Just been scammed

Actually that guy scammed that forum. You were just the victim. You trusted that forum and they failed you. It's not like you fell for some silly phony IRS pitch you received on your phone and paid someone back-taxes owed. There's a lot of faith required in dealing over the internet. I guess trust your gut instincts.
 
I feel sorry for you. The question I ask is how does a Nigerian conman (or any nationality) manage to open a UK resident's bank account without having to go through security hurdles?
Maybe money mules if it’s a big organised scam gang.

Also in many cases a small scale scammer uses their legit bank details, but gives you false details. In the past, banks (& police) simply weren’t interested if it was a bank transfer that you instigated.
They wouldn’t even give you the name of the person who scammed you making it impossible to take any further action against them, so in effect they were free to scam using their real bank account.
 
When one considers the amount of money often involved, why not do as advised, a one on one meet.
Ok , so the watch/anything you want to buy maybe in Italy.
Jump on an easyjet/Ryanair flight (to avoid being prejudiced), & meet up face to face.
Cost so far, a day lost, return cheap flight, & maybe a hotel if ness. Can book at last minuet.
When you compare it to the cost of the item, you may be able to meet half way with the advertised price.
Ps,
Feel for you leo79 best regards to you.
 
This is scary stuff. Hats off to you for airing it on the forum.
Hope you get a good result from the bank 👍
 
The scammers are getting better at their trade. A friend almost lost 30k just before Xmas by someone supposedly representing a reputable investment company. It was only saved when he phoned the number on the headed paper to query something, and he couldn't be transferred to the person he had been dealing with. Nobody has heard of that person within the organisation.

OP, hope you get sorted.
 
Just an update in case anyone is interested.
Got a proper A4 letter from my bank yesterday, opened it and read the first bit which said 'we have recovered some of your funds....."
My heart starts to flutter........ total amount............ ohhhh I can't bear it....... £0.99.
RESULT!!!
:laugh: you've got to laugh. It was followed up by a phone call later on saying that it's still being investigated and they'll be in touch soon hopefully with better news. I've written it off anyway so anythings a result as far as I'm concerned.
 
Just an update in case anyone is interested.
Got a proper A4 letter from my bank yesterday, opened it and read the first bit which said 'we have recovered some of your funds....."
My heart starts to flutter........ total amount............ ohhhh I can't bear it....... £0.99.
RESULT!!!
:laugh: you've got to laugh. It was followed up by a phone call later on saying that it's still being investigated and they'll be in touch soon hopefully with better news. I've written it off anyway so anythings a result as far as I'm concerned.

Wow! I hope it didn't come first class.
 
Never trust any 'ID documents', you can buy these documents are on many sites.

Heres one for example, they class it as 'EU Verification' for PayPal, but what you get is a driving licence or passport and a utility bill/bank statement in the same name. (this is required from paypal to confirm your identity if you do not pass the electronic electroal roll check they do when you hit the 2500Euro recieving limit). The docs can also be sent with someone holding it as well to make it look more genuine. It's probably what the poster above got with his Italien ID card scam.

I test purchased one for a research report I was writing last year, and it was VERY good, I mean, perfect. Literally.. Passed the PayPal checks and everything.


 
Leo, just curious, did you ever get your money back from the bank?

I got back just over £100, which is a £100 more than I was expecting.
I wasn't expecting anything to be honest but after it was mentioned on here about APP I thought I'd try but my bank have said they've done all they can.
Expensive lesson but I've moved on, no point beating yourself up over something.
 
I know it's of no use to you now, but regarding the name check service now in place for money transfers, I am pleasantly surprised at its effectiveness.

I recently bought a laptop from a fellow forumer and misspelled the recipient name by one letter. The bank app flagged this immediately prior to transfer and I rectified it. A well overdue component of the safety net.
 
