Are you stuck in a scam situation? Do you think you might be? Well, below are some common questions and situations which we'll try and answer for you as best we can so that you can get out of the situation.
Disclaimer: Please note that everyone here is a volunteer and that we give freely of our time. We give you the best advice we can, but each scamming situation is unique. The answers below are general information and SUGGESTIONS, but you need to rely on your own instincts as well. And you should also talk to other people you know like family and friends for advice. We do this as a public service, but there are different laws in different places, and we don't know all of them. If you have a specific question about a specific situation, please feel to contact any admin and we will assist you as best we can.
1. I think I answered a scam mail. Am I in trouble?
2. The scammer wrote back. What do I do now?.
3. The scammer keeps writing. How do I make him stop?
4. The scammer has my real address. Am I in trouble?
5. The scammer has my phone number and calls me. How can I make him stop? Answer.
6. I sent the scammer a copy of my passport or ID. What should I do? Answer.
7. I sent the scammer my bank account information. What do I do now? Answer.
8. The scammer deposited money in my account. Is it mine? Answer.
9. The scammer sent me a webpage link to open a bank account. Should I? Answer.
10. The scammer asked for my credit card number and I gave it to him. What do I do? Answer.
11. I wired money to a scammer. Can I get it back? Answer.
12. The scammer wants to send me merchandise. What should I do? Answer.
13. The scammer sent merchandise to me. What should I do now? Answer.
14. The scammer sent me a check/cheque or bank draft. What should I do with it? Answer.
15. The scammer sent me a money order. What should I do with it? Answer.
16. The scammer sent me a package to forward. What should I do with it? Answer.
17. I met someone on the net and they love me. Do they really? Answer.
18. My friend sent me a web camera. What do I do now? Answer.
19. A company/person says they can help me recover money I lost. Can they? Answer.
20. An overseas company wants to get me a visa to work in their country. Will they? Answer
21. I’m ignoring the scammer’s emails but I still get some official looking email. What should I do? Answer.
22. I received an email from a government official. Read more.
23. I received an email or a phone call from a diplomat. Read more.
1. I think I answered a scam mail. Am I in trouble?
Not necessarily. Although I have no statistical studies to back this up, I would estimate that there is only about a 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 chance that the scammer will actually write back to you. This is based on my own observations.
Sometimes scammers will simply not answer their mail. They may get busy doing something else. They might forget the password to their email acount and have to start over, or they might lose their email account if the provider closes it down. Or they might not actually be interested in you.
If you answered a possible scam mail, don't worry unless you receive a reply. If you do receive one, just mark it as spam so that it bounces if they try and email you again. Or if you can "bounce" an email back, bounce it back to the sender. Don't reply to the email whatever you do. Delete it and ignore any more emails from the scammer.
2. The scammer wrote back. What do I do now?
Well, the easiest thing is to just delete the email and never respond to it. The scammer will probably send you more emails but eventually he will probably get tired and give up on you. Scammers are looking for willing victims. If you don't answer their emails they will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
If you have a yahoo account, mark the email as spam, and that should prevent any other emails from the scammer ever showing up in your inbox. If you have any other provider that lets you "bounce" an email back to the sender, bounce it back to the scammer.
Just because you get an email back from the scammer doesnt mean you need to answer it. In fact, you shouldn't because you will give away more information than you want to. And there's no need to write the scammer to tell him he is a scammer. He already knows that. And telling him that you know he is a scammer accomplishes nothing. Resist the temptation to respond.
Delete it, mark it as spam, and don't open or reply to them.
3. The scammer keeps writing. How do I make him stop?
You can't make him do anything, but you can discourage him.
As above, the best thing is to stop reading his emails. Mark them as spam so they are returned, bounce them, or just delete them. If you don't answer their emails they will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
Please do not read or respond to them. The scammer is going to try to cajole, persuade, shame, and even threaten you in order to get you to respond. If you are deleting the emails then you don't have to deal with what he says. He is going to invent more and more of a story to press you into responding. Remember, he wants to steal your money. Ignoring him is the best way to keep your money. And you should definitely quit communicating with the scammer especially if he has your real name and address or phone number.
No reponse is the best way to discourage him.
The scammer has my real address. Am I in trouble?
Well, it's not good, but it isn't the end of the world. If you do not answer emails, you will discourage him from contacting you. If you get snail mail from the scammer, throw it away. Better yet, take it to your local police and let them handle it.
