Scam Artist Search – Know Who Your Friends Are
Scam Artists Are Everywhere
The federal government received almost 2.7 million complaints in a one-year period from consumers who were victimized through fraud, deceit and other tactics associated with a scam artist. The toll of all of the reported scams, confidence games and tricks are estimated to cost their victims almost $1 billion a year. The best way to protect yourself and your family from being victimized by telephone, internet or in-person scams and fraudulent schemes is to know how these schemes work and learn how to recognize and avoid them.
What is a Scam Artist?
Unlike a robber who brandishes a gun or other weapon to force you to give up your money, scam artists use their wits and an understanding of human nature to make their victims voluntarily give up their money and other valuables to them. Instead of the robber’s technique of instilling fear in a victim, a well-played scam relies upon winning the trust of victims who willingly relinquish their valuables based upon the faith they have in the scam artist.
Scam artists have a keen understanding of human nature and use it to exploit their victims. They identify a victim’s greed, vanity, desperation, innocence and other common character traits and exploit them to persuade victims to trust them or to cause a lapse in good judgment.
Scam Artist Behaviors and Confidence Tricks
The primary tools of the trade for scam artists are deception and the ability to quickly adapt their “pitch” to the response they get from the person they target. Whether the contact between a con artist and victim takes place on the street, by telephone or over the internet, winning the trust of the victim is essential.
Trust can be won through persuasion or by making the victim believe there is a common bond with the scam artist. This bond can be established by the way a con artist speaks or through the way they dress. For example, a scam artist attempting to entice a victim into investing in a phony investment scheme must talk using language someone would immediately associate with an investment adviser and dress in a way that conveys the illusion of success and wealth.
If you are uncertain about the identity or background of a person approaching or contacting you, taking the person’s word about who they are or about their credentials is a mistake. Scam artists are experts at exploiting people and catering to human weaknesses. Before handing over money or entering into an agreement with someone you do not know, a quick online search could reveal if the person claiming to be a financial wiz is actually someone with an extensive criminal record.
Common Scams and Frauds
- IRS imposters: A call from the Internal Revenue Service threatening to have you arrested because of an unpaid tax debt is certainly going to get your attention. Many of these calls use a recording to make the threat and give you a number to call to resolve the matter. Victims who call the imposter are told they must pay a certain amount by pre-paid gift cards or another untraceable payment method to avoid being arrested. The website of the real IRS cautions people not to fall for this scam by letting them know that IRS collection efforts always involve a letter from the agency and not a threatening telephone call.
- Ponzi or pyramid schemes: This form of scam is named after an infamous scam artist, Charles Ponzi, who came up with it at the end of World War I. The scam artist entices victims to invest money with promises of too-good-to-be-true returns on investment except there is no investment. The scam artist simply takes money from new investors and uses some of it to pay dividends or interest to earlier investors in order to keep the scheme running while pocketing the rest. Eventually, as the pool of potential investors dwindles and money stops flowing into the “investment,” the scheme collapses.
- Foreclosure scams: Homeowners who have fallen on hard times and cannot make their mortgage payments frequently become the target of scam artists offering to help them. Homeowners are asked to pay a fee in exchange for help negotiating with the lender or other types of assistance that are never actually given. Sometimes, the homeowner is enticed to sign over the house to the scam artist who promises to take over the debt. What usually happens is the house is rented to unsuspecting tenants by the scam artist who pockets the money until the bank eventually takes the house in a foreclosure.
The types of scams and fraudulent schemes are limited only by the limits of the imagination of the criminals who devise them. Some of the common scams and frauds include the following:
If you are approached by someone offering you a deal that appears too good to be true, it could be a scam. An online public records search of the individual, company or organization making the offer could alert you to possible risks.
How to Protect Yourself from Scam Artists
The best way to avoid being the victim of a scam artist is to do some research before giving or sending money or providing personal information, such as Social Security numbers. Online searches are easy to do and provide a wealth of information about the person, business or organization contacting you. Being information and cautious could keep you from becoming the victim of a scam artist.
