How do I recover money from real estate scams?

Real estate scams are wire fraud where you transfer the money to the scammers instead of the property seller. Fraudsters usually compromise the email of the real estate buyers with a guide to disbursement. It’s not the seller who is the fraudster, but there is a third party that intercepts the email. This article states some ways in which you can recover money from real estate scams.

The buyers disburse the payment to the scammer’s account following the fraud guide sent by email. There is a lack of

cybersecurity awareness in the real estate business, leading to real estate scams. Impostor, real estate emails make thousands of people lose billions of dollars daily. If you suspect someone is scamming you of your real estate payment, take immediate steps to retrieve funds.

These are some steps of recovery from real estate scams you can take immediately.

Push The Bank To help Recover Money from real estate scams

First, contact your bank and that of the recipients. Yes, you’d have to get in touch with both banks once you realize the scam. Next, request an account freezing over fraud to the recipient’s bank. You can formally request the bank to freeze the account even if you are not a customer. Ask your bank to help you with the notes.

There are two possibilities of the funds you’ve transferred to the fraudster’s account. If you act immediately, there are chances that the funds are still in that account. However, the fraudster may quickly move the funds to other accounts in other banks. If you’re experiencing the second scenario, you should follow the money and request a fraud freeze on other recipients’ accounts.

Get FBI

As the real investment scam real estate takes place online, it would be proper to call the FBI to file a complaint under Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3). It’s a division that focuses on handling internet crimes, including real investment scams. You’d receive a complaint number over the fraud transactions you’ve experienced.

You may wonder why you’d have to go to the FBI instead of FCT or financial authority. It’s because scammers carry out real estate investment scams through the internet, and there’s a need to follow and recover the money. IC3-issued complaint number is significant for any Belize real estate scams victim. From now on, you can use the complaint number to process your report further.

Next, you’d need to contact the local FBI field office to proceed with your real estate scams in Florida reports. They will require the complaint number. You also need to request for assignment of agents with specialization in real estate investment scams. They’d require copies of all documentation and other evidence of the transactions. Ensure that you prepare all of them before filing your complaint. An FBI field officer would take care of your case.

Get A Legal Backup

After contacting the banks and filing a complaint to the FBI’s IC3, you’ve done great so far. Next, you need to get a legal backup by contacting a lawyer. It may be a family lawyer or one with experience in real estate scams. At this point, the lawyer may help you with the temporary restraining order. The order lists the banks that host fraudster’s accounts and receives your money.
This order aims to prevent these recipient banks from further transferring your money or stopping the fund’s movement. It also orders the banks to freeze the fraudsters’ accounts.

Follow Up Your Request to recover your money from real estate scams

Another critical tip during the real estate rental scams recovery process, you should be proactive. You need to follow up on your requests on fraud freezes and expand it following the money’s movement. Fraud freezes would stop fraudsters from transferring your funds any further. Each bank may have different policies on how long they would keep freezing the fraud accounts. And yes, fraudsters would typically use multiple accounts in other banks.
It’s you who should gather the relevant data about the movement of the money, including the bank names, account names, locations, e.t.c. It’s also essential to document and keep the log throughout the progress to support your report.

Filing A Police Report

In the final step, you’d need to file a police report over the real estate investment scams you’ve experienced. You can pass all documentation and information when you’re filing the report. Police will proceed with the case on the basis of the information you provide. That’s why we’ve suggested you compile all information and contacts so both the FBI and police can get through them effectively.

Again, the key to successfully recover your money from a real estate agent scams is time. Every second count, from when you suspect fraud. The more you wait, the lower chance you can trace your money and get it back to your account. The whole process does not take up to five hours after the realization. Generally speaking, contact the banks for fraud freezes should be done in the very first minutes. These would buy you time to structure your reports and do all of those follow-ups.

Verdict

As you might have seen above, recovering money from a real estate investment scam requires quick moves and persistence. As a victim of an investment scam, you’d have to be proactive on real estate news and do all steps with no hesitation. Following the money wouldn’t be easy as scammers may transfer it to multiple accounts within hours or even minutes. Requesting fraud freeze on fraud accounts and reporting to authorities should be done quickly.

Contact Professional Third – Party

Many recovery companies can help you if you choose not to pursue any of the means. These companies have certified ethical hackers that can help you recover lost or stolen funds from real estate scams, binary options scams e.t.c. AtriumForensics can provide these services. There are many testimonials from happy customers. Speak to an expert on the team immediately to help you with the recovery of your funds. Send a mail to inquiry@stellar-trace.com.

Read Also: How to recover money from Binary Options scam.

