Tuesday, February 22, 2011

How to report a scam or fraud to U.S. government (civil and criminal law enforcement agency) online?

If you become a victim, there is help available from U.S. government. Below is a list of official USA government web resources to help you report internet scam or fraud.

  • Report Child Pornography on the Internet
    This website gives you information on how to report child pornography to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

  • Report Complaints about Foreign Companies
    Report complaints about transactions with foreign companies. Certified government agencies may use this information to investigate suspect companies and individuals, uncover new scams, and spot trends in fraud.

  • Consumer Complaint Form
    Report both civil and criminal complaints, such as Internet, telemarketing, and other consumer-related fraud through the Consumer Sentinel database. This tool is used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies to gain immediate and secure access to your complaint.

  • Further Ways to Report Internet Fraud from Cybercrime.gov
    View this helpful chart of where to report various Internet-related crimes, including hacking, spam, copyright piracy, and child exploitation.

  • Report Identity Theft
    If you believe you have been the victim of identity theft, use this form to send a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps them investigate fraud and can lead to law enforcement action. 

  • Internet Crime Complaint Center
    Alert authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation through the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC). The IFCC serves as a central place for Internet fraud complaints, works to find fraud patterns, and provides timely data of fraud trends.

  • Internet Investment Fraud
    File concerns and problems with individual investors at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Complaints can alert the SEC to a bad broker or firm, an unfair practice in the securities industry, or the latest Internet fraud.

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15 comments:

  1. Scam, fraud and spam from usafis.org: “USAFIS Organization – Diversity Visa (DV) winner” and “U.S. Department of State – Permanent Resident Card for vasya pupkin” « Blog about real bargains, discounts, sales, specFebruary 22, 2011 at 11:52 PM

    [...] Private shopping clubs ← 2964 Columbia St., Torrance, CA 90503, USA: Scam and fraud? How to report a scam or fraud to U.S. goverment (civil and criminal law enforcement agency)? &r... [...]

    ReplyDelete
  2. “United States Permanent Resident Card” spam from gov.states.visa@usa.com asking to send USD $880 payment for visa processing via Western Union « Blog about real bargains, discounts, sales, special offersMarch 1, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    [...] Private shopping clubs ← How to report a scam or fraud to U.S. government (civil and criminal law enforcement agency)&... [...]

    ReplyDelete
  3. neetish muttyMarch 20, 2011 at 3:42 AM

    hello I just received a similar email from gov.visa.state@post.com stating that I am a winner of the Diversity Visa Lottery and they have instructed of effecting a payment as follows:

    Step 1

    Find a Western Union agent using Find Us.

    Step 2

    Visit the Western Union agent, taking some personal identification* with you.

    Step 3

    Complete a simple .send. form and hand this to the Western Union agent along with the money you want to send and the transfer fee..

    The payment must be sent to U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom:

    David Wells
    24 Grosvenor Square
    London, W1A 2LQ
    United Kingdom

    Step 4

    You will be given a reference number(MTCN).

    Step 5

    Confirm the payment via email as following :
    - Email copy/scan of the Western Union receipt to gov.visa.state@usa.com
    - Email at gov.visa.state@usa.com
    with the following details (you can find them on the money transfer receipt):

    1) Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN):
    2) Exact sender's name on file with Western Union:
    3) Exact sender's address on file with Western Union:
    4) Amount sent:

    I wonder if its genuine or not?

    ReplyDelete
  4. realbargainMarch 20, 2011 at 6:35 AM

    This is definitely a scam. Here is why:
    1. Green card lottery results will become known in May.
    2. Winners will receive a physical letter, not an e-mail.
    3. US Embassy doesn't use Western Union.

    Read the following posts to learn more:
    - Scam, fraud and spam from usafis.org: "USAFIS Organization - Diversity Visa (DV) winner” and “U.S. Department of State - Permanent Resident Card for vasya pupkin"
    - Is USAFIS Organization legit or scam?
    - "USAFIS Organization - Diversity Visa (DV) winner" and "U.S. Department of State - Permanent Resident Card for vasya pupkin" e-mails from gov.state.visa@usa.com and gov.states.visa@usa.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Linda Jonsdottir, IcelandJuly 15, 2011 at 4:21 AM

    Got an email today 15.july 2011 from U.S. State Department (us.dep.visa@diplomats.com), stating I´m one of 50.000 Visa winners. Within 72 hours shall I pay $819 cash via Wester Union agency to Roger Griffiths, 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W14 1AE, United Kingdom.

    ReplyDelete
  6. realbargainJuly 15, 2011 at 6:08 AM

    You should probably know by now that :
    1. the U.S. Department of State doesn't accept Western Union transfers
    2. the winners of the DV Lottery are notified by regular mail (not e-mail)
    3. the results of the new selection process will be available on http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ website on or about July 15, 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Britta HesseJuly 15, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    Hello!

    I got the same scam email like the other persons before today sent by us.dep.visa@usa.com

    I am a winner of the residence card and should transmit 819 $ by Western Union.

    HAD BEEN GREAT; BUT UNFORTUNATELY JUST FAKE.

    Too nice to be true....

    I hope nobody falls in that trap and will loose that amount of money.

    Best regards, Brittany

    ReplyDelete
  8. Epelle Christian NnamdiJuly 15, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    If any body sends you an email today 15.July 2011 from U.S. State Department (us.dep.visa@diplomats.com; usa.gov.diversity@usa.com), stating you're one of 50.000 Visa winners. That within 72 hours you shall pay $819 cash via Western Union agency to Michael Saclier, 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W14 1AE, United Kingdom. Or any other name, it's a SCAM/419. simply ignore and warn others.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ThenotebookJuly 16, 2011 at 3:37 AM

    I recieved this email today and i decided to google it to see whether their scammer . That i was one of the leaders . People be aware of these people .
    You are one of the 50,000 winners selected by the computer random draw from the 12.1 million entries registered in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program . The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally-mandated lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lotteryusa.gov.visa@diplomats.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. realbargainJuly 16, 2011 at 5:26 AM

    Note that this is just a private blog. We do not forward any of your complaints to the U.S. government. You should file a complaint yourself, using the links from the article.

    For example, you can report DV Lottery scams at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  11. romanJuly 27, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    got email today 27/11/2011 from: wisa-dv@usa-dv-gov.org what u think about?

    ReplyDelete
  12. realbargainJuly 27, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    Obviously a scam again. Winners will get a physical mail, not e-mail. And you can always check your winning status on the web-site of the U.S. Department of State : http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

    ReplyDelete
  13. realbargainSeptember 18, 2011 at 11:56 PM

    This is obviously a scam. See the comments above for more details.

    ReplyDelete
  14. JorNovember 5, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    hello, at 02/11/11 I received a similar e-mail stating that I am a winner of the Diversity Visa Lottery and they have instructed of effecting a payment as follows:

    The payment is $888 and it must be paid using Western Union money transfer and will be processed by the U.S. embassy in the United Kingdom

    The payment must be sent to U.S. embassy agent address in United Kingdom:

    Name : Peter Black
    Address: 24 Grosvenor Square
    London, W1A 1AE
    United Kingdom

    and the email is visa-dep@usa.com

    the rest of the e-mail is like the "neetish mutty" message.

    ------------
    by the previous explication i supose it's a scam!

    ReplyDelete
  15. realbargainNovember 5, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    You may be 100% sure that this is a scam.

    ReplyDelete