Giving away your address to a scammer for any reason is not a good thing to do. If you live in North America, you may think you are safe. But keep in mind that there are gangs of scammer-criminals operating in Houston, Atlanta, and Toronto. If they want to pay you a visit, they can do that, and that isn't something you want. If you are in Europe, you may think you are safe. But keep in mind that there are gangs of scammer-criminals operating in London, Madrid and Amsterdam. They could pay you a visit too. If you live in Asia, maybe you think you are safe, but we know there are scammers operating in Japan, so you may not be as safe as you think.
The point is, stop communicating with the scammers. Don't say anything to them. You cannot say anything to them that will make anything better. You will just keep digging yourself a bigger hole. You might, emphasize might, be in danger. Don't panic, just stop all communication.
The scammer has my phone number and calls me. How can I make him stop?
You can't easily, but you can discourage him. Not answering the telephone when it rings is one way, although a bit annoying for friends and family. Another is to have your phone number changed. You can contact the phone company and tell them you are getting annoying calls and ask for a number change, if you live in a country where that is easily done. If you have a cell phone, same thing. Ask your provider for a new number. Some phone sysyems provide caller ID. Refuse calls from unidentified people.
Remember too that these calls may not be coming from all that far away. You could be getting a call from a scammer in North America if you live in North America. If you are in Europe you could also be getting a call from nearer than you think.
Scammers love to get your phone number because they like the personal touch. It's easier for them to steal your money if they can talk to you on the phone. It's much harder to say "no" to someone on the phone.
In the future, don't give your number to anyone except family, friends, and people at work that you trust.
Don't answer the calls, and that will discourage him. If you don't answer the phone the scammer will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
I sent the scammer a copy of my passport or ID. What should I do?
We hope you really didn't do that. Unfortunately we know that people do.
It is not good to send a copy of your passport to a scammer. One thing they can do is to use the copy as a template to make fake passports to use to scam other people. Our section on passports http://antifraudintl.org/forumdisplay.php?f=13 is full of fake passports made from passport templates. Our section on Fake ID's is full of fakes made from templates http://antifraudintl.org/forumdisplay.php?f=17
The other thing a scammer can do is to actually use your passport or ID as his own, in short, he can steal your identity. He can set up an email under your name and use your name and passport to scam people. You don't need the problem of having your name associated with scamming.
What to do:
If you have sent a copy of your passport or ID, the thing you need to do is to contact the issuing agency as soon as you can. Tell them what happened. In some cases you can get a new passport. If you sent a copy of your driver's licence, get a new licence. Or get a copy of any kind of new ID.
If you get new ID, you have learned not to ever send a copy of it to someone on the internet, no matter what. No legitimate person will ask you to email a copy of your ID. Scammers will ask you to do that.
I sent the scammer my bank account information. What do I do now?
Oops. Well as you have probably figured out that was not a good idea.
What to do:
The first thing is to immediately, like ASAP, like today, contact your local bank or branch bank office. Tell the manager what has happend, that a scammer has your bank account information. That way the bank knows to keep an eye on your account to watch for any kind of unusual transaction.
The next thing is that you should probably ask to have an entirely new account set up. This can be a hassle because you have to get new checks, or a new ATM card, etc., but the hassle is better than the alternative of possibly having money stolen from your bank account.
Can scammers really steal money from my account?
Yes, they can. Once they have your bank information and account number, it is possible they could access your bank account. They can sometimes do this remotely, or they might have a friend actually working in the bank who can do it.
Never, ever give your bank account information out to people on the internet, and especially do not give it to a scammer, no matter what.
The scammer deposited money in my account. Is it mine?
No it isn't, because the money will not be in your acount long.
Sometimes the scammers will promise to do a wire transfer and send some money to you as a sign of good faith on their part. They want to show you how "real" this business of theirs is and how sincere they are. After all, they are sending money to you and they have no idea what you might do once you have it. But....there really isn't any money, and if you tried to withdraw it all, you would probably find that you have problems doing that. Putting money in your account is called "flash" money, and it's the same as any con artist: they show you a little to convince you you can make a lot. But really, the only money involved here is yours.
A scammer may also have a friend in your area who might depost a check in your account, again to show you some "flash". But the money won't stay there, because any check deposited might be fake or stolen. It might look like your balance increased but it won't stay that way for long. As they become more skilled in scamming, some scammers may have actually placed an ally in that bank who might be able to access your account and alter it so that there appears to be a deposit and a larger balance.
If you find yourself in this situation, you should immediately contact your bank and tell them what is happening. Don't rely on the good faith of a criminal or a gang of criminals. Tell your bank everything that has happened and don't try to withdraw any of that money. Any shortage in your account, because of an overdraft or a returned check, is going to be made up by you. No one else.
If you get money like this, imagine that it is just "pretend" money because it is. You aren't going to get it, you can't keep it, and you aren't going to get millions of dollars from a scammer either.
