Mechanicsburg, PA asked in Internet Law for Pennsylvania

Q: If I have been defrauded by a website from London, England do I have any recourse to get my monies back?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Rachel Lea Hunter
Rachel Lea Hunter
Answered
  • Consumer Law Lawyer
  • Cary, NC
  • Licensed in Pennsylvania

A: How do you know the website is in London, England? It could be anywhere in the world and making it look like Lon don, England.

In theory, yes, you might be able to recover your money, but in practical terms, the answer is you probably will not.

If the criminal is in a foreign country, it will be very difficult to find the person and the US government is not likely to help too much. You post no details of the crime, but these financial crimes come of Africa or other foreign countries. The criminals take the money and then move on. They are hard to trace and find.

And the amount of money involved does not make it viable to pursue them. How much did you lose? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?

Try filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

If the person really is in the US then criminal charges can be brought against them and restitution ordered as part of sentencing or you will be able to sue them civilly.

Good luck.

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