Has anyone of you gotten scammed / tricked / cheated on online already?
By jeeyah
@jeeyah (1092)
Philippines
April 27, 2011 2:19pm CST
I honestly thought that I would live through my whole life without ever getting scammed or being stolen from. I have never lost any expensive thing, nor have I been stolen from.. But tonight was the night that changed it all.
I got scammed online. I wanted to exchange my PayPal funds with GCash Funds (GCash is a local eWallet). Anyway, doesn't matter. I just feel so stupid that I fell for the trap. I knew that there was something fishy, but I still pushed through with the transaction. And one of the reasons why I pushed through with it is because PayPal said that the person was a "Premier Member". Turns out that after I already sent my payment, the person wasn't even verified. -_- So she got my money. I never got the GCash funds. It just sucks. I feel bad.
But I guess everything happens for a reason, right? Let's just hope that we both get the kind of karma that we deserve (twice bad karma for that person and twice good karma for me, hopefully, haha).
How about you? Have you ever been scammed, cheated on, tricked? Share your experiences, and share some tips and hints on how we can prevent things like this from ever happening again.
4 people like this
9 responses
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
28 Apr 11
So far I have been lucky and avoided being scammed. I have a disability so it is much easier for me to shop online than in stores. I only use a credit card that if it is used without your authorization you aren't responsible. The card I use the most is my debit card, but I don't use that online because I don't want to use anything that is tied to my bank account. I know people do their banking online, but I don't want to take any chances. I don't pay bills online either. Maybe you could get Paypal to help you out. A friend of mine bought a gift through a site that used Paypay and she never got it. She contacted Paypal and was told there was nothing they could do, the site didn't exist any longer.
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
Where do you usually shop online? (I am so tempted to promote my online store now, but nahh haha).
Anyway, it's good that you have your strategy / preventive measure when you shop online. Better be safe than sorry, right?
And I already contacted PayPal about it, but I still haven't gotten a reply. :(
1 person likes this
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
30 Apr 11
It depends on what I am shopping for. If it is a store's website I usually try to find one that you can take the item back to the store if there is a problem. I don't like to have to ship something back and if it is a gift that could be a problem. If it is grocery items I shop at Alice.com. What kind of stuff do you sell? PM me your site and I will check it out.
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
27 Apr 11
You should report that to PayPal, with the original page reference and all the details of the transaction - you'd have a good chance of getting your money back, I think.
Personally, I've managed to avoid all the online scams but have suffered from identity theft. Someone got hold of my bank details (thanks to a completely useless firewall setup on a new PC) and emptied all my money. Thankfully, the banks here in the UK act *very* fast and mine had them shut down within hours. Got all my money back, too.
And get this - the thief paid for their Match.com membership with my account, so the police can track them down easily. 
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
I have tried contacting PayPal. I sent them all the details and even told them that I think their system has a glitch because it showed that the recipient was a "Premier Member" even though he/she wasn't even registered yet. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten any reply from them yet and it's been more than 48 hours. :|
And whoa. Do you have any idea how that someone got a hold of your bank details? I mean, I still don't know how people do that. :|
And hahaha, that thief is stupid. I guess he's still an amateur lol. But thanks to his stupidity, he got tracked down easily. Hah.
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
This is new. I mean, I haven't heard of this kind of scam before. Could you please explain or elaborate? What exactly did they make you do or something? Like what did you pay for? I'm really interested and curious about this (not that I want to get involved or something, lol)
@rhane7315 (5649)
• Philippines
27 Apr 11
well i, too, have been scammed last year. i purchased a dress online and after i payed it, the seller just disappeared lol i kept contacting her on her private account telling her that i want my money back and at the same time i need my money for my ultrasound because i was pregnant that time but she just said that she will return the money to me once she gets her money from her supplier which never happens.
i just hope and pray that karma will really hit her hard not once, but thrice for all the things that she had done not only to me but also to her other customers.
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
That really sucks. :| I hate how these scammers are ruining the reputations of legit and honest online sellers (like me). Lol. My cousin got scammed twice, and they were huge amounts of money. She was going to buy this branded bag and she paid Php20,000 (almost $500). So yea, she lost that amount of money to that scammer. Grr
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
28 Apr 11
Oh that is so sad. So bad of that person! Well at any rate just learn a good lesson from that and I'm sure that cheater will pay a higher price sooner or later.
Well as for me, I've never been scammed online or offline.(Thanks God!) I've always been careful and I don't just trust a person. Cheaters are everywhere and they are capable of doing just about anything to cheat so be careful the next time around!
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
Yes I have learned my lesson. I'm usually vigilant, but I just got caught off-guard. Now, I'll really be more vigilant and I'll try not to let my soft spot affect the decisions I make. Haha. I just hate that I broke my clean record. I was really looking forward to not getting scammed for my entire life. :( Haha
@CJscott (4187)
• Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
27 Apr 11
Just the once, paid for some "training" way too much. Anyway, every time I called for help they directed me to a free site, in the end I had to change email accounts. The real kicker though, was about 5 months after, I met a nice lady involved in something else online and they gave me all the same training, for the cost of a conference call, which for me, is notta.
Two things I learned, first, if the guy is pushy enough to talk to the banker when you are correcting a credit issue, RUN. Second, Read, Understand, and AGREE to everything in every contract you intend to sign, or DO NOT sign it.
Sincerely and With Appreciation.
@jeeyah (1092)
• Philippines
29 Apr 11
Wow really? That was a total rip-off. That sucks. :| Something similar happened (and still is) happening to me. I signed-up for this service for my online shop. They promised to give me free customized layouts, to create a website for my online shop, etc. Then once I paid, turns out the site is wordpress-based and they made me choose from free wordpress layout sites for my site's layout. They provide the hosting and all. What sucks though is that I found out that the storage space they are offering me only costs 1/12 of what I'm paying them for it, the program they are using to run my online shop's features is a free wordpress plug-in, and I had to pay them to re-fix my layout. I don't have access to FTP servers so everytime I want to install a plug-in, I have to pay them. And their customer service kinda sucks. Sheesh. It just sucks that I have to pay them a MONTHLY FEE that I don't even understand why it's so expensive and where it goes. It just sucks that it's too late to quit now and cancel the subscription since I already invested on it. And if I want to quit and get the code for my site, I have to pay for it. Grrr.
@animegirl334 (3263)
• United States
30 Apr 11
Yes, I have been scammed before. I responded to an online posting about a job offer. The person said she was overseas but would pay me 300 dollars every month to do tasks. She asked to to mail letters, send packages and everything seemed ok. That is until she sent me two checks and asked to cash it and send her the money. After I had wired her the money, the checks bounced and I could not contact her again. 
Now I think back, I feel so stupid. I just wanted a job to help pay for school.
Now I think back, I feel so stupid. I just wanted a job to help pay for school.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
28 Apr 11
I conider my elf fortunate hen ir come to being a victim of online cam. doiing enough reaearch on uncertin ite really doe help on thi caue.
@nangisha (3496)
• Indonesia
30 Apr 11
Hi Jeeyah!.
I really sorry to hear thats I ever sell my paypal fund too but its to trusted source. I never give my paypal address to any one without knowing first its was safe. There are so many scamer out there who ready to take advantage if we not careful. I hope you don't loose much. I never let my money sit to long in my account. If I receive payment from mylot I already planing what going to buy with it.
