I think I got scammed, should I go to the cops?

Question

So this might be long, and I'm not sure who to talk to at the police department, but I'm not sure what to do....

Last September I met a lady who wanted me to sell products for her on Ebay, such as ipods, psp, ps3, xbox, wii, etc and I would get the $ sent to my paypal account, and would then deposit it into her bank account aand then she would send the product out. She did this, and then Ebay froze my account because they didn't think what I was doing was legitimate in the sense of why was the product being bought at retail stores, and selling them for less online...So Paypal asked for documentation showing that these products were being bought at a cheaper price, which I couldn't provide, so they closed my account, and ordered me to send the rest of the product out as my account was in a -$5,550 balance....This lady said she would send it out, but never did. She took the $ from me and paid me some of the $ back but has now fell off the face of the earth. She has also scammed other people, and I know she has a record with a charge of retaining a financial device without consent in 2005, and didn't get off probation until spring of 2009 I believe and that was through Genesee County.  I do have a copy of her Drivers License, and a copy of her business license for this business she supposedly has. She also scammed a few other people I have talked to, because I know they also have a negative balance with PP... I know she has posted help wanted ads on freelancing websites and such....I'm just not sure what to do, because I was scammed here and I'm not sure if any legal proceddings can be done, or if my only option is suing her. But with her past I don't think she is very honest and I think she is scamming people again, and will continue to do it until she gets caught.

So basically to sum it up what she was doing was if she sold something on ebay today, she was buying it with the $ she made yesterday!  

I would appreciate some feedback, or what I can do because I am at the point where I need to do something and get this taken care of.

? · Answer

you probably shouldnt call the cops because you were a party to the crime whether you knew it or not.  you should have asked how she was able to buy the stuff cheaper than anyone else to sell it so cheap, so basically you should have known from the start she was giving you stolen goods, that makes you an accessory my friend.  my advice would be to pay off paypal as fast as you can and dont take this issue up any further as they can call the cops too if you piss them off.  not to mention you were probably selling stuff in other states so that is interstate mail fraud, the bank accounts that you did transfers from were used for wire fraud, those are two FELONIES!!  just end this as quietly as you can and be glad your not in jail.  and next time research the person BEFORE you do business with them, not after your in trouble.

egypsies · Answer

Ask a lawyer so your financial (credit) record doesn't become a real nightmare for you.

You probably can get PayPal (and Ebay) to understand since they see these types of scams all the time...it's best to use a lawyer to do that because the lawyer will know how best to present your arguments, what your obligations to repay might be, etc.

Good Luck!

Anonymous · Answer

didnt you think it was strange that someone was looking for other ppl to sell products via ebay...automatically alarm bells should of been ringing!
the chances are that the "woman" is a man, and probably nigerian! i would start to worry if you sent "her" payment via either a gmail email address or western union money transfer!! ...if you did then youl never see her again!

...the answer is YES!! call the cops! otherwise if someone else does youl be taking all the blame! also contact wherever it was that you became in contact with this person! 

and if sometime u get a wonderful email from the president of ghana telling you that your email adress has won 500 million............ please dont send the $10,000 process fee.

Anonymous · Answer

I think that with online transactions, it's hard to file a claim unless there's a strong backup to prove your claim.  I suggest that you file a report with FTC, or the Federal Trade Commission.  Please check the source below for the link to their consumer complaint section.  Good Luck.

** Law suits can cost dearly-- you may try your small claims court.. or ask a lawyer about it.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes go to the police and then see a lawyer.

snowy · Answer

how could you trust a stranger? especially when there is money involved. go to the cops and explain or find a lawyer. but i dont think they would do much because they would think u are with them.

? · Answer

lol @ that guy ^

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I think I got scammed, should I go to the cops?

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