Recourse for "Stolen" Money

[fishmonger]

So I'll try to keep this brief. I went to buy some football tickets off Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. It was only about a week out from the game, so I had a phone call with the buyer, and googled his address which he showed up as living there. Sent him the funds Western Union, so he had to show an ID to receive.

Long story short, it was one excuse after another from this guy, and we agreed two days prior to the game he would refund my money. The excuses have continued since then. It's now almost two weeks later and repeated phone calls and now emails are going unanswered.

Very confident this guy is legit - I have his address and cell phone number. The money is not large (less than $200) but on principal what can I do? I'm sure most responses would be to "let it go" (I might give the same advice) but just curious for any feedback

[runner3081]

...buy some football tickets off Craigslist ... Sent him the funds Western Union

From the Craigslist site (on every single page and ad):
"Avoid scams, deal locally Beware wiring (e.g. Western Union), cashier checks, money orders, shipping."

Looks like you fell for the craigslist scammer. Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

How do you know that is really his cell number and address?

[fishmonger]

...buy some football tickets off Craigslist ... Sent him the funds Western Union

From the Craigslist site (on every single page and ad):
"Avoid scams, deal locally Beware wiring (e.g. Western Union), cashier checks, money orders, shipping."

Looks like you fell for the craigslist scammer. Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

How do you know that is really his cell number and address?

Went to the local town assessor of the address he gave me and it matches. Also cell phone goes to a voicemail with his name (not saying it's legit). Also, this dude sent me a solid 10 emails after we agreed to refund the money - seems like he just would have gone silent, why put in the effort?

[mptfan]

Went to the local town assessor of the address he gave me and it matches. Also cell phone goes to a voicemail with his name (not saying it's legit). Also, this dude sent me a solid 10 emails after we agreed to refund the money - seems like he just would have gone silent, why put in the effort?

All you know is that the name he gave you matches the address he gave you, nothing more. You do not know that he is that person, fake IDs are not that hard to get. For the price of one fake ID he got $200 from you and who knows how many other people in who knows how many other scams. Whether he is the person he claims to be or not, it's not worth your while to pursue the matter. Let this be a lesson...don't wire someone money in advance, especially not someone you've never met. Craigslist warns you not to wire money and you did it anyway so I don't think you have a claim against them.

[randomguy]

Small claims court is designed for this. If it is worth your time is up to you. But seriously stop using western union. It is basically the sign that someone wants to scam you.

[runner3081]

...buy some football tickets off Craigslist ... Sent him the funds Western Union

From the Craigslist site (on every single page and ad):
"Avoid scams, deal locally Beware wiring (e.g. Western Union), cashier checks, money orders, shipping."

Looks like you fell for the craigslist scammer. Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

How do you know that is really his cell number and address?

Went to the local town assessor of the address he gave me and it matches. Also cell phone goes to a voicemail with his name (not saying it's legit). Also, this dude sent me a solid 10 emails after we agreed to refund the money - seems like he just would have gone silent, why put in the effort?

Why put in the effort? He just made $200. That is two days pay, with no taxes for a minimum wage folks.

[mptfan]

Why put in the effort? He just made $200. That is two days pay, with no taxes for a minimum wage folks.

I think the point of his question was, if he is a scammer he already had the $200 so why put it more effort to send more emails?

[campy2010]

Step #1, file a police report.

[Watty]

Most likely that was either;

A fake name using someone else's name and address.

The person has a something like a drug problem or other drama going on in their life.

Even if you filed a claim in small claims court he would likely not show up or you would not be able to collect on a judgement.

I don't mean to be harsh but it was a pretty silly choice to send the money by Western Union. You might want to frame the receipt and put it on the wall over your computer to remind yourself to be more cautious in the future.

[oldfatguy]

Next time use paypal.

[mptfan]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

[Watty]

Why put in the effort? He just made $200. That is two days pay, with no taxes for a minimum wage folks.

I think the point of his question was, if he is a scammer he already had the $200 so why put it more effort to send more emails?

A couple;

1) To see if you are guable enough for a follow up scam.

2) To delay you reporting it to Craigslist since he may be using the same email address, name, and burner phone number to scam other people.

3) Most likely: just to get a laugh out of messing with your mind.

[Watty]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

Paper counterfeit tickets are also a big problem.

[anon_investor]

Step #1, file a police report.

Try this.

[miamivice]

So I'll try to keep this brief. I went to buy some football tickets off Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. It was only about a week out from the game, so I had a phone call with the buyer, and googled his address which he showed up as living there. Sent him the funds Western Union, so he had to show an ID to receive.

Long story short, it was one excuse after another from this guy, and we agreed two days prior to the game he would refund my money. The excuses have continued since then. It's now almost two weeks later and repeated phone calls and now emails are going unanswered.