Disclaimer: Please note that everyone here is a volunteer and that we give freely of our time. We give you the best advice we can, but each scamming situation is unique. The answers below are general information and SUGGESTIONS, but you need to rely on your own instincts as well. And you should also talk to other people you know like family and friends for advice. We do this as a public service, but there are different laws in different places, and we don't know all of them. If you have a specific question about a specific situation, please feel to contact any admin and we will assist you as best we can.
1. I think I answered a scam mail. Am I in trouble?
2. The scammer wrote back. What do I do now?.
3. The scammer keeps writing. How do I make him stop?
4. The scammer has my real address. Am I in trouble?
5. The scammer has my phone number and calls me. How can I make him stop? Answer.
6. I sent the scammer a copy of my passport or ID. What should I do? Answer.
7. I sent the scammer my bank account information. What do I do now? Answer.
8. The scammer deposited money in my account. Is it mine? Answer.
9. The scammer sent me a webpage link to open a bank account. Should I? Answer.
10. The scammer asked for my credit card number and I gave it to him. What do I do? Answer.
11. I wired money to a scammer. Can I get it back? Answer.
12. The scammer wants to send me merchandise. What should I do? Answer.
13. The scammer sent merchandise to me. What should I do now? Answer.
14. The scammer sent me a check/cheque or bank draft. What should I do with it? Answer.
15. The scammer sent me a money order. What should I do with it? Answer.
16. The scammer sent me a package to forward. What should I do with it? Answer.
17. I met someone on the net and they love me. Do they really? Answer.
18. My friend sent me a web camera. What do I do now? Answer.
19. A company/person says they can help me recover money I lost. Can they? Answer.
20. An overseas company wants to get me a visa to work in their country. Will they? Answer
21. I’m ignoring the scammer’s emails but I still get some official looking email. What should I do? Answer.
22. I received an email from a government official. Read more.
23. I received an email or a phone call from a diplomat. Read more.
1. I think I answered a scam mail. Am I in trouble?
Not necessarily. Although I have no statistical studies to back this up, I would estimate that there is only about a 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 chance that the scammer will actually write back to you. This is based on my own observations.
Sometimes scammers will simply not answer their mail. They may get busy doing something else. They might forget the password to their email acount and have to start over, or they might lose their email account if the provider closes it down. Or they might not actually be interested in you.
If you answered a possible scam mail, don't worry unless you receive a reply. If you do receive one, just mark it as spam so that it bounces if they try and email you again. Or if you can "bounce" an email back, bounce it back to the sender. Don't reply to the email whatever you do. Delete it and ignore any more emails from the scammer.
2. The scammer wrote back. What do I do now?
Well, the easiest thing is to just delete the email and never respond to it. The scammer will probably send you more emails but eventually he will probably get tired and give up on you. Scammers are looking for willing victims. If you don't answer their emails they will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
If you have a yahoo account, mark the email as spam, and that should prevent any other emails from the scammer ever showing up in your inbox. If you have any other provider that lets you "bounce" an email back to the sender, bounce it back to the scammer.
Just because you get an email back from the scammer doesnt mean you need to answer it. In fact, you shouldn't because you will give away more information than you want to. And there's no need to write the scammer to tell him he is a scammer. He already knows that. And telling him that you know he is a scammer accomplishes nothing. Resist the temptation to respond.
Delete it, mark it as spam, and don't open or reply to them.
3. The scammer keeps writing. How do I make him stop?
You can't make him do anything, but you can discourage him.
As above, the best thing is to stop reading his emails. Mark them as spam so they are returned, bounce them, or just delete them. If you don't answer their emails they will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
Please do not read or respond to them. The scammer is going to try to cajole, persuade, shame, and even threaten you in order to get you to respond. If you are deleting the emails then you don't have to deal with what he says. He is going to invent more and more of a story to press you into responding. Remember, he wants to steal your money. Ignoring him is the best way to keep your money. And you should definitely quit communicating with the scammer especially if he has your real name and address or phone number.
No reponse is the best way to discourage him.
The scammer has my real address. Am I in trouble?
Well, it's not good, but it isn't the end of the world. If you do not answer emails, you will discourage him from contacting you. If you get snail mail from the scammer, throw it away. Better yet, take it to your local police and let them handle it.
Giving away your address to a scammer for any reason is not a good thing to do. If you live in North America, you may think you are safe. But keep in mind that there are gangs of scammer-criminals operating in Houston, Atlanta, and Toronto. If they want to pay you a visit, they can do that, and that isn't something you want. If you are in Europe, you may think you are safe. But keep in mind that there are gangs of scammer-criminals operating in London, Madrid and Amsterdam. They could pay you a visit too. If you live in Asia, maybe you think you are safe, but we know there are scammers operating in Japan, so you may not be as safe as you think.
