By Tracey Duggan, April 29, 2020
Online Dating Scams – Part III Where to get help
I am hoping by now you haven’t been a victim of an online dating scam, but if you have, there is help although you may not be able to recover any money lost to the scam. This is not to say you should not notify law enforcement agencies to the scam you were a victim of. By notifying law enforcement you may save another person from being scammed by the same individuals. The networks will not be taken down if no one says anything. You have to not only protect yourself but protect others!
As soon as you have realized you are being scammed cut off communication! Notify the dating site where you initially contacted the individuals and then there are certain agencies you need to notify.
- If you have opened a bank account immediately, call your bank and let them know of the fraud that has occurred. You may have to open a new account; the bank will help guide you.
- If you have taken out a loan the scammer has access to, notify them as well.
- You may also want to contact one of the top three credit score companies: Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. You can have certain restrictions placed on your account in order to prevent future fraud. A personal example of this, I had a credit card used fraudulently, so the credit companies made it very difficult for anyone else to get credit in my name for a specified period of time. I didn’t mind the increased security questions; they were protecting me.
- Contact the State Attorney General of the state you are living in. This is very important; this is what your tax dollars are paying for to help protect you.
- Notify the Federal Trade Commission online. (Click here to go there.)
- Notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation online. (Click here to go there.)
- Contact the Coalition for Family Harmony – Online Romance Scams and they will provide you with ten free counseling sessions… you need someone to talk to! (Click here to go there.)
- One more resource is Scam Survivors. (Click here to go there.)
I know this is difficult but if you have been scammed talk to your family members, your mother, father, children, someone who loves you. They will understand, they will be there to help you and they will be mental support though this horrible ordeal. You cannot take this on all by yourself. Many people have never even heard of these scams. You probably have emails. Show your family some of the emails you have received so they can understand why you fell for the scam. You are not stupid, you are not an idiot, you were in love and were trusting AND you were preyed upon by professional scammers.
This article is the last part of my three-part series for online dating scams. I welcome all feedback, and if there is a type of fraud scheme you would like me to cover, feel free to write to beenscammed65@gmail.com, and I will research and publish an article to cover the scam.
By Tracey Duggan, April 29, 2020
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Click here to read Part 1 – Online Dating – Safety/Security.
Click here to read Part 2 – Online Dating – How & Who.
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Jamie
04/29/2020 — 7:52 pm
A great article and very wise advice.
Mo
04/30/2020 — 5:20 am
All great advice, but remember, the best prevention is to get off and stay off the Internet.
It is no place to meet strangers.
Stay off. Disconnect and get a real life.