by Lina Martinez
Being the victim of fraud or a scam can be very distressing, and can end up derailing your finances and cause a lot of emotional upheavals. A lot of work is done to prevent fraud, but what about if you have already been a victim? Is there a proper way to get help? Here are the steps to take if you have fallen for a scam.
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Report The Scam
A lot of victims of scams don’t report what happened. This is maybe because they feel embarrassed, feel that there’s no point, or just don’t know where to report scams. It is important to report a scam as it aids accurate statistics on the number of people who have been hit and helps law enforcement to spot patterns. Start by reporting the scam to the police (if you’re going to claim stolen property on insurance, you need to do this). Report any credit or debit cards that have been compromised to your card issuer. You could also call the AARP Fraud Watch Network hotline to get more advice on what your next steps should be, whether you are a victim of negligent misrepresentation or have been caught by an email scam.
Think Locally
Think locally even if you’ve been the victim of a global scam. For most scams that involve goods and services, you could start by making contact with your state attorney general’s office, your local and state consumer protection agencies, or the Better Business Bureau. You might also think about reaching out to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center if the scam was online.
Match The Agency To The Crime
It can be confusing to know who you should report scams to. If the scam you’ve been a victim of violates federal law, there will be a government agency that is best to handle it. You can find a list of agencies at usa.gov, and the relevant crime to report to them. If you aren’t sure, start with the Federal Trade Commission.
Focus On Emotional Healing
Federal agencies usually don’t track down those who commit crimes against individuals. Instead, they use your report to record patterns of abuse, which enables them to take action against a larger perpetrator. As a victim, you ought to be realistic about your chances of legal redress. It’s unlikely that making a report will get you justice so you should instead concentrate on emotional recovery. Try not to feel angry with yourself for falling for the scam, and work on moving past it.
Anyone can be a victim of a scam, and you don’t have to be a gullible person to be fooled. If you have been a victim, try to respond immediately in order to protect your finances as best you can. Report the crime anyway to assist law enforcement in helping others not become victim to the same scam that you fell for, and make sure you take any steps to cancel and replace credit or debit cards. In the future, learn to be aware of the signs of a scam, so you’re less likely to be a caught out in the future.