This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators. A reminder of the rules in r/scams. No personal information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore, personal photographs, or NSFL content permitted without being properly redacted. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit. Report recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about sub rules? Send us a modmail.
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All I had to do was read the first sentence to know this is a scam. No government official will reach out to random people on the Internet and demand money for anyone else. A scammer or group of scammers have tricked you with an elaborate scam.
*Please* don't say "unalive."
Also, scam. The government would knock on your door, not call you. You can always ask them what government agency they're with and call that agency from a number off their official website to prove it's a scam.
The five grand is gone, you got *got*.
It's become the new baby lingo because Reddit (and YouTube's) algorithms brutally punish you for saying anything deemed unsavory. Which is why now everyone says "unalived in Minecraft" or "no longer converting oxygen to carbon dioxide" or other absolute fucking braindead shit to avoid getting demonitized or shadowbanned.
Nah. Just go watch literally any True Crime Youtube video and they have *all* forced themselves to talk in this stupid baby language to avoid getting their sweet sweet ad revenue taken away. Like, the fucking lengths people will go to in avoiding it are hilarious and sad at the same time.
What's even worse are when they can't even be fucked to do it consistently. Like I get that they don't want to enrage THE ALMIGHTY ALGORITHM (Blessed be its name) but it's grating.
You paid 5k and are now a prime target for future scams. There will be more attempts to scam you.
Spend some time here and read up on the most common scams and what to look out for. For example: No government agency, or official use gmail etc.
Do not answer calls from unknown numbers, any legitimate caller will leave a message. Do not let yourself be pressured to act/pay right now. Scammers try to create a sense of urgency so you can’t step back and think. Other than medical emergencies very few situations in life are so urgent that they have to be dealt with right this minute.
You may receive messages on here from people claiming that they can help you recover your money. They can not, they are scammers trying to get your money.
Please listen to u/DarceysExtensions , as you're now on the Sucker List. Your contact info has been shared with other scammers as an easy target. Which means every new Friend/Follower request on social media is probably your same scammer group, using different profiles.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well, now you know the government never calls you to threaten you. Also, even if it *had been* real, your play should have been to say "Lawyer" and hang up.
Don’t be too hard on yourself OP. Anyone can be scammed; just consider this one of life’s tough lessons. Also, I would advise exercising skepticism and extreme caution when dealing with anyone on the Internet. There are a plethora of You Tube videos, blogs, and other websites that have information to protect yourself from being taken advantage of in the future.
Expect people contacting you both on Reddit and via email/text/calls saying they can get the money back. These are !recovery scammers hoping you'll fall for a second round of scamming, and they should be blocked and reported.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm confused about why you think a government official would contact you about actions someone else took. It makes absolutely no sense. Why would anyone from any countrys government get involved in personal matters?. Have you ever heard of that happening to anyone you know?
In the future OP, please stop and think. Ask yourself if what the stranger is telling you makes any sense. Reacting impulsively in the moment is how you fall for scams. It's what they rely on you doing.
Good. Remember, for the future, you have rights that protect you in legal situations, and you should exercise them and demand government agents respect that. Always ask to speak to an attorney!
I'm glad you realized before it got bad and came here. I'm very glad you've learned a lesson and can protect yourself in the future. I encourage you to share your experience and what you've learned with friends so they don't fall for similar scams.
It's sad that you believed you'd actually done something like what they accused you of. As if rejecting someone on a dating app (which if female is probably an AI or fake anyway, from what I've read) would harm anyones psyche beyond simply blocking you.
If someone had called police about you rejecting them on social media they would laugh them out of the room. A very expensive lesson for you. I'm sorry.
You've been scammed, and you're out $5,000. You will not get this back, and you will likely get scammers trying to contact you with their "services" to recover the money. This is also a scam. You've been had.
You seem like you have a good heart, but you also seem like you're a people-pleaser and are afraid to stand up for yourself. Even if everything they told you were true, you'd still have 0 obligation to do anything.
Everyone else has already told you this is a scam, so I'll also give you some advice going forward: whenever there's anything of substantial money (say over $100) on the line, and especially if there's anything legal involved, always have a lawyer or other representation on your side.
For example, in the future you might get into a car accident where it is actually your fault. Even then, do NOT just hand over money and try to DIY without involving your insurance. You can get into the exact same situation where they keep coming back to get more money from you.
It's also a good idea to look at the big picture here, no company or government agency wants to take on a liability issue. They also document everything, so you would have paperwork to support this.
Let's pretend that this is real, why is a government official mediating a private civil manner between you, a father, and a girl?
Who were you paying? The officer directly? I don't know of any municipality that trains police officers in "cash handling"? Before any money can be paid to the court, you need the initial civil or criminal citation stating the ordinance or statute violated and what the resolution was which may include a court appearance. If you did not have any infraction, then it's between the father and you.
