Once you realize that you have become a victim of an internet scam, such as a counterfeit money order or counterfeit cashier’s check scam, there are some things that you can do to try and help your case.
Things To Do:
- Close any other accounts that you have at that bank so they cannot freeze those accounts
- Turn off any direct deposits you have going into that account
- Turn off any automatic payments or withdrawals you have coming out of that account
- Open an account at another bank
- Contact the money wiring service that you used. If the money has not yet been picked up by anyone, there is a chance that they can still stop the wire transfer.
I would suggest writing a detailed letter including all of the facts, dates and times, and names and addresses, that tells your story. You can then use this one letter to submit or send your complaint to the places listed.
- your local police
- your local Secret Service and fill out the online form
- The Attorney General’s Office
- The Comptroller of the Currency
- The Internet Fraud Complaint Center
- Interpol
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Additional FTC information
- FDIC
- Call For Action
- If your money was wired Western Union, call
1-800-325-6000 Fraud Department - If you feel your bank did not handle the matter correctly, contact the Better Business Bureau
- Contact the website that you had your item for sale on and ask that they post a warning to all of their customers
- Contact the mail server that they scammer used, such as Yahoo!, and report that the email account is being used for criminal activity.
- Contact the media to help get the word out about these scam. If you need assistance with this please let us know. We have gathered some contacts over the years.
- Contact your local Senator. Our government officials need to know that this is a growing problem.
This information can also be found at http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/resources_cashier’s_check.htm
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