The consequences of an online scam can be severe. When someone is scammed, they generally don’t know who to turn to or how to get around. First of all, you must immediately file a complaint with the police so that they can investigate the facts and remedy the dissemination of personal or banking data.
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Online Scam: The Steps To Follow
Here are the steps to follow immediately after the scam:
- Block your credit or debit card immediately by calling your bank or contacting PayPal customer service, depending on the payment made. The faster you are in this phase, the greater the chances of recovering the lost amounts of money.
- Report the scam to the Postal Police.
- Leave a review that warns other users of possible scams if the Fraud happened on an e-commerce site, of course.
- Change your email, bank App and social profile passwords right away.
Report For Online Fraud To The Postal Police
The best way to report an online scam and try to recover the lost money is to contact the Postal Police immediately. A body specialized in telematic crimes.
Two Ways Of Reporting To The Postal Police
We have two ways of reporting.
- The first online directly on the website of the Postal Police
- The second is by going in person to the nearest police office.
How To Fill Out The Online Scam Report
To fill out the online scam report, you need the following information:
- Personal details of the victim and the details of the identity card,
- A detailed description of the fact and the type of scam,
- The name of the site or sites involved.
Online reporting is undoubtedly the fastest. Anyone who reports must, in any case, go in person to the offices to deliver the electronic receipt and the protocol number issued by the portal.
Online Scam: What Is The Risk
In our criminal code, there is no specific type of crime dedicated to online scams. Reference is made to the general rules relating to Fraud provided for in article 640: “Anyone who, with artifices or deceptions, by misleading someone, procures an unfair profit for himself or others with damage to others, is punished with imprisonment from six months to three years.
Online Scams With Theft And Improper Use Of Digital Identity
The imprisonment penalty can rise to 2/6 months and a fine from € 600 to € 3,000; if the Fraud is committed with theft or improper use of the digital personality to the drawback of at least one subject.
Purchase Of An Item That Has Never Been Received
In the event of an online scam on the purchase of an asset that has never been received, the law punishes the attacker with imprisonment from six months to three years and a fine from fifty-one euros to one thousand thirty-two euros.
When An Online Scam Is Criminally Relevant
To talk about a criminally relevant scam, these two elements must be present:
- Artifices
- Deceive
Artifice and deceptions are behaviors used to simulate or conceal reality, making the victim believe the false for the true, inducing him to make an error. In the case of online scams, the tricks and deceptions can be:
- Photos of the advertised holiday home, which in most cases either does not exist or is not in the hands of the scammer;
- Indicate a fake address;
- Write false personal details or provide a telephone number that will almost certainly be deactivated at the end of the scam;
- Procuring an unfair profit by creating harm to others.
Why Are Most Online Scams Not Reported?
The first reason for the impunity of online scammers is that victims hardly report. In most cases, it happens because the scam sells illicitly sourced goods, such as counterfeit shoes, fake watches or bags. In this case, the scam victim knows he is buying a counterfeit item online.
Also Read: How Scammers Catch Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
