Despite some people’s claims that Buying, Selling and Trading accounts is against the game’s EULA, MMO game accounts have real-world value. Otherwise they wouldn’t be scammed in the first place. Losing an account to a scammer is theft no matter how you look at it. Virtual Property laws are being created and tested in he Courts every day in many Countries.
Reporting the theft is one of the last steps after getting scammed. The odds are highly likely that you will NOT get your account or any money back at all if you get to this point. But it still pays to report scammers to the authorities. Many agencies do not have the manpower to track down the little one-time scammers. But when the amount of losses start hitting certain dollar values then Law Enforcement becoming very interested, and better yet, can then justify taking action.
The first step in reporting fraud is to gather your evidence. Good portions of such reports go unanswered and forgotten because of the lack of evidence. Providing ample and accurate proof will greatly increase the chances of action being taken by Law Enforcement.
When reporting fraud and scams, use this template to provide your evidence. Keep in mind that some online forms may not have room for all this info, but it’s good to compile it before submitting.
Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Email:
Other Contact info: (IM ID, Forum Name)
Scammer’s Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Email:
Other Contact info: (AIM ID, Forum Name, AKA names. Also include any other email addresses, phone numbers or physical addresses known)
Nature of Fraud/Scam: Be brief. I.e. “Scammer1 bought my World of Warcraft Account for $200 via Paypal. Charges were reversed two days later.”
Estimated Value Lost: Use a range, “Worth $150-200” Look at other similar accounts on Markeedragon to get a good idea of what yours is worth.
Timeline Description: This is the important section. Provide a day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of the transaction and what went wrong. Cut and Paste Chat Logs, Screenshots (if possible,) and all emails. Be sure to present everything in chronological order as it happened.
Links to evidence: Provide links to forum posts, etc.
There are tons of places you want to report to.
Online Fraud Complaint Forms:
In the United States
The Internet Crime Complaint Center: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
National Fraud Information Center [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
In Canada:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Once you’ve filled out the online forms, it’s a good idea to directly contact any of the below Law Enforcement Agencies. All of these agencies (except maybe City and County Police Departments) have an electronic crime agency who will take your information. In some cases you may be referred to another person, or group. Expect to get a bit of run around but do not take it personally. But remember to be polite and patient when explaining virtual property theft.
Local FBI Office: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Local Attorney General: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Local U.S. Secret Service Electronics Crime Division: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Local State Police: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Local County Police Department
Local City Police Department
If someone scammed you out side of your country, the Federal Trade Commission has a special site for these complaints. https://www.econsumer.gov/pls/econsumer/wimsnery2.main?p_lang_seq=1
A lot of scams involve Paypal due to the ease of setting up accounts or stealing the information from others. Their claims page is located at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Phone: 1-888-221-1161 or 402-935-2050
If a company or business scammed you there are a couple of good places to report them to.
Better Business Bureau [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
FTC Complaint Center
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
The United Postal Service is especially tough on scammers and fraud via Mail. If you sent a Money Order via mail, or goods and didn't get anything in return they want to hear from you. Their online form is located at . [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] The Postal Service is so tough on fraud and scamming that it's a good idea to send account information with Delivery Confirmation via the USPS to have something to fall back on.
UPS has an online claim section too, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Reporting fraud and scams is time consuming, but every bit helps. If you're short on time at least submit reports to the first two links. Remember, the scammers aren't going to stop if they get away with it. All it's going to take is one or two to get caught as warnings to the rest.
From: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Really quite interesting to read, and remember: "Stay Anonymous!"
Some tips for staying anonymous:
-Do not send emails to your victim without a proxy
-If you are using AIM, MSN or any other instant messenger, do not send or accept files bigger then 1MB, if you do, then he can trace you with a simple CMD command.
-And ffs, dont use any personal information EVER. Not in the scammed account, not in the account with your scamming. And also remember to not use an email that can trace back to your MySpace or w/e.
-If your still feeling scared, you can DL programs like [HIDE IP PLATINUM] (i have it, send a PM if you want).
Yours sincerely,
Pyr0~
Last edited by Pyr0; 01-30-2008 at 01:53 PM.
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