No wonder cyberthieves can cause quite a damage to unsuspecting victims because they have the ability to use the internet as a tool to trick you out into giving up your personal details and financial information, the outcome of which is either you end up losing your money or did not get the money you were promised for. These scams have various form which also include contacting targeted victims through emails, social media websites, dating apps etc. and other known methods such as financial industry with the only objective of defrauding the general public.

According to recent study, it has been reported that the number of complaints of internet related frauds and crimes have increased 17% from 2017 to 2018. Such a drastic in the figure is quite alarming and if not taken care efficiently, will jeopardize the online business as well as severely damage the trust of the consumers as a whole. While the internet has played and has been playing a very vital role in our day to day lives which is equipped with loads of advantages, however, one cannot ignore the possibility that any person, irrespective of age or culture, who has an internet-enabled device is more susceptible to fall prey at the hands of these scammers.

How to Report a Scam to Interpol – Most common types of frauds

The perpetrators of this heinous crime of scamming people have devised ways and means to deceive victims from all parts of the world through the use of internet. Here are some of the most common types of frauds.

1.    Banking Sector Frauds

There are thousands of cases reported on daily basis in the banking sector all over the world where the customers of the banks had received phone calls from the scammers who pretended to be the authorized agents of the banks. These scammers then ask the banks’ customers to provide the sensitive information relating to their accounts maintained with the bank and once you have given them the passwords and the sensitive information, then can easily log into your account and stole of your money.

2.    Quick-money promise

This type of scam usually starts with a victim receiving an unknown phone call or unsolicited email from someone who is not in the list which, in many of the reported cases, advertises a job requiring by offering fast money. The perpetrators involved in this type of scam generally make target to those who need job or those who have lost their jobs very recently because they are soft targets for them. They ask you to give your personal data which could help them accessing your financial information. In some of the cases the information shared by the victims was found to be used for money laundering purposes.

3.    Fake shopping websites

The fake shopping websites is not something new. It is widely known by many where scammers have established fake shopping websites and the consumers are lured into pay for the item of their choice but failed to receive the goods they had paid for.

4.    Phishing scams

Phishing is one of the most dangerous type of scam which continue to collectively cause losses of billions of dollars every year to the victims. In this kind of scam a victim receives an email message which looks identically similar and from a genuine source such as financial institutions etc. It is a trick to deceive you in giving up your sensitive information such as passwords, bank account details and debit/credit card information. Once you have given up what they wanted, then there is no turning back. Your financials have been compromised and your information is at the whim and fancy of these fraudsters. Don’t let them escape, find out how to report a scam to Interpol and take action.

5.    Cryptocurrency Ponzi schemes

The most recent and increasing form of fraud these days which is related to investment in cryptocurrency. Since the cryptocurrency is unregulated and there is high potential of profit earning, it has attracted majority of scammers try their tricks in cryptocurrency industry. They started to develop many fake ICO projects and surprisingly it is reported that while there are legitimate ICO projects however, 95% of the ICO projects have been launched by scammers to defraud the cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors. The consequences were so damaging that in most of the cases the victims were left penniless and often traumatized psychologically.

Financial Crimes and the role of Interpol

There is no denying the fact that the advent of Bitcoin, has increased the figures of financial crimes, in particular money laundering. No matter where you are at home, at office or whether you are online or offline, financial crimes have been threatening people in every aspect. The likelihood of people being scammed, deceived, robbed and blackmailed are seemingly endless. With the ever-growing advancement in the field of digital technology, one way or the other, if not all but few of us have been impacted by financial crimes. These scammers are everywhere, in every part of the world and often operate from different countries and target their victims who either live in that particular country or who is residing in any other country.

Nobody is safe from their tricks and ill-motivated intensions. This is where role of Interpol becomes a vital role. The International Criminal Police Organization, which is most commonly known as Interpol, is an organization which is working in close collaboration with the police of 194 countries of the world to control the crime, in particular international crimes such as financial and cyber-crimes, by providing mutual assistance to each other. Before you know how to report a scam to Interpol, you should also know that international police advises you to get in touch with your local police first.

Reporting a fraud

If you are victim of financial fraud and believe that the crime is of international nature which has come from the country other than your residence, then as a first step you should immediately report the incident with your local police and provide them all the details you have regarding the crime. Once the report is duly registered with the local police authorities, then the local police authorities automatically contact Interpol and Interpol can then help your local police by providing them with the relevant information and communicate with the local police of that country from where the perpetrator was operating. In this way the international crimes are solved and culprits arrested with the facilitation of Interpol.

However, there is yet another entity called Money-Back.com with which you can register your complaint of financial crime because of the reason that they are good at getting refund of your money which was stolen from you due to scam.