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Scammed? Steps to Take to Keep It From Getting Worse

Posted on by ratrace
What to do if you fall victim to a scam

by Chris Durst    Sep. 28, 2023

Scammers are an unfortunate reality in our technology-driven world and, with so many ways for them to hide and lots of money to be made, there’s no incentive for them to stop.

People seeking work from home jobs are not excluded from scammer’s target lists and far too often they fall prey to these schemes.

If you find yourself on the wrong end of a scam, here are a few steps you should take right away to minimize the damage.

In most cases, depending on what information you provided to the scammers, they may have a copy of your DRIVER’S LICENSE, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, PAYPAL ACCOUNT INFORMATION or other details.

With the right combination of information, scammers can open credit card accounts in your name, try to set up fake PayPal accounts and cause other financial trouble.

If you have concerns about this, you should:

1. Notify your bank to alert them to be on the lookout for any unusual activity and/or, ask them to assign you a new account number.

2. Visit the Social Security Administration website to find out what you can do about possible identity theft: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10064.pdf

3. Contact one of the three major credit-reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion, or Experian — to place a freeze/fraud alert on your credit file.

  • To speak to Equifax, call 1-888-766-0008 or visit this Web page.
  • To contact Experian, call 1-888-397-3742 or go here.
  • For TransUnion, the phone number is 1-800-680-7289 or you can go here.

The agency you place a fraud alert with will contact the other two. Renew the fraud alert every 90 days (it’s free to do so) until you’re satisfied the matter has been settled; it could take years.

If the scam involved you receiving packages and shipping them out, take these extra steps:

4.  Go on the record with the POLICE.

The local police will not be able to track the scammers if they are outside of the US, but you should go to the nearest State Police station and report that you are a victim of a scam. While you are there, get the name of the officer you speak with, their badge number, and the date and time you spoke with them.

This will be important if/when they (the State Police) are contacted by a store or credit card company stating that you have committed a crime.

They will still have to investigate, but the fact that you self-reported will help you in the long run.

5. Print out every email communication, every mailing label, every piece of information you have that helps to show that you REALLY thought you were performing work for a legitimate job.

6. Make at least FOUR files and put a full set of copies of everything you printed out. Keep one for yourself and keep the other three in a place where you can access them easily to give to the authorities if/when they show up at your home.

DO NOT make the mistake of handing the only evidence you have of your innocence over without keeping copies for yourself.

Understand that, if the police come to your home with a search warrant, they will likely take your computer so DO NOT assume you don’t need a printed copy since you already have it on your computer.

7. If the police do show up at your home, don’t be difficult.

REMEMBER, they have hard evidence that YOU DID RECEIVE STOLEN GOODS. Every package was sent to your address, so you are the only person who is on their radar. They are not trying to set you up, they are following the paper trail.

a. Provide them with the documents you printed (see step 6, above),

b. explain what happened,

c. provide them with the details of your visit to the State Police department in which you reported the crime/victimization, and

d. cooperate to help them track down the truth.

 

HOW DO THESE SCAMS WORK?

Here are some posts and videos to help you better understand how scammers work:

Reshipping Scams
Scammers from outside of the US have been taking advantage of job seekers in the states with “Reshipping Scams” and “Gift Wrapping” scams. This work from home scam involves landing a job as a Giftwrapper, Logistics Specialist, Shipping Inspector, or any number of other job titles.
The “work” involves receiving packages at your home and reshipping them.

This video will show you how these scams work so that you can better identify and avoid them.

Watch our video about Reshipping Scams on YouTube.

Phishing Scams

These scams are designed to gather enough personal and financial information from you to steal your identity, set up new credit cards and accounts in your name, and generally gut you financially.

Watch our video on one of these Phishing Scams on YouTube.

You Won a Prize… But Have to Pay a Fee Scams

You’re contacted out of the blue and told you’ve won a prize! All you have to do is pay a fee to get it delivered.

Read this conversation Chris had with a scammer (he works for Google and is a policeman, she is… an astronaut).

Your Computer Has Been Infected! Tech Support Scams

You get a pop-up telling you to get in touch with tech support right away. Beware.

Watch our video on a “Microsoft” Tech Support Scam on YouTube.

We’ve done our best to spread the word on our own, but the scam continues to rope in thousands of Americans who are looking for a real job. Maybe, if we all work together, we can help to turn off this tap of stolen goods and broken dreams.

Thank you and be safe, RRRebls!

FOR REAL WORK FROM HOME JOBS & GIGS, check our Newest Jobs & Gigs page. To be the first to hear about jobs like these, like our Facebook page and check your feed for our posts. May you be working from home soon!