Immediate Action to Take if you are Scammed!

Information from WHAT TO DO IF YOU WERE SCAMMED, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed What should you do if… You Paid a Scammer by credit/debit card or there was an unauthorized transfer from your bank account: • Contact the company or bank that issued the credit card, debit card or wire transfer from your bank account • Tell them it was a fraudulent charge. • Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back. What if you Paid by gift card? • Contact the issuing company the gift card. Ask them to refund your money. Keep the gift card and the gift card receipt. What if you Sent a Wire Transfer to the scammer? • Contact the wire transfer company such as MoneyGram or Western Union • Tell them it was a fraudulent transfer. • Ask them to reverse the wire transfer and give you your money back MoneyGram: 1-800-926-94 Western Union: 1-800-448-1492 1 Ria (non-Walmart transfers): 1-877-443-1399 Ria (Walmart2Walmart and Walmart2World transfers): 1-855-355-2144 What if you Sent a Wire Transfer from your Bank? • Contact your bank and report the fraudulent transfer. • Ask them to reverse the wire transfer and give you your money back. What if you Sent Money through Money Transfer App such as Zelle, PayPal, CashApp or Venmo) • Report the fraudulent transaction to company behind the money transfer app • Ask them to reverse the payment. • If you linked the app to a credit card or debit card, report the fraud to your credit card company or bank. • Ask them to reverse the charge. What if you Paid the scammer with Cryptocurrency? • ASK person you paid to send it back. • Contact the company you used to send the money and tell them it was a fraudulent transaction. Ask them to reverse the transaction. What if you Sent Cash? • If you sent cash by U.S. mail, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (877-876-2455) or other shipping company, ask them to intercept the package as soon as possible. WHAT If You Gave Scammer your Social Security Number? • Go to IdentityTheft.gov to see what steps to take, including how to monitor your credit. IdentityTheft.gov can help. What if you gave the scammer your User Name or Password? • Create a new, strong password. Make sure your password is long and strong. • Don’t reuse passwords you’ve from other accounts. • Consider a password manager. • Add multi-factor authentication [2nd verification] when it’s an option. • Pick security questions only you know the answer to. What If Scammer Has Remote Access to Your Computer or Phone? • Update your computer’s security software, run a scan, and delete anything it identifies as a problem. • Turn off your computer and physically take it into a local reputable computer store. Run scans on your computer to see what actions were taken once they accessed your computer, like downloading your files and/or adding viruses and other malicious code onto your computer so they can continue to get access. What if the scammer gets Control of your cell phone number and account? • Contact your service provider to take back control of your phone number. Change your account password. • Check your credit card, bank, and other financial accounts for unauthorized charges or changes. If you see any, report them to the company or institution. Go to IdentityTheft.gov to see what steps you should take. Where should a victim report scams? If you experienced a scam — or even spotted one, ALWAYS report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.[and to IC3.gov if the scam happened online.] and to local law enforcement. For more in-depth information on what we reviewed today go to ftc.gov and search for WHAT TO DO IF YOU WERE SCAMMED, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/wha... . You can also report scams on BBB's Scam Tracker. If you would like to speak to Deputy District Attorney Vicki Johnson about a scam, or would like to share your story on Scam Squad, call the Fraud Hotline at 805-568-2442.