Linsey Walker I received a call that I had won the australian lottery This person stated because of this being out of the US Money had to be deposited for insurance to prevent fraud I sent 1900.00 dollars to an address in kirkland with the assurance the money gram could not be cashed but would be held until I received a check of winnings by courier and my money would be refunded Kirkland Canada Quebec
On july 14, 2005, i received a call from lindsey wright stating i had won the austrailian lottery, and that in order to collect my winnings a deposit of 900.00 dollars must be sent by money gram to an address of 1500grand blvd in kirkland canada, for insurance purposes and tax reasons she called back 3 times and i sent the money as requested {it was to be sent in the name of my realitive and not to give her the name as the money would be refunded when i received the check by fds courier service,] I did this and on the 15th i received another call first from a man stating he worked for fds and that they needed 4500 dollars more.
I refused to send it and refered him to lindsey wright. She called back again and stated he was wrong and that I would need to send 1000.00 as she had got the company to cover the rest and again assured me that there would be no risk as in sending it in the name of my relative it could not be cashed without picture id. again i drove 120 miles and purchashed a money gram for 1000.00 dollars and sent it to kirkland canada. this was on july 19. on the 20th i received a call from lindsey and she said the driver was in customs in washington and that they would fly to the nearest airport and send it with another courier as they did not realise the distance.
On the 21st i heard from the so called driver and he stated he was in new york and that lindsey was wrong and that on this large amount of money i would have to send another 3000.00 dollars. i refused to send anymore money and asked that my money be refunded. he yelled at me and i tried to call so called lindsey i got an answering machine and the other number she gave me had been disconected. I reported it to money gram fraud, to my bank and local police. i really feel i have been riped off and rather stupid. if i can give you any other information please contact me. Thank you.
Margaret
dillon, Montana
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Paul
Anaheim,California,
U.S.A.
You came to the right place. Now, let's look at your options and see what you should do about this.
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 26, 2005
Sooner or later, it happens to almost everybody. You send money to a company that turns out to be a total scam. Or, maybe they just stick you with a defective product. It could be a store near your house, or an internet site half-way around the world. Either way, you're mad as hell. You have lost your time and your money. At this point, most people want 3 things.
1/They want a full refund.
2/They want to make sure nobody else is cheated.
3/They want to see the fraud stopped once and for all.
First, let's look at getting your refund. The easiest way to do that is by having your bank take back the money that you paid. With credit cards, that is known as a chargeback.
The staff behind this site routinely explains the procedure for this. Simply search through the hundreds of new complaints that come in each week until you see the following phrase:
EDitor's Suggestions on how to get your money back into your bank account!
Read the information, and follow the instructions. Most banks will assist you if they can determine that you are the victim of fraud. If the bank refuses to help you, it could be for one of two reasons. Your situation may not be the result of fraud. A bank won't give your money back if a legitimate transaction has occurred. There must some element of fraud or theft involved.
In some cases, the banks will refuse to help you even though you have a situation that involves fraud. In that case, you will have to complain to the agency that regulates the banking system. Here is the web address.
http://www.occ.treas.gov
Before you do that, be sure of several things. First, make sure actual fraud or theft of your money was involved. If somebody sent you the wrong size shoes, the OCC is NOT the place to complain about that. On the other hand, if a fraud has removed money from your account without authorization, you have every right to demand help. In addition, make sure that you have done everything possible with your bank. Don't go over their heads until you have given them every possible chance to help you.
The OCC is the place to complain when the BANK refuses to act in a legitimate case of fraud or theft.
On the OCC site, look for: Consumer Complaints and Assistance.
If your bank can't help you get a refund, it's time to turn up the heat. You should order the revenge guide put out by the staff of this site. Click on the link at the bottom of the page here.
In all the months that I have been reading these complaints, I can't count the number of times that a victim has used this guide to obtain a refund.
Is this guaranteed? Of course not. But it's certainly worth a shot. As long as the crook hasn't closed up shop and left with all your money, you still have a good chance of getting a refund.
Next, you need to be sure to file a complaint here. That way, other people will be able to read about what happened to you. You may keep many others from losing their money like you did. In addition, your complaint on this site will help get your refund.
Be sure to update your complaint if you get new information.
Your complaint will go a long way towards putting a crook out of business. You see, once the complaint is placed on this site, search engines will notice it. It doesn't take long for that to happen. In many cases, the complaint will come up right underneath the crooked company's own site. Once that happens, they might as well close up shop and move on.
Next, you can also file individual complaints with some federal agencies. Here are some addresses.
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01 Bureau of consumer protection
https://www.econsumer.gov/pls/econsumer/wimsnery2$com.main?p_lang_seq=1 Econsumer
https://www.ifccfbi.gov FBI internet fraud complaint center
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm US postal service
As long as you have a clear case of fraud or theft, these agencies will take your complaint. Do not file a federal complaint about bad service at a restaurant or somebody who sent you the wrong merchandise. Make sure your complaint is an actual crime where fraud, theft, or misrepresentation is involved.
By using all these things, many victims were not only able to get a refund, but an apology too. At the very least, your complaint may keep a rip-off company from stealing any more money from new victims. A fraud counts on you to do little or nothing to get revenge. They assume that you will just take the loss and go away mad. Here's your chance to show them they are wrong!
The best way to prevent fraud is to spot it before you get cheated. And, the best way to do that is to come here and read about the latest frauds and scams. Now that you have found your way here, use this site to always check things BEFORE you decide to buy. And, tell all your friends and neighbors to do the same.