How to Track Down Someone Who Scammed You Online (and Protect Your Privacy Too)

Imagine this nightmare scenario – you make a purchase from an online seller who seems totally legit. But after your payment goes through, they completely ghost you, never sending the item you bought. Or even worse, a hacker somehow gains access to your accounts, steals your identity, and goes on a shopping spree under your name.

Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common in today‘s digital world. In 2022 alone, over 2.5 million Americans reported losing money to fraud or scams, with a staggering total loss of $10.3 billion (an average of over $4,000 per victim). And cases of identity theft reached a record high of 5.4 million reports.

No one is immune – scammers target people of all ages and backgrounds. Though fraudsters tend to go after older adults, millennials actually reported losing money to fraud more often than their grandparents in 2022. And across all age groups, online shopping scams were the most frequent type of fraud reported.

If you find yourself falling victim to an online scam, it‘s critical to act quickly to protect yourself and track down the perpetrator before they strike again. Here are the key steps to take:

1. Document everything

Gather all evidence of the scam. Save copies of any emails, messages, or other communications you exchanged with the fraudster. Take screenshots of relevant websites, ads, payment confirmations, etc.

If you have the scammer‘s supposed name, username, email address, phone number, or other details, record those as well. Even if the information turns out to be fake, it could still provide valuable clues for tracking them down.

2. Lock down your accounts

If you shared any login credentials or financial info with the scammer, immediately change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication on all affected accounts. Check your bank and credit card statements for suspicious activity and report any fraudulent charges to your financial institution. They may be able to cancel or refund the payment.

Consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit reports with the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). This makes it harder for anyone to open new accounts in your name.

3. Report the scam

Don‘t be embarrassed – falling for a scam can happen to anyone. It‘s important to swallow your pride and report the crime to the proper authorities:

File an online report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. They share reports with law enforcement agencies to help track down scammers.
If the scam occurred online, submit a complaint to the FBI‘s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Contact your local police department‘s non-emergency line. While they likely won‘t have jurisdiction over an online crime, they can direct you to additional resources.
If you were scammed on a specific platform like eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, etc., report the seller directly to the company as well.

The more people who report a scam, the easier it is for authorities to identify patterns and bring the perpetrators to justice.

4. Investigate the scammer

Provided you have some details about the person or entity who scammed you, start investigating their digital trail:

Plug their name, username, email, phone number, business name or any other known details into Google and see what pops up. Check across social media platforms as well.
Do a reverse image search of profile photos or other images they used. Scammers often use stock photos or stolen pics.
Look up the person‘s email address or phone number on sites like Have I Been Pwned to check for any data breaches that may reveal more about them.
For domain names or IP addresses, use WHOIS lookup tools to find registrant details. Keep in mind savvy scammers use WHOIS privacy protection to hide behind.
If you have an address, search property records and map databases.
For suspected international scammers, consult resources like Scamdigger.com, which keeps a user-generated database of known scammers (particularly those targeting dating app users).

Be like Veronica Mars and dive into your own investigation! The goal is to compile as much intel on the scammer as possible to aid law enforcement and prevent them from striking again.

5. Use people search tools

For a more powerful investigation, tap into specialized people search engines like BeenVerified. These aggregate data from hundreds of online sources to provide detailed background reports on individuals, which may reveal:

Contact info (past and current addresses, phone numbers, email addresses)
Social media profiles and online usernames
Criminal records and court cases
Financial info like bankruptcies and tax liens
Professional licenses and business affiliations
Relatives and known associates

BeenVerified and similar tools like Spokeo, Intelius, Instant Checkmate and PeopleFinders are used by law enforcement, journalists, and private investigators to dig up dirt on people of interest. As long as you have a name, phone number, address, or email to start with, they can help uncover hidden details to track down your scammer.

Some caveats to keep in mind:

These sites return the most relevant results for U.S.-based individuals. Records from other countries may be limited.
Not all information is guaranteed to be accurate or up-to-date.
Most charge a fee to access full background reports (though many offer free preliminary results).
Scammers may use fake names and details that don‘t return any matches.

Still, with a bit of patience and persistence, people search engines can be a powerful tool in your scam-busting arsenal. They‘re most effective when combined with the other investigative techniques covered here.

Protect Your Own Privacy

While you‘re busy investigating your scammer, don‘t forget to safeguard your own sensitive data that‘s likely exposed on people search sites. BeenVerified and its peers crawl the web compiling detailed dossiers on pretty much everyone, whether they like it or not.

Your BeenVerified listing probably includes:

Full name and age
Date of birth
Current and previous addresses
Phone numbers and email addresses
Relatives and associates
Social media profiles
Criminal records and traffic offenses
Professional licenses
Voter registration
And more

Basically all an identity thief needs to wreak havoc! Even if you haven‘t been scammed (yet), reducing your digital footprint from these sites is wise.

Luckily, BeenVerified and most other reputable people search engines offer opt-out procedures to remove your listing. Here‘s how:

BeenVerified Opt-Out Instructions

Go to BeenVerified‘s opt-out page: https://www.beenverified.com/app/optout/search
Enter your name and state and click "Search."
Find your listing in the results. There may be multiple listings if you‘ve moved around.
Verify that you are the person requesting removal and click "Opt Out."
Enter an email address to complete the request. BeenVerified will email you a confirmation.
Click the link in the confirmation email within 24 hours and your info will be removed.

Intelius Opt-Out Instructions

Visit https://www.intelius.com/opt-out/submit/
Search for your listing and select it.
Enter your email address and confirm you are the person requesting removal.
Complete the CAPTCHA and agree to the terms.
Intelius will send you a verification code by mail to your current address. Once you receive the code, revisit the opt-out page and enter it to complete the removal.

Spokeo Opt-Out Instructions

Go to https://www.spokeo.com/optout
Enter the URL of your Spokeo listing. You can find this by Googling your name plus "spokeo".
Enter an email address and complete the CAPTCHA.
Click "Remove This Listing" to complete the process.

You‘ll need to repeat the opt-out process for each site individually. It‘s tedious, but worth the effort to reduce your exposure to scammers and stalkers alike. For a longer list of popular people search sites and their opt-out instructions, check out this guide from DeleteMe.

Keep in mind that while opting out removes your data from being publicly searchable on these sites, they may still keep a copy in their internal databases. And your info can still appear on other sites and data broker platforms you haven‘t opted out of.

The Bottom Line

Falling victim to an online scam can wreak havoc on your finances, credit, and peace of mind. In the stressful aftermath, it‘s important to keep a cool head and methodically go through the steps of damage control:

Gather evidence.
Lock down compromised accounts.
Report the fraudster to authorities.
Launch your own investigation.
Use people search engines to dig up any details that could reveal the scammer‘s true identity.
Don‘t forget to opt out of these sites yourself to protect your own privacy!

The road to recovering from fraud isn‘t always quick or easy. But by acting fast, doing your due diligence, and learning to spot red flags, you can minimize the impact on your life and hopefully prevent your scammer from striking again.

Stay safe out there!