Read Also: Sharebroker Fraud, the many ways it can happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Ways To Recover From Scam Investments

Being a victim of scam investments is a mind-numbing experience. There are Ways to recover from real estate scams, for example. A lot of people give up because of the lengthy process and don’t know where to start. Recovery from scam investment is challenging but possible. Check the best ways to recover from the scam investment below.

Bank’s Reimbursement

When fraudulent transactions that involve your financial account occurs, we highly recommend you contact your bank first. Banks must protect their clients against fraudulent transactions. However, it will depend on the payment method of fraud cases.Bank Transfer: Banks may be able to recover your funds when someone tricks or forces you to transfer money to investment scams.

Credit Card:

Contact your credit card issuer, immediately you suspect a scam by an investment company using your credit card information. Credit card payments have protection and liability against fraudulent transactions. Even though it doesn’t guarantee a direct recovery, contacting the card issuer allows you to get the solution sooner.

 

Debit Card:

If you make the payment with a credit card, you can request a card issuer or the bank’s chargeback. They will proceed with recovery through the card network or other bank(if the scammer’s account is in another bank). The sooner you contact the bank, the higher chance you can fully recover your lost money.

Unauthorized Payment: When someone retrieves funds from your account without your authorization, contact the bank immediately. The bank will reimburse your lost money. If they ignore the complaint, you can follow up with the Ombudsman.

Scam Investments and Fraud Recovery Expert

There are scam and fraud recovery companies that can help you Recover Your Funds from Unregulated Investment Scams, especially in the chargeback process. They also investigative and carry out forensic procedures to help you structure your chargeback request. Firms with experience in recovery know how to build proper chronology that contains truth and is convincing. You can request a payment you did not authorize. Use a third party mandate to assign the firm for taking care of your reimbursement from the bank.
However, there are various recovery firms available out there, and not all of them are reliable. Get a proper recommendation over a fraud recovery firm or do your research on them, especially about the success rate, client’s experience, price, etc. Finally, you need to find one you trust because you provide them with an attorney’s right to take care of your financial accounts. Do you want to know how I can help you to recover your losses in a few days? Beware of fraud recovery scams that impose a legitimate service but stealing your information.

Legal Support

Whenever a fraudulent investment company scams you and chargeback or recovery attempts result in nothing, consider legal support. Fraud attorneys provide prosecution and defense services. They legally support you against the fraudsters in the court and hope to reclaim your lost money. If the subject is in the reach of the law where you’re residing, you get reliable legal support to contest your case.

However, not all lawyers specialize in handling fraud cases. You need to find attorneys with a strong background in fraud cases and always check their portfolios. When looking for legal support from a fraud attorney, make an initial consultation. Also, make things clear up front whether they can help you and how far they will involve themselves in your case.

Making A Report

Depending on where you live, each country may have its investment regulatory authority. Legitimate investment companies can register in those bodies. If the company that has scammed you is registered, then you can make a report to them. The authority would assess your account thoroughly. They will review the data you provide first. Next, they send Criminal investment scams to police for further investigation.

Take note that during the assessment process, you will answer some questions. The questions are to help build the background of the fraud case. At this point, you’d need to properly prepare documentation, screenshot, digital & non-digital evidence to support your fraud report.

Read Also: Types of real estate scam and how to avoid them
Ethical Hacking Platform

There are pro ethical hackers committing fraudsters and scammers. Some of these hackers are in the community that helps people to recover their money from fraud investment. Ethical hackers refer to hacking practitioners that use the white-hat method to conduct a system auditing. When helping investment scam victims, these hackers use particular hacking approaches to reverse the transaction so you can get your money back.

Unlike using a recovery firm’s service, ethical hacking firms may not work with the bank, card issuer, or card network. They might not guarantee a full recovery, but they may provide you with valuable data or information for your effort. If you’re considering using this service, it’s highly advisable to get a recommendation or preference.

Making Legitimate Investment

Sometimes, the cure for being scammed for fake investment is to do the legitimate one. We all know that being a victim of a scam affects financial and emotional conditions. If your financial situation allows, you may consider making a new investment to recover from your former loss. This time, use a respective broker or investment company and start to build your assets.

Emotional and Financial Support

What if you could recover the money you lost from scam investments? ways to recover from various scams and get a reliable solution. Recovering from a scam investments is also about finding the right support for your condition, especially for emotion and finance. A recovery process could be time-consuming and exhausting for scam investment victims. A chargeback process can go up to 90 days, depending on the case. However, there are chances where you can’t get a refund over your loss from a scam investment. Don’t give up, and be consistent with your efforts. That’s why finding relevant support through these challenging times is significant for recovery itself.

