From the very moment of its wider adoption and the beginning of its regular use by millions of people per day, the internet was starting to become a dangerous place to navigate. It is arguably one of the most influential inventions in the history of civilization and a side of technology that has helped us in so many different areas of life. However, it is also a very difficult place to navigate safely due to a large number of people and organizations that want to take advantage of others.
Just like off the web, in real life, scammers and fraudsters will stop at nothing on their way to steal something for their own benefit.
For almost two and a half decades now, scams have thrived on the internet and numerous users are still falling for them to this day. They are becoming harder and harder to identify and prevent, and the worst part about them is that you can never expect them. All the users can do to prevent being taken advantage off is to double guess everything and not trust websites and people they do not know.
Often times, it is enough to just visit a page and you may already be a victim of ransomware software or another type of scam.
So, what can be done if you are scammed out of your money? Not a lot really, or at least there did not use to be anything that you can do. Just like the game has become modernized and improved on the end of the scammers, the remedies to protect yourself and get some of what you lost back are also there.
In this article we will talk more about this and determine how one can get their money back after an online scam. Keep reading to equip yourself with this knowledge and be sure to check out www.theglobalpayback.com for additional information on this important topic.
Credit Card Info
If the way the perpetrators stole your financial data and then money was realized through your credit card info, the first thing you need to do is contact your bank and explain what happened.
Most governments and banks have cyber security regulations and failsafe mechanisms in place so they will block the card for you and protect your funds. It would then not matter what the scammers may be planning with your info.
Similarly, if certain transactions have already been made in the meantime and if they used your card to purchase some goods online, the bank will block them.
You have to be quick about this though and not wait a single minute, let alone a full day. Contact your bank immediately. Thanks to the modern software, you can also block your card yourself on most banking apps.
This exists in case you lose your cards or have them stolen, and it works if you have been taken advantage of by a dodgy online store too. Block your card immediately after you realize that you are in a scam and the thieves will not be able to do anything with the information they got.
If you do not know whether or not they were successful, you need to wait and see if there are any payments from your bank account that you do not recognize. These fall under the category of unauthorized transactions and the bank will know what to do next.
Similarly, if you buy something and more money is taken for the transaction that previously agreed upon on the shop, you have to tell your bank and let them know.
All of this needs to be done if you expect any chance of a refund. Blocking and reversing transactions is possible but there needs to be some proof and you need to wait for it to finish.
Getting money back in situations discussed above is possible and it regularly happens, but only when the card holders are quick to react and initiate the process.
Buying from Scammers
The web is full of shady shops that act and look as the real deal. Sadly, people fall for them not expecting anyone to do that kind of work and steal away people’s info and balance. If you paid for the goods that never arrived through PayPal or card, the bank may get you your money back by checking the seller’s bank and agreeing on a refund. This is referred to as the chargeback scheme.
The same thing should happen with direct debit and bank transfers. The bank needs to be contacted immediately and you will probably get reimbursed. Transferring money to someone online because of a scam and realizing it later happens a lot more than it should, especially now when people are desperate for new digital currencies and other novelty investment opportunities. Such scams are known as authorized push payments.
With wire services like Western Union, PayPoint, and MoneyGran, it is unlikely that you will ever get your money back after a scam. You could report the scam and let it be known, but wire services are not known for getting the clients their money back because they work differently than other money transfer solutions. The same goes for gift cards and vouchers. Once you use them, or once they have been used by somebody else, there is no going back.
Conclusion and Takeaways
It is definitely not a guarantee that you will ever get the money that was stolen away from you back. The banks do numerous services and try to help every client, but it is up to the clients to use common sense and their better judgement in order to stay safe on the internet. You need to have antivirus programs installed, as well as ad blockers and web browser anti-malware plugins at all times. These are the first line of defense against scammer services and dodgy websites. The most effective weapon is your trust. Do not be gullible and trust people on the internet. Never send money to anyone you do not know and only buy things from certified and well-reviewed shops you know are real.