Very confident this guy is legit - I have his address and cell phone number. The money is not large (less than $200) but on principal what can I do? I'm sure most responses would be to "let it go" (I might give the same advice) but just curious for any feedback

I am curious how you know the seller of the tickets is not in Nigeria.

I have never paid for anything on Craigslist via Western Union.

[mptfan]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

Paper counterfeit tickets are also a big problem.

Agreed, nothing is foolproof, but it's less risky than wiring money to a stranger.

[miamivice]

Small claims court is designed for this. If it is worth your time is up to you. But seriously stop using western union. It is basically the sign that someone wants to scam you.

Can you sue Nigerian scammers in small claims court?

[mptfan]

Can you sue Nigerian scammers in small claims court?

Yes.

[squirm]

I think you're Sol. Craigslist=Scammerslist unless you meet them in person with cash.

[KyleAAA]

File a police report, obviously. This is theft. Why would you use Western Union instead of Paypal where you can easily get your money back if scammed? This has all the markings of a scam.

[ResearchMed]

Can you sue Nigerian scammers in small claims court?

Yes.

And they won't show up, so you'll get a default judgment.
You can frame that legal document also.

RM

[squirm]

Can you sue Nigerian scammers in small claims court?

Yes.

Just because you sue them in court and win your case doesn't mean you'll collect.

I'd just cough it up as a lesson learned.

[barnaclebob]

So I'll try to keep this brief. I went to buy some football tickets off Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. It was only about a week out from the game, so I had a phone call with the buyer, and googled his address which he showed up as living there. Sent him the funds Western Union, so he had to show an ID to receive.

Long story short, it was one excuse after another from this guy, and we agreed two days prior to the game he would refund my money. The excuses have continued since then. It's now almost two weeks later and repeated phone calls and now emails are going unanswered.

Very confident this guy is legit - I have his address and cell phone number. The money is not large (less than $200) but on principal what can I do? I'm sure most responses would be to "let it go" (I might give the same advice) but just curious for any feedback

I think I'd not pursue it just to punish myself for being so gullible.

[lthenderson]

I have his address and cell phone number.

Have you stopped by and rang the doorbell? I have run into people over the years quick to blow off emails and such but when you see them face to face, they will do the right thing after making a lame excuse or too. It might also answer the question as to if this was a scammer using a fake address.

[oldfatguy]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

Sure, but that's not always possible. I've bought and sold tickets to events in other cities before, so it wasn't possible to meet in person. Only once did I not receive the tickets I purchased, and paypal refunded my money.

[bluebirdy]

why put in the effort?

Perhaps he was feeling you out to see if he could scam you for more money since he already has found you to be gullible enough to send money by Western Union from Craigslist. Then when no other apparent opportunity arose, he went silent.

[randomguy]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

Sure, but that's not always possible. I've bought and sold tickets to events in other cities before, so it wasn't possible to meet in person. Only once did I not receive the tickets I purchased, and paypal refunded my money.

Yeah on the list of mistakes, wiring money using western union or any of the other sketchy methods (i.e. the guy asks you to send him some itunes gift cards) is the biggest mistake. Not meeting up is a secondary one (i.e. imagine what happens when he prints out these tickets 10 times and you all show up at the game).

[mptfan]

I am curious how you know the seller of the tickets is not in Nigeria.

He does not know that.

OP, look on the bright side, you paid $200 tuition to the school of hard knocks and you learned a lesson that you will never forget and will likely save you much more money in the future. We all make mistakes and learn from them, at least you are brave enough to acknowledge yours so that others can learn as well.

[mptfan]

And they won't show up, so you'll get a default judgment.
You can frame that legal document also.

The cost of filing the lawsuit and the frame will likely be more than the $200 he already lost. (I know you were joking)

[ResearchMed]

And they won't show up, so you'll get a default judgment.
You can frame that legal document also.

The cost of filing the lawsuit and the frame will likely be more than the $200 he already lost. (I know you were joking)

[deltaneutral83]

With the obvious caveat that 99.99% of Western Union scenarios are a scam, there are also counterfeit tickets that can look similar to real tickets if you meet up face to face for many popular concerts as the design is easy to knock off. In this case, OP was scammed, and this is a $200 loss, a cheap lesson.

[RudyS]

I have his address and cell phone number.

Have you stopped by and rang the doorbell? I have run into people over the years quick to blow off emails and such but when you see them face to face, they will do the right thing after making a lame excuse or too. It might also answer the question as to if this was a scammer using a fake address.

Bad idea to confront in person.

[Postergirl]

Try filing a report with the state Attorney General; this doesn’t cost anything except a little time.

https://www.google.com/search?q=file+co ... ent=safari

If it doesn’t get him to do the right thing, he might think twice if he has plans to continue the scam.

