I have found an actual government agency that investigates all internet crimes, it is an internet crime complaint center that combines resources of the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), from what I can tell, they actually pursue internet crime activity unlike your typical police department. For those who have had items illegally drop shipped from internet orders or been scammed in any other way, they are there to help. www.ic3.gov

I am familiar with this site and with stuff we are dealing with like LEGO, all they are going to do is refer your info to a local PD. Local PD will probably not investigate if its something like what we have seen on these boards. I am not discouraging anyone from trying this, I'm just letting you know what is likely to happen.

I may be jaded, but I'd have very little faith in this agency recovering your property or money. Even if they successfully catch and prosecute the guilty party, an unlikely prospect in what will likely be viewed as a he said-she said civil matter, the odds that the guilty party will possess assets which can be attached and garnished in restitution for his/her/their transgressions are almost certainly nil. I guess you can smirk in satisfaction knowing justice was served and somewhere, someone is picking up trash on a roadside, coaching youth soccer, or tending the counter at a Goodwill store because they stole your Lego set or hard earned cash. Honestly, the purpose of agencies like this isn't to gain satisfaction from the person who stole from you, they have your money/stuff already and even if some day in the future the weight of the state is exerted on them and justice is done in all likelihood you won't be getting financially compensated for your loss. The reason you're going to be making phone calls and filling out police reports is to get eBay, Amazon, or whatever venue the scammer used to rip you off to honor their stated protection policies and refund you your money.

Agencies like this most likely prioritize their cases based on the amount of money lost. It is not worth taxpayers' resources to invesigate every single $200 scam. Now if you are gulible enough to loose $50k worth of LEGO to a scammer, you may have a case.

Agencies like this most likely prioritize their cases based on the amount of money lost. It is not worth taxpayers' resources to invesigate every single $200 scam. Now if you are gulible enough to loose $50k worth of LEGO to a scammer, you may have a case.

this isn't an agency, its a reporting system and like I said its not going to change anything.

this isn't an agency, its a reporting system and like I said its not going to change anything.

I just took OP's words that it was an agency. I see what you meant after opening the site.

From their FAQs page:

Q: How are complaints resolved?

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) thoroughly reviews and evaluates each complaint so that we may refer it to the appropriate federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agency. Every complaint that is referred is sent to one or more law enforcement or regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction over the matter.

Once we refer a complaint to the appropriate agency, it may then be assigned to an investigator. We, therefore, ask that you provide a telephone number in the event an investigator needs to contact you for additional information. IC3 cannot guarantee that your complaint will be investigated.

Huh, so we are all still SOL, even with IC3. I know local police don't do squat about this, I would have thought the FBI may have but perhaps they don't have the resources either. I doubt they would do anything to get your money back, but they may be able to shut down the scammers, after all, my single claim may be $200 but if the scammer does $5000 in scams every month, that may be worth their attention.

Huh, so we are all still SOL, even with IC3. I know local police don't do squat about this, I would have thought the FBI may have but perhaps they don't have the resources either.

I doubt they would do anything to get your money back, but they may be able to shut down the scammers, after all, my single claim may be $200 but if the scammer does $5000 in scams every month, that may be worth their attention.

Ok, I admit that I was scammed one time buying something for my kids on Kijiji. I didn't follow my own hunches that the offer was too good to be true... Lucky it wasn't a huge sum of money (but enough to tick me off). I had contacted Kijiji about it and they'd already heard about her, shut down what they could and forwarded the info onto the police.

About two years later, I got a phone call from the Ontario Provincial Police (I live in Manitoba) about this woman "Melanie Auclaire" (amazing how some names will stick with you). I guess she had kept my contact information either on purpose or by mistake... Dumbass. I guess she had finally racked up enough complaints to be investigated. I made an official statement about it over the phone. I don't know what happened in the end, but the officer I spoke had told me that she'd been charged and they were piling it on.

I work in law enforcement and can tell you for a fact that sites like this are of little help. It's a big reason why Marijuana is being decriminalized. People are tired of spending money to prosecute petty cases. Your 200 scam wouls cost that time 5 to go after. A civil lawsuit is your best course of action. These people scam because they know there is no penalty.

I work in law enforcement and can tell you for a fact that sites like this are of little help. It's a big reason why Marijuana is being decriminalized. People are tired of spending money to prosecute petty cases. Your 200 scam wouls cost that time 5 to go after. A civil lawsuit is your best course of action. These people scam because they know there is no penalty.

exactly.....these people forward info to our department all the time and its is very very seldomly investigated. None that I know of have been investigated since I have started and I work for a large department.

Holy cow... do you work for Arlington PD? QUIT WRITING ME FREAKIN TICKETS ALREADY!!! lol

Holy cow... do you work for Arlington PD?

QUIT WRITING ME FREAKIN TICKETS ALREADY!!!

lol

lol stop speeding then......

lol stop speeding then......

I actually had to buy a "Back the Badge" bunpersticker just to drive on 360.

I hate writing tickets. We have been working with FWPD on 30 doing speed traps........super lame and it takes away from my BP time at work.

Has nothing to do with Legos but my brother got scammed on craigslist, he bought a Jeep wrangler and the guy was a fraud, he lost 5500 bucks! and the FBI wouldn't investigate because it wasn't over their price limit.

Has nothing to do with Legos but my brother got scammed on craigslist, he bought a Jeep wrangler and the guy was a fraud, he lost 5500 bucks! and the FBI wouldn't investigate because it wasn't over their price limit.

A Lego Jeep Wrangler? Either way, I feel sorry for him. Prefer face-to-face transactions on Craigslist, just because you can ask for cash/see the item. Also more dangerous though, because you have no idea who the seller is...That sucks about the FBI. What's their price limit?

I actually had to buy a "Back the Badge" bunpersticker just to drive on 360.

I just buy faster cars. Eff them.

I just buy faster cars. Eff them.

ha ha ha....

I just buy faster cars. Eff them.

ha ha ha....

When I was about 13 I saw a police chase end right in front of my house. The perp was on a motorcycle, and somehow 4 cops coming from 4 different directions boxed him into the intersection in front of our house (I lived on a corner). The perp panicked, and crashed his bike. The office that made it to him first picked him up off the ground by his hair.

It was at that point that I realized that you might have a faster vehicle than the police do, but there's no way you can outrun a radio.

I'm certain I could have outrun that one on Cheek-Sparger that I told you about, but then I wouldn't be typing this message right now...

I guarantee your cayenne could have done it

I guarantee your cayenne could have done it

Yeah, but the hair I have now cost a lot, and I don't want to be pulled from a car by it.

I work in law enforcement and can tell you for a fact that sites like this are of little help. It's a big reason why Marijuana is being decriminalized.

This is probably going way off target but how do people here feel about the possibility for Marijuana to be completely legalized? Good or bad thing?

This is probably going way off target but how do people here feel about the possibility for Marijuana to be completely legalized? Good or bad thing?

Legalize it. It's mild shiz anyway. And let the gays marry, for the love of Pete!

This is probably going way off target but how do people here feel about the possibility for Marijuana to be completely legalized? Good or bad thing?

Legalize it. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who works in law enforcement and I have no intrest in using it regardless of its legal status.Hell,I hardley drink. There are a million reasons why it should be legal though. It should be treate dthe same way alchol is. And on a similar note anabolic steroids should be legal as well. None of this matters though since Obama is trying to take our guns and therby North korea is seeing that this will make us weak and will soon blow us all up including my lego collection :)