Types of Real Estate Scams and how to avoid them

The real estate business has become the primary target for scams, from real estate seminar scams to wire payment fraud. Homeowners have lost billions of dollars per year from various real estate scams. Yes, there are many types of real estate scams that even become four-direction threats. Since they may differ from each other, there are also different ways to avoid them.
These are some common real estate scams you need to know and tips to avoid them for good.

Investment Scams

Investment scam is a popular type of real estate scams with a massive number of victims. This type of real estate scam happens in two ways: lending scams and condition scams.
Lending scams refer to alternative mortgage loans. Lenders with no license provide the loans using private funding. This type of loan comes with high-trapping lending fees, which is usually unclear upfront. Condition scams refer to real estate scams where the agent appraises the property’s value at a much higher value than its condition. Agents typically do this because buyers are in the distance and unable to visit/check the property in person.

How To Avoid:

When it comes to real estate investment scams or lending scams, you need to reference a lender. If you want to pick one on your own, choose someone you can meet in person for a thorough interview. Whenever you want to use an online lending service, choose the reputable one. And do your research on the site and the local listing service.
On the other hand, buying properties without checking the physical condition isn’t advisable. At least, you need to hire a trusted appraiser to inspect and value the property you want to buy as the second opinion.

Payment Fraud

Another typical real estate scam is payment fraud, where the real estate agent scams take a role as an escrow company and send you faulty instructions to make a payment over real estate to their account. They’re real estate impostors of established agencies or brokers. Today, these fraudsters fake up websites of reputable brokers, real estate companies, and other property dealers.
They may also use a copycat email and phone number to personally contact and convince you with impressive real estate buy your house scam offers. You may need to transfer typically for down payment following their instruction. They’d get you if you follow the instructions and transfer the fund. In other cases, some fraudsters are even able to intercept communication between buyer and seller, so instead of moving money to the agency/seller, you’re sending the fund to the fraudster’s account.

How To Avoid:

Real Estate payment fraud and Meier real estate scam can be very convincing and strike accurately. At this point, you should always verify all payment instructions by referring to the written documents.

Read also: Cryptocurrency Fraud – How it happens and how to fight it.

Loan Refinance Scam

Mortgage lenders mostly play this kind of real estate deed scams. They would typically drive homeowners to refinance their home credit and to take other principles. Each time the homeowner refinancing their mortgage, they’d usually become a borrower, and these predator lenders would charge high interest and fees to trap them with high loan payments. Once you get scammed with this scheme, it strikes your finance, and you’d hardly come out from the trap.

How to avoid:

Once you’ve completed refinancing your mortgage, there’s no need to make another batch anyway. If you have no specific requirement to refinance your mortgage, it’s unnecessary to take a new one. On the other hand, if you need to refinance your credit, always use reputable lenders or banks only. Ensure that you have all essential information, including fees, interest, penalties, and so forth. Read all written documents and seek clarity on anything that bothers your mind.

Mortgage Relief Scam

Mortgage payments can be challenging for many people’s finances after a while. Indeed, many of them resort to desperate measures to keep their property. Scammers look at the database and start offering mortgage relief to take advantage of this condition. Scammers would claim themselves as the government-affiliated officer and such fake mortgage relief programs. They’d then charge thousands of dollars for processing fees that they’re tricking the homeowners. While it looks convincing, it’s easy to recognize these real estate scams in 2019 for sure. These scammers would prohibit you from calling your current lender for whatever reason.

How to avoid :

Mortgage relief scammers are everywhere and appear to be a solution to your current mortgage, but they’re not. If you’re facing financial difficulties in paying your mortgage, it’s wiser to discuss it with your loan officer and take the counseling session with them. You can request a rollover whenever it’s suitable for your financial condition now and in the future.

Rental Scams

It’s not only property owners, but renters have also become the target of scammers. They usually put fake property rental listings on social media platforms or local listing sites. As expected, they don’t have property or connection to the actual owner or real estate agency. They lure you with cheap rent prices and other services but require you with a down payment as a deposit before you can visit the property. Once you’ve transferred the money, you’d be unable to contact them anymore, and they’re vanishing.

How to Avoid:

Whenever you’re looking for a property to rent, don’t pay anything before you can visit the property and check the paperwork in person. Use the local appraiser and trusted website only to help you find a legit option. If you find the listing online, you can search the image reversely(searching by image) to see whether it’s an original listing or a copycat.

Conclusion

You should know that real estate investor scams come in various forms and modes. People are generally falling into scams as they can’t take some time to check details and question offers. It’s always advisable to check the real property and documents in person before making any payment. You can make use of our tips above to avoid different types of real estate scams targeting your hard-earned money.

