Friday, August 5, 2011

Different Agencies Used for Reporting an Internet Scam


Whether you want to keep others from getting scammed or if you have discovered yourself to be a victim of a scam, there are ways to handle the situation. Internet scams are growing as more and more people are searching for work at home opportunities with our current economy.

Depending on what type of internet scam has been done, there are several options for reporting internet scams. In some cases you want to report the business to your State Attorney General’s Office, the FBI or the Better Business Bureau. There are even websites that are great guys and help with identifying these corrupt online businesses. Work at home businesses is the highest instance of internet scam on the web today.

If you are the victim of any phishing scams, make certain you report these to the actual business that is being impersonated. Many of these phishing scams are pretending to be financial or lending institutions. Reporting them to the actual institution is generally enough to get them investigated, stopped and prosecuted.

FBI-Federal Business of Investigation
The FBI has an internet scam reporting division. The FBI handles federal cases of internet scams and abuse. You can file a report for an internet scam directly online.

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) offers free help and permits online reporting directly to their agency. You can only report to the FBI if you have been defrauded and not if you suspect fraud.

State Attorney General Office
Your state’s Attorney General Office is safe for reporting fraud or suspected fraud.  Contact their office and follow instructions provided for filing a complaint and investigation into a business or internet fraud. If they are unable to help you, they will let you know what agency is correct for reporting the internet abuse and crime.

Better Business Bureau (BBB)
The BBB is always a resource that you can use for shady or disreputable businesses on the internet. Their online resource makes it easy for reporting an online internet scam or one from a brick and mortar building.

Contact the local police
Believe it or not your local police department also has a computer crimes division. You can report an internet or online scam to the local police for investigation and resolution.

Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission or FTC investigates and prosecutes internet scammers. They can be of great assistance and will generally identify if there are other victims that have been scammed with the same business. There are times when a class action lawsuit has resulted from scammers they have been involved with.

Websites that are motivated to identify scammers
There are white hat websites that identify and let the public know about bad internet practices and fraud that is occurring with internet scam business.

There are numerous sites that are “the good guys” and are helping in the fight to identify and get rid of the bad guys that are ruining the online and work at home business prospects that are genuine. These websites will display bad deals and internet scams they have discovered.

If you run across any of these on the web that ask for money or information from you these could potentially be internet scams themselves. Most of the internet sites that help identify scammers do just that. They don’t try and recruit you for a business deal.

These are numerous sources designed to protect you from internet fraud and scams and sources to go to if you are a victim or suspect fraud. Use these resources wisely and help shut these guys down.

pic is courtesy of life123.com

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