The point is, stop communicating with the scammers. Don't say anything to them. You cannot say anything to them that will make anything better. You will just keep digging yourself a bigger hole. You might, emphasize might, be in danger. Don't panic, just stop all communication.
The scammer has my phone number and calls me. How can I make him stop?
You can't easily, but you can discourage him. Not answering the telephone when it rings is one way, although a bit annoying for friends and family. Another is to have your phone number changed. You can contact the phone company and tell them you are getting annoying calls and ask for a number change, if you live in a country where that is easily done. If you have a cell phone, same thing. Ask your provider for a new number. Some phone sysyems provide caller ID. Refuse calls from unidentified people.
Remember too that these calls may not be coming from all that far away. You could be getting a call from a scammer in North America if you live in North America. If you are in Europe you could also be getting a call from nearer than you think.
Scammers love to get your phone number because they like the personal touch. It's easier for them to steal your money if they can talk to you on the phone. It's much harder to say "no" to someone on the phone.
In the future, don't give your number to anyone except family, friends, and people at work that you trust.
Don't answer the calls, and that will discourage him. If you don't answer the phone the scammer will eventaully move on to greener pastures.
I sent the scammer a copy of my passport or ID. What should I do?
We hope you really didn't do that. Unfortunately we know that people do.
It is not good to send a copy of your passport to a scammer. One thing they can do is to use the copy as a template to make fake passports to use to scam other people. Our section on passports http://antifraudintl.org/forumdisplay.php?f=13 is full of fake passports made from passport templates. Our section on Fake ID's is full of fakes made from templates http://antifraudintl.org/forumdisplay.php?f=17
The other thing a scammer can do is to actually use your passport or ID as his own, in short, he can steal your identity. He can set up an email under your name and use your name and passport to scam people. You don't need the problem of having your name associated with scamming.
What to do:
If you have sent a copy of your passport or ID, the thing you need to do is to contact the issuing agency as soon as you can. Tell them what happened. In some cases you can get a new passport. If you sent a copy of your driver's licence, get a new licence. Or get a copy of any kind of new ID.
If you get new ID, you have learned not to ever send a copy of it to someone on the internet, no matter what. No legitimate person will ask you to email a copy of your ID. Scammers will ask you to do that.
I sent the scammer my bank account information. What do I do now?
Oops. Well as you have probably figured out that was not a good idea.
What to do:
The first thing is to immediately, like ASAP, like today, contact your local bank or branch bank office. Tell the manager what has happend, that a scammer has your bank account information. That way the bank knows to keep an eye on your account to watch for any kind of unusual transaction.
The next thing is that you should probably ask to have an entirely new account set up. This can be a hassle because you have to get new checks, or a new ATM card, etc., but the hassle is better than the alternative of possibly having money stolen from your bank account.
Can scammers really steal money from my account?
Yes, they can. Once they have your bank information and account number, it is possible they could access your bank account. They can sometimes do this remotely, or they might have a friend actually working in the bank who can do it.
Never, ever give your bank account information out to people on the internet, and especially do not give it to a scammer, no matter what.
The scammer deposited money in my account. Is it mine?
No it isn't, because the money will not be in your acount long.
Sometimes the scammers will promise to do a wire transfer and send some money to you as a sign of good faith on their part. They want to show you how "real" this business of theirs is and how sincere they are. After all, they are sending money to you and they have no idea what you might do once you have it. But....there really isn't any money, and if you tried to withdraw it all, you would probably find that you have problems doing that. Putting money in your account is called "flash" money, and it's the same as any con artist: they show you a little to convince you you can make a lot. But really, the only money involved here is yours.
A scammer may also have a friend in your area who might depost a check in your account, again to show you some "flash". But the money won't stay there, because any check deposited might be fake or stolen. It might look like your balance increased but it won't stay that way for long. As they become more skilled in scamming, some scammers may have actually placed an ally in that bank who might be able to access your account and alter it so that there appears to be a deposit and a larger balance.
If you find yourself in this situation, you should immediately contact your bank and tell them what is happening. Don't rely on the good faith of a criminal or a gang of criminals. Tell your bank everything that has happened and don't try to withdraw any of that money. Any shortage in your account, because of an overdraft or a returned check, is going to be made up by you. No one else.
If you get money like this, imagine that it is just "pretend" money because it is. You aren't going to get it, you can't keep it, and you aren't going to get millions of dollars from a scammer either.