{"id":11533,"date":"2019-10-08T15:02:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T15:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/?p=11533"},"modified":"2020-02-19T12:12:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T18:12:30","slug":"10-things-to-do-if-you-are-scammed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/legal-talk\/10-things-to-do-if-you-are-scammed\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things To Do If You Are Scammed"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is only a matter of time, folks.\u00a0 As we age we become more vulnerable to scams<\/a>.\u00a0 Every senior is truly a \u201cvictim in waiting.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we will focus on the actions you should take after being scammed.\u00a0 These vary according to the type of scam and the identity of the thief.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Actions To Take If You Are Scammed<\/h2>\n

First, talk to a lawyer<\/a> to find out if you can, or should, sue the scammer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Report the scam to the police department or the sheriff where you live.\u00a0 However, you should realize that a full investigation is unlikely unless there are a number of victims of the same type of scam or the wrong-doer is your family member, caregiver, or friend.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission, <\/span>www.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a> .\u00a0 Because the FTC makes its complaint database available to law enforcement agencies, your report may assist agencies find a pattern that may eventually lead to prosecution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Report the scam to the Texas Attorney General.\u00a0 There is an online consumer complaint system at <\/span>https:\/\/www.texasattorneygeneral.gov\/consumer-protection\/fileconsumer-complaint<\/span><\/a> .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If a computer was involved in the scam, report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at <\/span>https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/default.aspx<\/span><\/a> .<\/span><\/p>\n

If postal mail was involved, make a report to the U.S. Postal Inspector at <\/span>https:\/\/www.uspis.gov\/report\/<\/span><\/a> .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Freeze your credit.\u00a0 This helps prevent further fraud.\u00a0 A credit freeze<\/a> will prevent a thief from opening new accounts using your information. \u00a0 You will need to temporarily unfreeze your credit report when applying for a loan, credit card, insurance policy, or other service that requires a credit check.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you paid your scammer with a credit card, then dispute the charge with your credit card company. Credit card issuers must investigate and reverse unauthorized charges if you report them within 60 days of receiving the statement showing the fraudulent charges.<\/span><\/p>\n

If money was taken from your bank account, then promptly notify your bank.\u00a0 Under federal law, you must report any unauthorized electronic fund transfers within two days of receiving the account statement to limit your liability to $50.00.\u00a0 On the 3<\/span>rd<\/span> day, your liability increases to $500.\u00a0 If you wait until after 60 days, you will bear the entire loss. \u00a0 You also should get the compromised account into CANS, the closed account notification system.\u00a0 See <\/span>www.dob.texas.gov\/cans\/<\/span><\/a> .<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a safety plan to help you and your family minimize future risk.\u00a0 Have a response ready in case of you are victimized again. Your safety plan should take into account your current and future mental health, emotional well-being, risk factors, computer use, smart phone use, family resources, and community resources.\u00a0 It should include strategies to recognize and avoid scams<\/a>, such as letting all non-family phone calls go to voicemail to give you time to screen them with a trusted friend. You may also want to consider moving your assets into a trust with a corporate trustee.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t easily access the funds, then you can\u2019t easily send them to scammers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Above all, do not be embarrassed that you were a victim. The rest of us are still victims in waiting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Virginia Hammerle<\/a> is a licensed Texas attorney.\u00a0 Her practice includes estate planning<\/a>, litigation<\/a>, guardianship<\/a> and probate law<\/a>. \u00a0See hammerle.com<\/a> for her blog<\/a> and newsletter sign-up.\u00a0 This column does not constitute legal advice.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is only a matter of time, folks.\u00a0 As we age we become more vulnerable to scams.\u00a0 Every senior is truly a \u201cvictim in waiting.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Today we will focus on the actions you should take after being scammed.\u00a0 These vary according to the type of scam and the identity of the thief.\u00a0\u00a0 Actions To Take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[943],"class_list":{"0":"post-11533","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-legal-talk","8":"tag-scams"},"yoast_head":"\n10 Things To Do If You Are Scammed - Hammerle Morris Law Firm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/legaltalk\/legal-talk\/10-things-to-do-if-you-are-scammed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 Things To Do If You Are Scammed - 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