Scam investigation
If someone obtains money or goods under false pretenses, while having no intention of providing the expected service or product in return, then this person commits scam. This type of fraud is punishable, but not always easy to prove. We can help you with that.
Especially when a scammer is outside the country it can be difficult to collect evidence. If you are not able to prove scam (someone taking other people’s money without delivering equivalent value) then it is often seen as a tort, which is a civil wrong that police do not investigate.
In this case, you would do well to hire a fraud investigator. This pays off when it comes to large amounts of money or when there is a large group of victims.
Case example
Peter (70): I am a Rolling Stones fan from the very beginning. During almost every European tour I manage to be in the audience at one of their shows. It seems their fame only increases over the years. Now that they are really getting older, the performances are becoming increasingly rare. Every time may be the last time.
When the Stones returned to Europe in September 2017, I knew I had to be there, but the tickets were sold out in no time. Then my daughter pointed out that it was also possible to get a ticket through other means. I looked at many ticket websites, but I wasn’t the only one searching. The prices were outrageous. Still, I let myself be tempted to buy the tickets this way.
Through leboncoin.fr, an expat named Robin, who lived in Zurich, offered tickets for the concert in Switzerland. So we could enjoy a nice long weekend. The ad looked trustworthy. But truth be told, I wasn't paying much attention to that. I just couldn’t imagine that someone would take advantage of the desire a Stones fan has, to attend this concert. Because of this I bought these two tickets from him in good faith, for me and my wife. At least, that's what I thought.
Robin mentioned in his ad that he couldn’t go to the concert due to a wedding that day. I called him on his Swiss number and he sounded like a decent guy. He explained that he couldn’t miss the wedding of his niece and relinquished these tickets with a heavy heart.
He said that he had received the tickets online and that he would send them to me. We discussed how we would make the payment. We concluded that it was a question of trust, so I said that I would transfer the money to his Swiss bank account and that he would send me the tickets as soon as he had the money. That, of course, was a bit scary, but after a while I got the tickets through email.
These looked fine and I immediately printed them out and put them in my passport cover. A few months later it was time for our Rolling Stones adventure in Switzerland. We had a nice day in Zurich and were full of expectations, standing in line at the stadium. Unfortunately, it didn't go as expected. At the turnstile, the tickets turned out to be fake.
That sucks, but we visited a bar and made the most of the weekend. Once home, my daughter found an appeal on an online forum from someone who had the same thing happen. I contacted this lady and within a week we had a group of ten others who had the same experience of deception. That guy Robin, if that's his real name, has tricked us pretty well. All of us. It’s unbelievable that he can fool so many people with so much ease. He shouldn’t be able to get away with that.
What is scam?
The term scam refers to gaining a certain advantage by deceiving people. This advantage can occur in various forms:
- Goods or money
- Providing a service
- Making data available
- Entering into a debt
- Canceling a contract
A scammer takes advantage of people. Everyone has a weakness and a scammer, like every con artist, cleverly anticipates this. A scammer knows that someone who is interested to go to a concert of his favorite band, really wants that ticket. Doubts are then easily put aside, because the victim wants to cooperate. After all, he is offered something that he has set his sights on.
We can help
The definition of scam is very broad and it comes in many forms. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to prove. Especially with issues occurring across borders. The police do not always manage to handle these cases. Therefore you should hire a specialist who gathers evidence with the aim of catching the scammer.
Borderless Investigations provides legitimate evidence against the scammer. This way you can file a report. We specialize in cross-border cases because it is exactly there where it is often difficult to figure out who the scammer is and whether or not there is scam.
Do not let a scammer get away with his actions and call or message us.