The best way to protect your money from Internet scams is to avoid them altogether. In a perfect world, you never would, but even the best of us get taken in once in a while. The most common type of scam is the one in which someone offers something for sale online, takes your money, and then never delivers a product. If this has happened to you, what can you do to get your money back? While going to court may be the first thing you think of, this is time consuming and expensive, so most people never go this route.
So how can you protect yourself to begin with? First, never use your debit card, check book, or bank account number to make an online purchase from someone you know nothing about. If you are scammed, you will not be able to get your money back. Even if you can go to court, there is no guarantee that you will win. Your money is probably gone.
Instead, use your credit card when shopping online. You can also protect yourself by using a third-party payment gateway, like PayPal, to hide your credit card number. This protects you by allowing you to use the credit card company’s money, not yours, to make the purchase. If the product does not come or is not up to your standards, you can get the credit card company to fight with you to get your money back. Most credit card companies offer fraud protection, so you may not have to pay at all for the scam.
How do you dispute a transaction on your credit card? First, call your credit card company and explain that the product never arrived. They will put a hold on your payment and send you an affidavit to sign. This will place the burden of proof on the seller that the item was mailed as promised. Your credit card company will recover the money from them if they cannot provide the necessary proof, and you will not be held responsible for the payment.
Make usre you handle this process correctly, because these scammers will take advantage of any mistake you make. They will likely try to put the blame on you so that they can keep your money. They may even accuse you of dishonesty in the process. Make sure you do not give them fuel for their fire.
First, do not react too quickly. Make sure the product is not going to come. Sometimes it may be delayed in shipping, so give the seller time to prove that they did, indeed, provide the product or service. Two weeks is a good time frame for them to begin delivering what you purchased. By waiting two weeks, you keep the seller from having the chance to claim they had not yet been able to send out the item.
On the flip side, do not wait too long to file a report. If you have already paid the bill, the credit card company is not going to be as willing to help. Also, if you dispute a transaction out of thin air months after you paid it, the credit card company may question your motives. The seller will blame you for not making the claim earlier, and you will probably lose the battle.
When you correspond with the seller or your credit card company, keep records of all of the contacts you send or receive. The credit card company will expect you to take some steps to resolve the issue before you contact them. You need proof that you have done the best you can to resolve the issue on your own. You will find that most online scammers will not respond to any of your contacts, whether by phone, email, or written mail. However, when the credit card company asks whether or not you contacted the scammer, they will lie and say that you did not. So, you must have records of the correspondence available. Communicating via email makes it easy to keep track of the messages you sent, and you will have the necessary proofs at your disposal.
Finally, do nothing to tip off the seller to the fact that you are going to take action against them. Do not tell them that you are going to contact your credit card company. Do not issue any threats or open-ended statements like “You will give me my money back, or else.” Just be as courteous as you can, try to work the situation out, and then turn to the credit card company if you need to. Giving them a clue as to what you are about to do will give them the chance to begin preparing their defense against you, so keep it silent. When the credit card company comes calling, it will serve as a great surprised to those crooks who were about to run with your money!
Terry Mitchell is the owner and operator of Foxrater – http://www.foxrater.com – the web’s top free insurance quote site. It allows people to enter their zip code and compare the rates of auto, homeowners, health, and life insurance companies doing business in their area.
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