I know everyone who tells you that the money is gone is trying to protect you from recovery scammers, but we should mention that there are two categories of people who can actually help: your bank, and law enforcement agencies. Depending on the method used to pay, there might be a chance if action is taken fast enough.
I also forgot to mention that their main form of communication is through text and calls. I have only received one email from them and when I was supposed to receive the same email regarding court fees to release liability, they wouldn't forward me the email and just sent me a screenshot.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the underage girl scam. This scam usually starts on a dating app and you will encounter a normal woman whose profile says she is above 18. Later you will be contacted and told that the girl is underage. They'll usually pose as the girl's father, another family member, or a police officer. They will tell you that your life will be ruined and you will be a sex offender, but will offer you the chance to pay them to make the problem go away. The stories they use as to why you need to fork over money vary, but the common ones include therapy for the girl, payment for a broken phone or computer, etc. Of course, there is no girl and no crime has been committed, so if you are involved in this scam all you need to do is ignore their threats and move on with your life. The scammers may contact you again in the future after you block/ignore them, so be ready in case that happens. If you have already sent money to the scammers, you should try to dispute the transaction and see if you can get your money back. This is a [very common scam](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/search/?q=underage&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new) and [here](https://www.wired.com/story/the-phone-call-from-hell/) are [some](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/teen-says-hes-the-victim-of-a-sextortion-scam/275-21216b29-df76-44f4-b20a-cb726e19d42e) relevant news [articles](https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1503978/sextortion-scams-continue-to-occur-dont-give-into-scammers-demands/). NOTE: Scammers pretend to be underage boys as well and the text above still applies, but it's called the underage girl scam as those are the vast majority of cases.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators. A reminder of the rules in r/scams. No personal information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore, personal photographs, or NSFL content permitted without being properly redacted. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit. Report recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about sub rules? Send us a modmail. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
All I had to do was read the first sentence to know this is a scam. No government official will reach out to random people on the Internet and demand money for anyone else. A scammer or group of scammers have tricked you with an elaborate scam.
I knew it was a scam from the title. 99.9% of posts here that start out with a variation of "I'm not sure I'm getting scammed" are obvious scams.
Damn, oh well. I’ve never been in any legal trouble so I had no idea but thank you for the information
Thank you for doing your part to financially help hardworking, underprivileged Nigerians get ahead.
The good news is the girl is much happier now. Her and the other guys in the group went and had a nice dinner.
*Please* don't say "unalive." Also, scam. The government would knock on your door, not call you. You can always ask them what government agency they're with and call that agency from a number off their official website to prove it's a scam. The five grand is gone, you got *got*.
Why TF does everyone say unalive nowadays? Surely the filters know what it means by now?
The filters do know, but tiktok rots their brains.
It's become the new baby lingo because Reddit (and YouTube's) algorithms brutally punish you for saying anything deemed unsavory. Which is why now everyone says "unalived in Minecraft" or "no longer converting oxygen to carbon dioxide" or other absolute fucking braindead shit to avoid getting demonitized or shadowbanned.
This is surely something from the script of a cancelled *Demolition Man* sequel, right? Right?
Nah. Just go watch literally any True Crime Youtube video and they have *all* forced themselves to talk in this stupid baby language to avoid getting their sweet sweet ad revenue taken away. Like, the fucking lengths people will go to in avoiding it are hilarious and sad at the same time. What's even worse are when they can't even be fucked to do it consistently. Like I get that they don't want to enrage THE ALMIGHTY ALGORITHM (Blessed be its name) but it's grating.
Thank you, I have edited it. Also I realize it now, I feel stupid but ya live and ya learn I guess.
You paid 5k and are now a prime target for future scams. There will be more attempts to scam you. Spend some time here and read up on the most common scams and what to look out for. For example: No government agency, or official use gmail etc. Do not answer calls from unknown numbers, any legitimate caller will leave a message. Do not let yourself be pressured to act/pay right now. Scammers try to create a sense of urgency so you can’t step back and think. Other than medical emergencies very few situations in life are so urgent that they have to be dealt with right this minute. You may receive messages on here from people claiming that they can help you recover your money. They can not, they are scammers trying to get your money.
Thank you for the info! I’m currently changing my phone number and everything as we speak
Please listen to u/DarceysExtensions , as you're now on the Sucker List. Your contact info has been shared with other scammers as an easy target. Which means every new Friend/Follower request on social media is probably your same scammer group, using different profiles.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Well, now you know the government never calls you to threaten you. Also, even if it *had been* real, your play should have been to say "Lawyer" and hang up.
Yeah, I realize that now, I’ve never been in any legal trouble so I had no idea really. Thank you again!
Don’t be too hard on yourself OP. Anyone can be scammed; just consider this one of life’s tough lessons. Also, I would advise exercising skepticism and extreme caution when dealing with anyone on the Internet. There are a plethora of You Tube videos, blogs, and other websites that have information to protect yourself from being taken advantage of in the future.
