FIGHTING FRAUD
Don’t be a victim. Five steps to take after a scam.
By Steve BastienTry these five tips:
1. If you haven’t already obtained the information about the company and its executives, call your reference librarian and explain the situation. There is no one better trained to help you obtain this information. Plus, the librarian will save you a good deal of time because he or she knows where to look for this information.
2. Obtain from the librarian or search the Internet for:
a. The Attorney General’s office in the state you are in and the state the company is in. Obtain the name of the person that is head of the Consumer Fraud division along with that person’s fax number and phone number.
b. The names of the chief editors (emails, phones and fax numbers) for the newspapers in your area and the company’s area. Also obtain the editor and publisher’s names and fax numbers of national newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post.
c. The names, heads and fax numbers of any association a company like you are dealing with would belong to.
3. Draft your letter to the company, stating:
a. Only the facts (leave all emotion out of your letter).
b. The date the situation took place.
c. The person you spoke to that made any promises to you.
d. What was promised to you.
e. How much it cost you.
f. What you want in the form of restitution.
g. When you want it by.
4. Carbon copy all those names and phone numbers you’ve obtained. In a PS at the bottom of the letter ask these people to “in-vestigate” this company for possible fraud.
5. Fax your letter to all parties and sit back and wait for the results.
I refer to faxing a letter as the “great embarrassment equalizer” that gets results very quickly. I was the victim of an Internet scam that cost me $3,000. Using the above method I recovered my money, plus interest, in less than three weeks. You can too.
Don’t let yourself or your business fall victim to the thousands of scammers out there. The most important thing is to do your research beforehand. However, even if your best-laid plans are thwarted due to a consumer or business scam, know that there are steps you can take to find justice.