Are you a recent victim of real estate scam and need professional help?

Send a message to inquiry@stellar-trace.com , one of the top recovery firm in New York.

Or visit www.stellar-trace.com for more information.

 

crypto fraud

CRYPTOCURRENCY FRAUD – HOW IT HAPPENS AND HOW TO FIGHT IT

Ever since the launch of the first cryptocurrency, the entire industry has been embroiled in controversy. There is no denying that crypto is the cause of hundreds of rags-to-riches stories. But ,there is also an equal number of stories about cryptocurrency fraud. Also stories exist on how it has enabled scammers to make millions from unsuspecting investors and buyers. The profit potential of the market always draws people in. However.  if you truly want to real its benefits, you have to know how cryptocurrency fraud happens. And, how you can avoid it. If you are unable to do that, you will end up losing your hard-earned money.

Let’s take a look at how cryptocurrency frauds happen and how they can be avoided:

  • Fake crypto investment platforms

One of the easiest ways for scammers to commit cryptocurrency fraud is through fake websites or mobile apps. A lot of these software are out there. Because they resemble authentic crypto websites or apps, a lot of people don’t look too closely and fall into their trap. However, there are ways for people to identify such websites, which include checking the URL of a website to ensure it has ‘https’ in the site address and there is a lock icon next to it. Similarly, you should ensure there are no changes in the URL at all.

As far as mobile apps are concerned, scammers make fake apps that have similar names and user interface as the authentic ones. Before entering your log-in credentials on any platform, you should ensure whether the app or website is secure or not.

  • Giveaway scams through social media networks

Misleading tweets on Twitter, posts on Facebook or giveaways on Instagram can also be used to commit cryptocurrency fraud. If you come across a social media post that offers a cryptocurrency deal, which seems too good to be true, the chances are that it is fake. Even influencers will advertise giveaway schemes, asking you to send a little crypto to the address provided, and they will send you five times more. This is just another elaborate fraud.

  • Scamming emails, technical support, phishing and impersonation scams

These are some of the most common ways to commit cryptocurrency fraud and most people have come across it at least once. Everyone gets a lot of spam emails or calls that are impersonating an officer from your bank. Their aim is to fish out your sensitive information, such as login credentials. As far as cryptocurrency is concerned, scammers pretend to be from your legitimate crypto wallet or platform and have identical branding and logos. They usually comprise of malicious files or links, so you should always avoid clicking on a link inside such messages or emails.

In fact, some cryptocurrency frauds go as far as announcing fake initial coin offerings, or ICOs, for stealing funds. You should never fall for these fake website offers and should take some time to go over the details. It is also recommended that you never share your passwords or security codes and make use of 2-FA (two-factor authentication). Ignore outbound calls asking for your confidential personal information because it is possible for scammers to poof legitimate phone numbers. Never give remote access to your device to anyone.

  • Investment frauds

Another common cryptocurrency fraud involves scammers setting up seemingly legitimate platforms, which claim to offer mostly unrealistic and high returns in exchange for sending cryptocurrencies. In such situations, you should be skeptical because the returns are mostly unrealistic. You should always send cryptocurrencies to trusted and known third parties only. If you contact someone new, research the exchange or organization thoroughly before trusting them with anything.

  • Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

Similar to how IPOs work in the stock market, ICOs, or initial coin offerings, are essentially fundraising mechanisms that are used for newly launched cryptocurrencies. Those who invest in ICOs are given tokens in the new venture. Billions of dollars are poured into ICOs on a yearly basis, but not all ICOs are legitimate. Some scammers have used them to commit cryptocurrency fraud and investors later discover that these ICOs don’t have any technology or real business plan behind them. Therefore, you need to be extremely cautious before investing in ICOs, regardless of how great promises they make.

  • Unregulated exchanges and brokers

There are hundreds of unregulated online brokerage firms and exchanges that offer cryptocurrencies and other crypto trading products. But, these are also a way of committing cryptocurrency fraud, so it is essential for people to be wary of too-good-to-be-true promotions and promises of get-rich quick schemes because this could be just another cryptocurrency fraud. Once you have invested money in such firms, they will charge you outrageous commissions and can also make it immensely difficult for people to withdraw funds. In the worst-case scenario, these unregulated brokers and exchanges will steal your money.

  • Mining frauds

It is possible for any regular investor to mine cryptocurrencies through cloud mining, which can work without expensive hardware. There are many cloud mining services that allow users to rent server space at a fixed cost for mining altcoins. This can come off as a very lucrative option for mining altcoins while sitting at home and not having to invest in hardware. However, you should bear in mind that not all of these services are genuine and you could end up becoming a victim of cryptocurrency fraud.

