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I Have Been Scammed... What Do I Do Now?
FILE A COMPLAINT WITH RUSSIAN POLICE!!!
(please follow these instructions on only if you sent money to the scammers. If you have not sent money to the scammers, go to this page)
FAQs:
THE LATEST NEWS ON ARRESTS AND TRIALS:
What NOT to do:
What to do:1. Contact WU (or MoneyGram) to find out the location (city) where the money was received
2. Fill out the form below 3. Receive the free information package with all the instructions, and an example of a criminal complaint (if you do not receive a response within 5 days, please contact elena@russian-detective.com) 4. Create a complaint and collect the supporting evidence (letters, photos, money transfer receipts, etc) according to the instructions provided 4. Translate and notarize the complaint 5. Mail your complaint and all the supporting documents to the scammer's local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (addresses for the Offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia and Ukraine will be provided to you in the free information package you will receive by email).
Can I get money back from the scammer?It is pretty rare for the victim to be able to recover the money, but occasionally it happens. The only way to do it is to file a criminal complaint with the proper authorities and hope that your case will be the lucky one that the scammers won't be able to fight off.
Why shouldn’t I tell her I found out she is a scammer?Scammers are fast learners. Once they learn how you discovered their plan, they will change their MO to make sure they are not too “obvious”. The more you tell them, the more they learn, and the better they become at what they do. Why shouldn’t I send her the links to other sites where her pictures are already posted?Because most likely all that this would achieve is the scammer changing her pictures. Once she changes her pictures, it will become more difficult for potential victims to identify her. In addition the scammer may become a regular visitor of black lists where he/she would steal more photos, more prewritten letters and come up with new ideas on how to make her job even more fun. So, please do not give the scammer the tools to become better a scammer. How can I find other victims of this scammer?Type her name into a Google search engine. Then do the same with her address.
If there are some reports about this lady on other black lists, contact the
owners of the black lists for contact information. Why do I need to call Western Union to find out where the money was picked up? I already know where money was sent!These days the majority of scammers do not want to give you any clues about their actual location within the country (because they are afraid that you could find them later). Therefore they try to convince you that they are from somewhere else. They will tell you that they are from Kazan, Volgograd, Tyumen or Arkhangels. All the while the majority of scammers that we see actually reside in Yoshkar-Ola. Unfortunately, Western Union and MoneyGram make it easy for the scammers to pick up money from any WU location in the country. So, scammers use this fact to their advantage, making people spend money on background checks in all the wrong cities. The only way to find the scammer’s true location is to check where she/he picked up the money transfer. Usually a scammer will pick up the transfer in the city she really lives in. The majority of scammers pick up money in Yoshkar-Ola (according to Western Union). If I try to prosecute the scammer, will she be punished?Very possibly. But you will need to preserve the evidence and file the complaint for them to take action. So please follow all the advice on this page as closely as possible.
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