Money has been wired into your bank, credit union, Pay Pal, or credit card account and you have not withdrawn the money

Cease all correspondence with the scammers.  Do not open or answers their emails.  If you have caller ID, do not answer their calls.  If you do answer the phone, hang up as soon as you realize who is calling you.  If they persist, blow a whistle into the telephone.  If you are being threatened, please go here: http://www.fraudaid.com/threats.htm

If you have been corresponding with the scammers by email and/or have gone to a web site they told you is theirs, you are at high risk of Identity Theft even if you have bad credit.  Go here: www.fraudaid.com/id_theft.htm.

File a Scam Email Report with our Law Enforcement Support Division.  You will find step-by-step graphic instructions for your email service here: www.fraudaid.com/find_headers.htm.

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Money has been wired into your bank, credit union, Pay Pal, or credit card account and you have not withdrawn the money

Banks and credit unions

Contact your bank or credit union branch immediately and ask for the Operations Officer.  If that officer is not available, ask for the Manager. 

Explain that the money wired into your account was due to an Internet scam and that it does not belong to you.  Ask that it be returned to the rightful owner.

You may find that you have to call the financial institution's Fraud Department or Security Department, which is okay.  However, since communication within banks is notoriously poor, make sure contact the branch and inform them of your conversation with the Fraud or Security Department.

If the money cannot be returned to the rightful owner, which can happen if it was stolen from someone's credit card account, state that you are disowning the money and want it removed from your account.

Put it in writing: Present your financial institution with written instructions that:

(a) You are a scam victim.

(b) You want the funds that were wired into your account removed from your account and placed in the financial institution's custody.

(c) The funds that were wired into your account are to be returned to the rightful owner.

(d) That your account has been compromised by scammers and you want your account No. _____________ to be zeroed out and closed immediately.

This provides you with a paper trail, meaning it is evidence that you took immediate, responsible action.

It may be necessary for you to open a no-activity account (no checks or debit card, no deposits or withdrawals allowed) or an escrow account and transfer the money into that account.

If you have to transfer the funds to a no-activity account, make very VERY sure your bank does not decide to use it as an overdraft payment source for your regular account.  That's one of the reasons we suggest an escrow account if your financial institution is unwilling to place the money in their own custody.

If you don't wish to open an escrow account or a no-activity account, then move your account to another bank but leave the stolen money at your current financial institution.  Do not move it from the financial institution under any circumstances.  The moment you do, you are engaging in money laundering and theft.

Once the money has been removed from your account, close the account and open a new one with less personal information on the checks.  Your initials, last name, and telephone number a sufficient.  No point in handing over any other information to all the people who will see your checks.

Don't forget to change your Direct Deposits to the new account number and to reinstate your Bill Pay on the new account.

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Credit Card Accounts

Contact your credit card company immediately and ask for the Fraud Department.

Explain that the money wired into your account was due to an Internet scam and that it does not belong to you.  Ask that it be returned to the rightful owner and that you want to be issued a new card number.

Even if your credit card company has trouble locating the rightful owner, they will still remove the credit from your account.

Make very VERY sure your credit card company understands that they cannot lower your debt by using the stolen money.

Check your account balance the following day to make sure the credit has been removed from your account.  If it hasn't, call again.  If a new card number has been issued, you should not be able to access your account until you receive your new card.

If that's the case, then call your credit card company to get a status report and to find out if the stolen money has been removed from your account.

Pay Pal: See Option 1, Pay Pal

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