I got back just over £100, which is a £100 more than I was expecting.
I wasn't expecting anything to be honest but after it was mentioned on here about APP I thought I'd try but my bank have said they've done all they can.
Expensive lesson but I've moved on, no point beating yourself up over something.


Did you follow the forums stated trading rules?

Do they or the actual "hacked account" holder have no legal responsibility or liability in these cases?

Also don't banks now refund scammed account holders who were not at fault?
 
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I got back just over £100, which is a £100 more than I was expecting.
I wasn't expecting anything to be honest but after it was mentioned on here about APP I thought I'd try but my bank have said they've done all they can.
Expensive lesson but I've moved on, no point beating yourself up over something.
Leo - this is exactly the right attitude to take, in my opinion.

I was scammed out of £23 last year by a Chinese fake and I was FURIOUS for about a week! I contacted Paypal about it as I did some online research AFTER buying the item (doh!) and they came down in my favour, but they requested me to return the crappy item back to the Seller once I'd received it, which would've cost about £13 plus the Seller might have claimed they never got it back!

In hindsight, I should've just lied to Paypal and said I never received the item, then they would've just treated it as lost and refunded me in full, but I was stupidly honest and had to just write it off.

Okay, so £23 didn't exactly break the bank, but I examined WHY I'd fallen for the scam and it was because I'd got caught up in the (seemingly) bargain price and not exercised due diligence. I know that's not relevant for your case, but learning from the experience is and I always stop and take a step back now, not rush into anything.

We all make mistakes in life (though I don't think you made a mistake as such, you were just conned by a skilled fraudster and it's the site who didn't exercise due diligence); the important thing is to learn from them and not repeat them ever again.
 
Sigh....... Just found out that I've been scammed out of a large amount of money.
I feel sick and utterly foolish. I'm the one who always checks with my mum, gran and also my wife regarding scam phone calls/emails/phishing sites etc. when they're unsure about something.
And now I've fell for it myself.
Long story short(ish), wanting to treat myself for my upcoming 40th. After searching and trying on for the last couple of months I decided on a certain watch.
Lo and behold, one only pops up on a watch forum I frequent. Good price, based in the UK, good profile on that site and a couple of other sites, I send him a message. I hear back from him through email, this is quite common on this forum.
I get him to reply to me on the forum through private message so I can confirm its him I'm dealing with.
Anyway, I was as comfortable as I'd ever be sending this amount of money so did the transfer. He sent confirmation of payment and said he'd send tracking number next day.
Have a guess what happened next. No contact at all, got in touch with the Mods on that forum, they almost immediately ban him and tell me its a well known Nigerian scammer who had hacked this other blokes legitimate account.

Did I feel completley at ease with the whole thing from the start? No, my gut feeling told me something was amiss. Can't put my finger in it, but you know what? I still went ahead. What a c*ck.

I always tell my lads to trust your instinct but because I got caught up in finding my watch at a good price (not an ridiculously cheap price) I ignored my gut feeling and lost a load of money.

What a fool, chin up :suicide:

Just don't go too hard on yourself.

It can happen to the best of us, really.
 
Well...................... I can't quite believe it but after checking my bank account this morning, the whole amount has been refunded.
I don't know what to say apart from I'm over the moon and in disbelief,
After contacting Action Fraud and both banks, I was advised to get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman. I sent them all the details and forgot all about it. FO contacted me last month requesting a bit more info.
I then received an email from the FO investigator stating that she believed Santander should reimburse the full amount according to the CRM code (Authorised push payment), and she will be contacting Santander with her conclusion.
Amazed and so grateful :clap:
 
I feel sorry for you. The question I ask is how does a Nigerian conman (or any nationality) manage to open a UK resident's bank account without having to go through security hurdles?
The dark web? Insider dealing? Loads of dodgy shit going on out there

I worked for a couple of companies where I had to do anti money laundering exams, it was mandatory as an employee

Companies have to keep updating their systems and their guarding techniques to keep up with the scumbags, but the scammers keep finding loopholes
 

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