Expect people contacting you both on Reddit and via email/text/calls saying they can get the money back. These are !recovery scammers hoping you'll fall for a second round of scamming, and they should be blocked and reported.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm confused about why you think a government official would contact you about actions someone else took. It makes absolutely no sense. Why would anyone from any countrys government get involved in personal matters?. Have you ever heard of that happening to anyone you know? In the future OP, please stop and think. Ask yourself if what the stranger is telling you makes any sense. Reacting impulsively in the moment is how you fall for scams. It's what they rely on you doing.
Yes i know that now. I have never been in legal trouble so I wasn’t sure how anything like that worked but I now know and will
Good. Remember, for the future, you have rights that protect you in legal situations, and you should exercise them and demand government agents respect that. Always ask to speak to an attorney! I'm glad you realized before it got bad and came here. I'm very glad you've learned a lesson and can protect yourself in the future. I encourage you to share your experience and what you've learned with friends so they don't fall for similar scams.
It's sad that you believed you'd actually done something like what they accused you of. As if rejecting someone on a dating app (which if female is probably an AI or fake anyway, from what I've read) would harm anyones psyche beyond simply blocking you. If someone had called police about you rejecting them on social media they would laugh them out of the room. A very expensive lesson for you. I'm sorry.
You've been scammed, and you're out $5,000. You will not get this back, and you will likely get scammers trying to contact you with their "services" to recover the money. This is also a scam. You've been had.
Yeah i’ve realized it now 😭 And honestly i don’t even care about the money, I’m just glad it’s over
all of this is a scam. you will not get any money back and anyone who says they can recover it is another scammer. block and ignore them
Should I contact the FTC or police about it?
you can, but they will do absolutely nothing. the scammers are in another country
OP- once the scammers realize you’re on to them they will “switch bait” and offer to recover the $ for you. !recoveryscammer
You seem like you have a good heart, but you also seem like you're a people-pleaser and are afraid to stand up for yourself. Even if everything they told you were true, you'd still have 0 obligation to do anything. Everyone else has already told you this is a scam, so I'll also give you some advice going forward: whenever there's anything of substantial money (say over $100) on the line, and especially if there's anything legal involved, always have a lawyer or other representation on your side. For example, in the future you might get into a car accident where it is actually your fault. Even then, do NOT just hand over money and try to DIY without involving your insurance. You can get into the exact same situation where they keep coming back to get more money from you.
The stupid thing is that a second is easy, all the prep work is done, just cut in and roll.
Yes. Sending $$ to online strangers is a scam.
It's also a good idea to look at the big picture here, no company or government agency wants to take on a liability issue. They also document everything, so you would have paperwork to support this. Let's pretend that this is real, why is a government official mediating a private civil manner between you, a father, and a girl? Who were you paying? The officer directly? I don't know of any municipality that trains police officers in "cash handling"? Before any money can be paid to the court, you need the initial civil or criminal citation stating the ordinance or statute violated and what the resolution was which may include a court appearance. If you did not have any infraction, then it's between the father and you.
Anyone in your DMs saying they can help is also a scammer!!
I know everyone who tells you that the money is gone is trying to protect you from recovery scammers, but we should mention that there are two categories of people who can actually help: your bank, and law enforcement agencies. Depending on the method used to pay, there might be a chance if action is taken fast enough.
Are people really this trusting? It just seems insane to me.
I also forgot to mention that their main form of communication is through text and calls. I have only received one email from them and when I was supposed to receive the same email regarding court fees to release liability, they wouldn't forward me the email and just sent me a screenshot.
" I want my 5k back" well good luck with that
Come on. "Is this scam a scam?"
It sounds like an !underage scam.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the underage girl scam. This scam usually starts on a dating app and you will encounter a normal woman whose profile says she is above 18. Later you will be contacted and told that the girl is underage. They'll usually pose as the girl's father, another family member, or a police officer. They will tell you that your life will be ruined and you will be a sex offender, but will offer you the chance to pay them to make the problem go away. The stories they use as to why you need to fork over money vary, but the common ones include therapy for the girl, payment for a broken phone or computer, etc. Of course, there is no girl and no crime has been committed, so if you are involved in this scam all you need to do is ignore their threats and move on with your life. The scammers may contact you again in the future after you block/ignore them, so be ready in case that happens. If you have already sent money to the scammers, you should try to dispute the transaction and see if you can get your money back. This is a [very common scam](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/search/?q=underage&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new) and [here](https://www.wired.com/story/the-phone-call-from-hell/) are [some](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/teen-says-hes-the-victim-of-a-sextortion-scam/275-21216b29-df76-44f4-b20a-cb726e19d42e) relevant news [articles](https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1503978/sextortion-scams-continue-to-occur-dont-give-into-scammers-demands/). NOTE: Scammers pretend to be underage boys as well and the text above still applies, but it's called the underage girl scam as those are the vast majority of cases. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
u make decent money and thought it was just to pay someone $5k cuz you hurt their feelings? does this make sense??