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Last Updated: 2018-11-28
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Talal Zoabi he is an Israel scammer I went on his page called Break black magic and he was talking black magic nonsense to me and then he wanted me to send him $50.
Please put Holly Wood, aka Holly Coleman, Holly Boutough, Holly Jane on your list. She’s on fb and selling some of her ill gotten goods on marketplace (under Holly Jane). My sister has a brain injury and Holly pretended to have a brain injury and used my sister’s credit cards and bank cards to the tune of several thousand dollars, stole her Rolex and had her cosign on a Mercedes, which is about to get repossessed. She has a hearing in Richmond on Feb 4. My sister is not the only person she has scammed.
Elizabeth, thank you for sharing your story about a scam artist. Having access to public records, such as a person’s criminal past, can be very important for others to know so situations like this can be avoided. Hopefully you find a satisfactory resolution to your sister’s situation.
I have someone from Nigeria asking me to go to the western union and pick up money for him that is being sent to me in my name and wants me to send him the money by western union why I don’t know. I am not getting anything out of this I don’t know for what he is getting this money for. I hope it’s not from something legal.
Be very cautious with this, it sounds like a common scam. Nigeria is one of the hot spots for fraud and scams. It is not advisable to share engage with unknown people your personal or banking information.
Need help finding someone
Is this in regards to a scam artist search? Please let us know as much information ( i.e. name, age, residency ) as possible and we’ll do some research for you
I have recently been scammed, I unfortunately was made to fall in Love with a Military man. Yes, I was told that I would be given the world. He was very good at what he did. I was told that he wanted to come home for Christmas and we would be married. We met online and we had been chatting for about 3’ months, and it all seems so genuine. Then just recently he seemed different, almost like I was talking to 2 different people. I found myself repeating myself in conversations, and he would get upset with me when I would say, why don’t you remember?
Then he was shot! He begged me to bring him home, and of course I had to do everything that he said to get him out of Syria! I wired the money, per his Commander! Only to fin out the Military doesn’t ask family to pay to have loved ones sent home, and the President had already brought our Military home. So now I’m out quite a lot of money, and no future husband. Please don’t be scammed and don’t fall for anything like this. Do your research, and if this happens to you, follow up with your bank and police. I’m never going to get my money back, but I’ve learned a very expensive lesson. I’ve lost hope in men, again but I’m a survivor!
Thank you for sharing about your experience with a scam artist. It’s very unfortunate and there are a lot of people out there that have unfortunately been scammed by someone they trust. We are happy to share your comments on our Scam Artist Search blog post
How do I do a background check on someone from another country? I find many suitors from Algeria and many from Pakistan. Usually ask me to move over to whatsapp or hangouts to talk \” privately\”. Now,I just ask to video chat and if they give an excuse, I stop responding.Saves times and potential heartache…
Unfortunately, obtaining background records on a person from another country is a difficult procedure and near impossible in many circumstances, depending on the country. Our public record resources are for domestic, or Unites States, records only. We are not affiliated with any other countries. What is unique about the United States is we have the Freedom of Information Act. The FOIA allows the general public of the United States to gain access to most government collected information on it’s citizens. This is not the case with any other country and consequently it’s very difficult to find background information on a person. You might consider contacting the relevant government agency and inquiring there.
I need some real help. I was recently scammed after 5 months of conversation with a man from a dating site. Being a widow, I am so vulnerable to what men do on these sites. I have a lot of information on this particular man. Local police make a report and it goes no where so I have not filed anything with them. I am really desperate for some help. I am so ashamed to even talk about this, i am not this stupid but the sweet talking and the promises worked. Please help me.
It’s very unfortunate to be scammed by a scam artist. Typically, being scammed is a confidence game that many people become victims from. We can certainly assist you with a Scam Artist Search. Please provide us with the full name of the person of interest and their state of residence and we can help you uncover their criminal history. It’s better to be in the know before you engage with someone that you are uncertain about, especially if they are asking for money or financial favors. This is definitely a trait of scam artist, not all the time of course, but better to be safe than sorry.