Sources of Help

    For those who are looking for help, it is important to understand that most victims of fraud cannot recover the money that was taken because the perpetrator will not pay a judgment if he or she is sued. Occasionally if you act quickly, you can freeze the assets of the person who cheated you. Sometimes there may be a responsible person who has exposed himself to liability because of proximity to the fraud (e.g. sitting on the board of directors or negligent supervision of an employee). Unless you can proceed against a "deep pocket" defendant or want to spend money on lawyers "for the principle", all you can do is to clean up the damage and learn from the experience.

Here is a summary of potential sources of help:

Police and Prosecutors: The criminal system is overburdened and smaller white collar crimes are frequently not pursued. Often the fraudulent scheme involves a complicated "business plan" and the police will not see an obvious theft. They will tell you it is a civil matter. If you can convince someone to prosecute, the court will order the perpetrator to make restitution to you. Rarely can you expect to be made even partially whole from the restitution because the convicted person either does not have the ability or desire to pay you.

State and Federal Agencies: There are a number of agencies that work on consumer complaints and are sympathetic to victims. Rarely (practically never) do they produce any monetary recover for the victim. If the perpetrator has a license, the licensing agency should also be contacted. All that will likely be accomplished is some satisfaction of doing something.

Lawyers: Attorneys provide access to the civil courts. This is an expensive proposition and should not not be pursued unless there is a deep pocket defendant or you have money to burn. Lawyers will not take your case on a contingency fee basis unless there is a large sum of money at stake and a good claim against a solvent defendant.

Small Claims Courts: These courts provide easy and quick access to justice. They are inexpensive but claims are usually limited to less than $5,000.

	Police and Prosecutors
	State and Federal Agencies
	Lawyers
	Small Claims Courts
	Links to Fraud Victim Websites
	Ideas for Finding Perpetrators