ScamVictimsUnited.com

The holidays can be stressful on families, and if your family has just been hit by one of these scams it can be even harder. I remember the year that we were hit by the counterfeit cashier's check scam, and we were wondering if we would be able to get gifts for our two small kids that year. That is what inspired me to start a Secret Santa program with out website. We have done this in the past, and it has always really helped some families in need so I thought that we would try it again this year.

Here is how it works . . .
If you are a parent with young children who has recently been hit with a scam and you seriously do not know where you will find the money to get gifts for you children this holiday season, send me a private message with the subject "Dear Santa". In the email include the names and ages of your children and at least one thing that they would like this year (let's be reasonable and not ask for really expensive stuff) Also include your name and mailing address.

If you are a message board regular or someone who was hit by the scam years ago and has now financially recovered from the situation and would like to help someone else out, send me a private message with the subject “Santa’s Helper”. I will then send you the wish list of a family and you will purchase at least one gift for each child and ship it to the family in time for Christmas.

If you want to help but do not want to go and buy/ship a gift, contact me and you can donate money and I will purchase and send gift cards to a family with the money you donate.

Hopefully we will be able to match up ever wish list with one helper. Let’s make this a happy and magical holiday season for everyone!

When we got hit with the scam it was in October, and we were still trying to recover from it at Christmas of that year . . . my husband and I were actually out trying to find a couple gifts for each of our two kids that they wanted and that we could actually afford that year when our lawyer called us to say that we would be coming to an out of court settlement with the bank . . . that was our Christmas Miracle! I cied those same "happy tears" when we got that news!

That is what enspired us to do the Secret Santa program each year through the website. It brings so much joy and happiness to those who participate, both to those being "Santa's Helpers" and to those wishing for something under the tree. It is nice to know that you can help someone out that is in the same situation that you were in at one time. And we hope that those who use the wish list will return the favor in the future for another family when they can, or that people who found this site and were saved from becoming a scam victim will think about how close they came to being a victim and give a little something to the ones that did not find us in time.

As adults, we know that Christmas is not about the gifts, but how do you tell a 4 or 5 year old that there will not be a Christmas this year because it is hard enough to put food on the table because of this scam? No child should have to go through that. So this is our way of fighting back against the scammers by spreading a little kindness and joy to those who really need it.