in the state that the seller/buyer lives in whom ripped you off. This way you are rattling multiple cages.


If you are residing overseas, you will need to contact one of the FBI Legal Attache' Offices, which are often housed within a US Embassy or Consulate. This info is also available at the FBI's website, but it can be tricky finding the correct office to contact, so if you need help with that, shoot me a PM, but I will need the country you reside in.

Now you are armed with some ammunition with which to fight back....do it!

Lisa
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information Lisa.
Unfortunately there are scumbags that lurk everywhere.
What really gets me is when a POS offers premium merchandise then sends you junk then tries to pacify you by sending you some more junk.
 
Great info here, Lisa. I want to also say publically here that there are a TON of really straight forward, honest people buying and selling here on AZ. The scumbags are in the very small minority. Unfortunately, a few repeat offendors keep popping up from time to time. Everyone should be vigilant, especially when dealing with new users with little history here and/or no references.
 
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ridewiththewind said:
If you have been ripped off by a seller/buyer here, it is considered Internet Fraud. Internet Fraud is handled by the FBI. If you call them, they are going to tell you exactly what I am....you have to fill out their Internet Fraud Complaint Form first. So, to save a little time, here's the link:

http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx

After you have done this, then you can contact your local FBI Field Office...the number often being in the phone book, or go to the FBI's Website:

http://www.fbi.gov/


I might also suggest contacting the one of the FBI Field Offices in the state that the seller/buyer lives in whom ripped you off. This way you are rattling multiple cages.


If you are residing overseas, you will need to contact one of the FBI Legal Attache' Offices, which are often housed within a US Embassy or Consulate. This info is also available at the FBI's website, but it can be tricky finding the correct office to contact, so if you need help with that, shoot me a PM, but I will need the country you reside in.

Now you are armed with some ammunition with which to fight back....do it!

Lisa
Click to expand...



Good information Lisa, I think that this is some best I have seen posted on this subject.

Thanks Craig
 
I took a large one to the post office for verification. They didn't know, other then it looks like a real one. They were no help. I'm just happy it was real.
ridewiththewind said:
I would like to add that if you are a seller, and receive payment for an item via a USPS Postal Money Order, take it to your local Post Office to verify it is a legit MO before sending out the item or taking the MO to the bank. There have been counterfeit USPS Postal Money Orders circulating around in the past, and it does happen periodically. Protect yourself.
Click to expand...
 
JAMSGOLF said:
If everyone who has read the last couple of posts by Lisa would bump them with some comment...even a simple "thanks" for the info, they probably will become a "sticky"! :thumbup:

Lisa, I'm not sure what exactly "got your goat" that made you feel you needed to share the last couple of posts...but it seems as though it may have been a double-edged-sword situation...we all benefit from whatever fired you up!!! I'm sorry if something negative happened to you in order for something positive to happen for the rest of us! :o

I'm typically the type of guy who likes to "spit" in his hand and shake on it...not real conducive in an internet environment...it's just a different time...with society in general having different moral and ethical values nowadays. (Yeah, the spitting in the hand thing was figuratively speaking...but I would if I had to...:p)

You definitely expressed some TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL information to those of us internet and AZ "laymen"! :thumbup:

Thank you very much...you are very much appreciated! :thumbup:

Jason
Click to expand...

I have been fortunate enough to have never had to suffer a rip-off. Much of it is partly due to following some of the little things I have learned along the way. A major one is to only deal with those I trust. Friendships have been forged over my time being here, and it is a case of AZB at it's finest....a golden networking opportunity. People here are generally more than happy to answer just about any question one could think of. Lot's of people have had dealings with others I may not have dealt with. They will be more than happy to warn you off, if given the opportunity....as well as highly recommend, again, when simply asked.

My ire came from watching yet one more individual ripped off by a multiple repeat offender. He has managed, over the years, to set up multiple accounts in which to conduct his nefarious dealings. While the Mods attempt to track these IP addresses, they simply cannot do it alone. This guy was not the only one, others have used similar tactics.

I just wanted to make people more aware, and to hopefully give them some of the tools by which not to be a victim of a scam artist.

Lisa
 
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06Busa said:
I took a large one to the post office for verification. They didn't know, other then it looks like a real one. They were no help. I'm just happy it was real.
Click to expand...

Some of the clerks do not have a clue what to look for. I always ask for the Postmaster of that office, as they are trained to be able to tell a real from a fake USPS Postal Money Order.
 
great info. definitely should be a sticky!

i would like to add that using USPS is great. if someone attempts to scam you when using USPS and you can prove it, they have now committed a federal offense with mail fraud:) signature on delivery and delivery confirmation are worth the extra buck or two also!

had a run in with an AZ buyer who tried to reverse charges the day after i sent the product out. guess this party didnt expect me to have spent some additional money on delivery confirmation and signature required on delivery, when asked about why my credit card company/paypal claimed they had attempted to reverse the deposit, they tried to play coy and gave a quite poor and asinine response. best 80 cents i spent :)
 
nice info...not to be a pessimist, but would like to know if anyone has ever had the FBI follow up or investigate anything submitted? i get the feeling a lot of this never gets worked on, perhaps not "big" enough for their attention?
 
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