How can you identify the frauds? One way to go about it is to see if they are making any lofty promises. The fraud ones tend to make promises of high returns on your investment and don’t mention any hidden fee that might be applicable on the returns. Moreover, their systems are smart enough to keep on sucking money from the unsuspecting investors.

You should always be vigilant when you are investing in the crypto industry in order to avoid becoming a victim of any kind of cryptocurrency fraud.

Share broker fraud

SHARE BROKER FRAUD – THE MANY WAYS IT CAN HAPPEN

When you are signing up with a broker for trading, it is normal for you to assume that they will represent your best interests at all times. Their  job is to help you make more money and in doing so, they earn a fee for their services. Unfortunately, in today’s modern age, scams have become quite common and online market share broker scam can also happen. It is when these brokers put their own financial interests above yours They violate the trust you have put in them and cause you to lose hundreds of dollars . These days, the number of such scams have gone up. But, before getting into its details, it is important to distinguish between broker fraud and normal investment losses.

Because lose money through your investments doesn’t mean that you are a victim of online scam. It is natural for the markets to fluctuate and incurring some losses is a common part of the investment process. No broker can insure you against market risk. But, beyond the realm of these normal investment losses,brokers often cross the ethical standards. They place their interests above yours,  and you end up being a victim of broker scam. To figure out if you are a victim of scam, you need to know the different ways online market share broker scam can happen.

Want to know more? Read on to find out:


  • Unsuitable investments

Brokers have the responsibility of understanding their clients. Their risk tolerance, investment experience, income, financial needs, other assets and investment goals. They access these qualities before they can recommend an investment to them. Therefore, legitimate brokers only recommend investments after they study your portfolio and understood your situation. If they recommend any unsuitable investments that are not in accordance with your goals and risk tolerance, it is deemed a fraud.


  • Omitting or misrepresenting facts

Your broker may provide misleading information or withhold material facts t which can impact your investment decision. It is considered an online market share broker scam. Professional brokers would never do this to their clients because their goal is to work in the client’s best interest. Information like liquidity, sales-related compensation, risks, trading fees and so on. Or, something that can influence your trading decision should be disclosed to you straight away. If the act is deliberate, it will fall under the category of fraud or scam, but if it is an honest error, it will be regarded as incompetence.


  • Over-concentration

Sometimes, people also suffer excessive losses in their portfolio because most or nearly all their money is invested in one market sector or instrument. This could be because your broker is over-concentrating rather than diversifying. Portfolio diversification has been proven to be an effective way of reducing risks and your broker should help you accomplish this goal rather than doing the opposite. If they don’t do so, it is regarded as investment fraud.


  • Unauthorized trading

A very common online market share broker scam is when your select broker trades on your behalf. Just because you open an account with them doesn’t give them the right to take decisions. Especially when you do not grant them permission. If you permit them, then it will not be seen as a scam. However, where take action without your consent or knowledge, it will be considered a scam. Especially if that trade results in heavy losses for you.


  • Churning

This happens when the trading activity in your account becomes excessive. And, your broker claims that they are simply trying to pursue more profits. But, you should note that churning is also a kind of online market share broker scam. Because, it is mostly done by those who receive commission for every transaction. Brokers start churning because higher transaction frequency will result in increased commission for them. Which is an incentive for them, but may not be in your best interests. If you have given discretionary authority , then you need to keep an eye on trading activity closely. Monitor them to determine whether they are being fair to you or if you are scamming.


  • Timely execution

Has your broker ever failed to execute your trade on time? The law requires them to execute all your orders promptly. And, not doing so is just another online market share broker scam. Because, it may go against their interests. If they refuse your order or delay it deliberately, there will be a good reason. And, brokers do it to scam clients. Authentic brokers will never delay any trades. Because, their aim is to help their clients make the most profits from their investments.


  • Unregistered or unlicensed

No matter what financial product a broker sells, or service they provide, they must first register. A genuine broker will not hesitate to go through the legal process. And, fulfill all requirements to obtain a license and start.. But, if the broker you find is unregistered and unlicensed, there is a good chance it is another online maret share broker scam and they will vanish overnight with your funds, leaving you empty-handed.

  • Lack of information

A clear sign of a legitimate online market share broker is that they will be upfront about their company, services, terms and conditions, policies and their costs. Unlicensed and fraud brokers, on the other hand, will provide very little information, and what information is available is quite vague. If you want to steer clear of an online market share broker scam, you should never sign up with such shady brokers and always do your due diligence. In case that you do end up becoming a victim of such scams, there are services like Money-Back that can come in handy and help you recover your investment.

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