- How can I prevent becoming a victim?
- What if I deposited or cashed the check or money order but haven’t sent the cash yet?
- What if I have already sent the cash?
- What are law enforcement agencies doing?
- What are the Web sites that scammers use to find victims doing?
- What are financial institutions and money transfer and delivery services doing?
- What are legitimate sweepstakes companies doing?
- What can I do?
- What are some other popular scams?
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12. What if I have already sent the cash?
- Immediately notify your bank, credit union, or check cashing service. You’ll have to return the money.
- If you deposited the phony check or money order, your bank or credit union may have already removed the money from your account by the time you discover the problem.
- Explain that you’ve been scammed and request that no negative actions be taken against you (such as closing your account or reporting you to a checking account abuse database). If that has already happened, ask if that action can be reversed.
- If there isn’t enough in your account to cover the loss, you could be sued to recover the funds. Try to work out a repayment plan.
- File a report with your local police department.
- Report the scam to the National Consumers League, which will pass the information along to law enforcement agencies.