[HomeStretch]

Step #1, file a police report.

+1

[Doom&Gloom]

With the obvious caveat that 99.99% of Western Union scenarios are a scam, there are also counterfeit tickets that can look similar to real tickets if you meet up face to face for many popular concerts as the design is easy to knock off. In this case, OP was scammed, and this is a $200 loss, a cheap lesson.

Correct.

Last month DD bought a counterfeit concert ticket via StubHub. She didn't know it was counterfeit until she tried to use it. She was very fortunate that the ticket taker believed her story that she was meeting DS at the concert--verified when she phoned him (already in the venue) and he met her at the booth demonstrating that he had a valid ticket. The ticket taker allowed DD inside (SRO concert so no reserved seats involved).

DD also got a full refund from Stub Hub. DD got lucky twice on that one.

[bottlecap]

Some one who sells you tickets to the game, accepts your money, and does not provide them before game time is NOT "legit."

You don't really have any options.

If the guy is who he says he is and admits that to the cops, filing a police report might get you some measure of satisfaction.

But it's unlikely he is who he says he is.

JT

[Doom&Gloom]

I have his address and cell phone number.

Have you stopped by and rang the doorbell? I have run into people over the years quick to blow off emails and such but when you see them face to face, they will do the right thing after making a lame excuse or too. It might also answer the question as to if this was a scammer using a fake address.

Bad idea to confront in person.

+1

I would never confront a stranger at their home (or follow them from there to another location) over a $200 scam these days. Very risky imo.

[Brianmcg321]

I think what the most shocking thing to me about this whole situation, is that Western Union still exists, and that somebody used it.

[Postergirl]

Some one who sells you tickets to the game, accepts your money, and does not provide them before game time is NOT "legit."

You don't really have any options.

If the guy is who he says he is and admits that to the cops, filing a police report might get you some measure of satisfaction.

But it's unlikely he is who he says he is.

JT

The OP may have more options than assumed if he can identify the Craigslist seller:
https://www.geek.com/tech/man-sells-40- ... 0-1657419/

This is not to encourage such extreme action, but there is another cautionary tale in there.
File with the Attorney General’s office. It can be done online.

[bottlecap]

Some one who sells you tickets to the game, accepts your money, and does not provide them before game time is NOT "legit."

You don't really have any options.

If the guy is who he says he is and admits that to the cops, filing a police report might get you some measure of satisfaction.

But it's unlikely he is who he says he is.

JT

The OP may have more options than assumed if he can identify the Craigslist seller:
https://www.geek.com/tech/man-sells-40- ... 0-1657419/

This is not to encourage such extreme action, but there is another cautionary tale in there.
File with the Attorney General’s office. It can be done online.

I figured the OP didn't want to become a scammer himself...

None of this is worth $200, even in the unlikely event that the scammer is who he says he is.

JT

[Postergirl]

Some one who sells you tickets to the game, accepts your money, and does not provide them before game time is NOT "legit."

You don't really have any options.

If the guy is who he says he is and admits that to the cops, filing a police report might get you some measure of satisfaction.

But it's unlikely he is who he says he is.

JT

The OP may have more options than assumed if he can identify the Craigslist seller:
https://www.geek.com/tech/man-sells-40- ... 0-1657419/

This is not to encourage such extreme action, but there is another cautionary tale in there.
File with the Attorney General’s office. It can be done online.

I figured the OP didn't want to become a scammer himself...

None of this is worth $200, even in the unlikely event that the scammer is who he says he is.

JT

It was not my intention to encourage scamming—I was trying point out that filing a claim is not necessarily fruitless.
The article was to provide a cautionary tale of another type of scam to be wary of. Sorry, I should have made that clearer
I disagree that filing a complaint is not worth the time—it helps discourage future attempts at this type of thing.

[arcticpineapplecorp.]

Next time use paypal.

Next time meet the guy in person and give him the money after he hands you the tickets.

and exchange money for tickets at an agreed upon police station.

from craigslist:

When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:

Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe, bank, or shopping center.
Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
Be especially careful buying/selling high value items.
Tell a friend or family member where you're going.
Take your cell phone along if you have one.
Consider having a friend accompany you.
Trust your instincts.

source: https://www.craigslist.org/about/safety

also:

Deal locally, face-to-face —follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.

Do not provide payment to anyone you have not met in person.
Beware offers involving shipping - deal with locals you can meet in person.
Never wire funds (e.g. Western Union) - anyone who asks you to is a scammer.
Don't accept cashier/certified checks or money orders - banks cash fakes, then hold you responsible.
Transactions are between users only, no third party provides a "guarantee".
Never give out financial info (bank account, social security, paypal account, etc).
Do not rent or purchase sight-unseen—that amazing "deal" may not exist.
Refuse background/credit checks until you have met landlord/employer in person.
"craigslist voicemails" - Any message asking you to access or check "craigslist voicemails" or "craigslist voice messages" is fraudulent - no such service exists.

Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?

United States

Internet Fraud Complaint Center
FTC complaint form and hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
Consumer Sentinel/Military (for armed service members and families)
SIIA Software and Content Piracy reporting
Ohio Attorney General Consumer Complaints
New York Attorney General, Avoid Online Investment Fraud

source: https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

Most police stations are encouraging this since so many people are being scammed and/or robbed when these transactions happen elsewhere. consider it a lesson learned.

[3-20Characters]

Seller asks for payment via Western Union —> abort transaction immediately, do not respond to further contact.

I used to buy baseball tix at the ballpark from scalpers back in the day but no more. Furthermore, I wouldn’t buy tickets from an individual (personal transaction) these days unless it was someone I knew. My wife and I went to a Knicks game on Xmas day a couple of years ago. We walked through a parade of scalpers hawking tickets at better prices. As fate would have it, the couple in front of us—who must have bought theirs from one of these scalpers—was told their tix were counterfeit and they were turned away. The look on their faces scared me straight.

I seriously doubt you’ll get your $200 back so it’s up to you decide if pursuing it will give you some satisfaction.

[whodidntante]

I have his address and cell phone number.

Have you stopped by and rang the doorbell? I have run into people over the years quick to blow off emails and such but when you see them face to face, they will do the right thing after making a lame excuse or too. It might also answer the question as to if this was a scammer using a fake address.

That has also been my experience and I have also collected money owed to me this way, though it was always people I knew and not strangers who scammed me. Suddenly they just have it. Harder to say no in person.

[Silence Dogood]

Also cell phone goes to a voicemail with his name (not saying it's legit).

Using Google Voice, you can set up a voicemail, claiming to be anyone, within 5-10 minutes.

[iamlucky13]

Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

Why move on?

My take: accomplishing anything significant either to restore what was stolen from you or to hold this crook accountable may take more effort than $200 is worth.

However, if you have the time, patience, and desire to do something about it, the value to the society as a whole may be much more than $200 if it helps stop him from continuing his crimes.

It seems to me a police report is an appropriate starting place. No guarantees the police will follow up on it, but you can at least try.

I don't understand a fatalist attitude toward crime.

[Silence Dogood]

I have his address and cell phone number.

Have you stopped by and rang the doorbell? I have run into people over the years quick to blow off emails and such but when you see them face to face, they will do the right thing after making a lame excuse or too. It might also answer the question as to if this was a scammer using a fake address.

I highly doubt he is the person he claimed to be.

He is probably using the OP's name and address right now on his next victim.

If it actually is his address, $200 is simply not worth the many, many, potential negative consequences*.

*For example, a weapon being used against you. Or you hurting him (or him claiming you hurt him) resulting in a lawsuit. Is $200 worth any of this?

[Silence Dogood]

Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

Why move on?

My take: accomplishing anything significant either to restore what was stolen from you or to hold this crook accountable may take more effort than $200 is worth.

However, if you have the time, patience, and desire to do something about it, the value to the society as a whole may be much more than $200 if it helps stop him from continuing his crimes.

It seems to me a police report is an appropriate starting place. No guarantees the police will follow up on it, but you can at least try.

I don't understand a fatalist attitude toward crime.

OP should move on because there is little to no chance he will get his $200 back.

There is a very strong chance the scammer will never be found. He may not even live in the same country as the OP.

If, by some chance, he actually does live at the address provided, what do you propose the OP do? The OP's personal safety is paramount.

Don't let ego get in the way of doing the rational thing. Learn from this and don't fall for it again.

This is not a fatalist attitude toward crime. If the circumstances were different, it may be worth it to pursue, but this is $200 stolen by a random stranger on the internet.

[beergod]

On a somewhat related topic: As a seller of a high dollar item like a car, how safe are cashier's checks and money orders?

I once had to decline a buyer offering to buy my car because he did not have cash and only had a cashier's check, he had traveled 3 hours by train to meet me. But I was too nervous about the potential for a scam to agree. I also stated cash only in the ad.

[chevca]

Consider yourself lucky it was only $200 and move on.

Why move on?

My take: accomplishing anything significant either to restore what was stolen from you or to hold this crook accountable may take more effort than $200 is worth.

However, if you have the time, patience, and desire to do something about it, the value to the society as a whole may be much more than $200 if it helps stop him from continuing his crimes.

It seems to me a police report is an appropriate starting place. No guarantees the police will follow up on it, but you can at least try.

I don't understand a fatalist attitude toward crime.

It's not a fatalist attitude toward crime. It's a realistic attitude toward being scammed. Still a crime? Yes. Anything to do about it? No.

Move on.