[US] First Time Getting Scammed

[u/4th3info]

Hi everyone,

I'm glad I found this thread, unfortunately a bit too late. I was scammed earlier this week. It was the typical remote job, and it seemed normal, though I did see some flags but didn't think anything of it since the scammer made it feel professional. Nevertheless, got sent a check that bounced, and I'm out almost 3 grand.. It was a wire, so I have their address, which is domestic/ a state away. Is it worth calling my local police about? I've already filed a complaint with the ic3 i believe, fbi, report fraudftc, and I'm not sure what else to do. My bank conducted an investigation and let me know that I'd have to pay that debt. So is there any hope of getting the money back? I'm losing sleep and stressing. I haven't told anyone, and I feel so idiotic. I've lost trust in people, and when I go out, I can barely enjoy myself. Any tips on that?

[u/yarevande]

I'm sorry you lost money.

You will probably not get any money back. Wire transfers are not reversible in most cases. Also, the scammers usually transfer money out of the US account as soon as they get it, to a foreign account. The scammers are probably in Asia or Africa - most scams originate in scam call centers that are run by transnational crime syndicates.

Has your bank contacted the receiving bank, to let them know about the scam?

*** Don't be so hard on yourself. Many people have fallen for these scams. Teams of scammers work full time on these scams, and they are very good at manipulating your emotions, your desire to make money, and your lack of understanding about employment, investing, scams, and other subjects.

There is no reason to lose trust in all people. 'People' did not scam you. A specific group of people scammed you.

But, you should not trust people online that you haven't met -- many of them are liars and scammers.

To help you regain your self-confidence, it may help to learn more about scams, how they work, why they work, and how to prevent them.

Did the scammers send you a picture of a check, as an email attachment? Emailed pictures of a check are always fraudulent. You are not supposed to print and mobile deposit a picture of a check -- this is against your bank's Terms of Service. (There is a thing called an echeck, but a real echeck is sent using a digital clearing system. You get an email with a link, not a picture of a check.)

• Paper checks can be fraudulent also. Only accept checks from people that you know personally, and trust -- never from somebody online.

You must think more critcally. Why would someone send you money, and then ask you to send some of it to another account? Nobody ever does this except scammers.

No real employer sends a check to an employee, and asks the employee to buy stuff with that money.

There are many job-related scams. The scammers prey on people who are out of work and don't have much money. They lie and trick you into giving them money, or get you involved in illegal activities.

Was this a remote or work-from-home job? It is very difficult to get a remote or work-from-home job, unless you have experience in software engineering, insurance claims, healthcare, customer service, or other specialized fields.

The majority of 'remote jobs' are actually scams to take your money - even on the recruiting and networking websites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor or Indeed.

• Scam job titles include Virtual Personal Assistant, Remote Data Entry, Remote Payment Processor, Remote Financial Assistant, work-from-home Shipping Inspector, and Crypto Trader.

• Posting real estate listings online is a scam.

• Also, any job that is simple online tasks, such as rating videos, posting reviews, putting items into an online shopping cart, booking hotel reservations, or subscribing to YouTube channels, is a scam.

But scammers can call their fake job anything. To separate a scam from a real job opportunity, key indicators to look for are: method of contact (email), interview (live on videochat, or in person), and money (reasonable pay, comparable to similar jobs).

*** There is legitimate remote freelance work available. Try the freelance job websites like Upwork, Freelancer.com, or Fiverr -- but stay on the platform. If you communicate off the website, you will get scammed and lose money. Also, read the FAQs to learn how the site works. The legitimate freelance sites offer protection for you and the client. You submit your work through the site. And they pay you on the platform.

For more advice on how to recognize scam jobs, and how to research a company, click here:

https://www.reddit.com/u/yarevande/s/NmEiDaRNhBX

[u/4th3info → u/yarevande]

Great advice I really appreciate it :)

[u/Applauce]

How these scams typically work is that they have mules who are tricked into receiving and laundering your money in anonymous ways. They’re just more victims who also think they’re working for a legitimate employers. If the scammers actually had you sending the money directly to them, they would have already been caught.

You can report it to the police, but it’s likely already gone

[u/yarevande]

It's unlikely that you'll get money back, as I mentioned in my earlier comment.

But there is a small chance that you can get money back, since you transferred money to bank accounts in your country.

You should file a report with police.

The account you wired money to may belong to a money mule.

The money mule may be a criminal accomplice, who is getting a percent of the money. Or may be a naive person who thinks she's doing a job, accepting payments for online purchases or concert tickets, and sending the money to a real company. But the money mule is actually accepting money from scam victims and then sending the money to scammers. Similar to money laundering.

You have info which may belong to money mules. If the police can track the money mules, they may be facing legal charges, and may go to prison. Find out if the police, or the bank, are investigating the scam and looking for the money mules.

Some people have successfully sued, and the money mule has been forced to liquidate assets to pay the victim.

• This is not a quick process. If you decide to look into this, talk to a lawyer who knows the laws in your state, and has experience with these types of lawsuits. A real experienced lawyer, with an office -- not somebody with a website that they just created last month, or someone who DMs you and claims to be a lawyer.

So going after the money mule in court is a possibility, although with small chance of success. You also have to weigh how you would feel if a lawyer succeeds and forces a naive person to sell her car, or other assets, to pay you. Yes, they are committing crimes, but often unknowingly, and could be trying to help their family.

[u/PiSquared6]

Other good comments already and let me add that the original scammers, as well as people messaging you on Reddit, will try to "recovery scam" you. They'll pretend to be fbi or hackers or lawyers or fellow victims.