(Newswire.net — January 7, 2021) — Did you fall victim to an online scam over the holiday season? If so, don’t feel ashamed or guilty. It’s easy to do. Scammers have become increasingly sophisticated, and 2020 was a weird and stressful year. Many people had to turn to online shopping to complete their gift lists, and fake ecommerce sites and bank transfer scammers took advantage of that. The good news is, funds recovery is possible! There are a variety of techniques you can use to get your money back.
Demand a Refund
It may be surprising, but the first step to funds recovery is to… tell the scammer to give it back! Oftentimes, a strongly-worded message will convince them to give you back your funds in order to avoid you going to the police or otherwise making their life difficult. It’s also an important step to take to prove that you asked for a refund and did not receive satisfaction, before moving on to other steps.
Dispute the Charges
Most credit cards offer pretty robust consumer protection, so if you used your credit card on a fraudulent ecommerce site, contact the bank or credit company and ask them to reverse the charges. Before taking this step, be sure that you are very confident that you were ripped off, and that you aren’t simply a victim of the overloaded mail system.
Contact the Authorities
Call your local police and/or your country’s fraud agency. They may not be able to help you with funds recovery, but they may be building a case against the scammer and your evidence can help. They may also be able to put you in touch with consumer protection groups, or a class-action lawsuit, or other avenues for reparation.
Consider Hiring a Funds Recovery Expert
If you are not able to get satisfaction from any of the above methods, and the sum lost to the scam is significant, you may find it beneficial to hire a private funds recovery firm. These professionals are experts at getting money back from scammers. Many offer free consultations, and can give you an idea of whether it is worth going after the scammers.
Share Your Story
It can be embarrassing to admit that you were the victim of a scam, but if you share your story, you can help others. Whether you go for a social media post for your friends or family, or work with a local news station to reach a bigger audience, you’ll be helping to spread awareness of how these online scams work.
Hopefully, you’ll have gotten your money back and you can also share the steps you took, what worked for you and what didn’t. But even if the scammers get away with your money, sharing what happened to you can prevent it from happening to others. Let people know what fake ecommerce sites look like, how they operate, and what steps they took to make it difficult or impossible for you to get your money back. Make it harder for these fraudsters to find new victims!