Finally government gets a clue!

[Pinky]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_t ... _4554.html

Setn to me by an alert RS member.

[Marisa]

Great!!!

I wonder where did they get the "samples"?? Did one of their webmasters get scammed?

I wished they placed a smaaaaal link to our site....

[On A Mission]

Just read the page and looked for a way to leave a message but could not find a way. Just wanted to ask if this meant if the government was finally going to recognize the magnitude of this problem and leave a link to RS. Wonder where they got their information from.

[wayne]

I've sent them one via the feedback button. No idea as to whether or not they'll respond, but all we can do now is wait and see.

[norma_jean]

Oh, I saw this around 3 months ago, when I was contacted by my first scammer, so I got suspicious and started digging on Google about internet and romance scams... That's also when and how I found RS too.

[Crescentmoon]

GREAT! Ehey expanded it since the last time I looked. Now to pass some laws to make real changes! It is a start though!

[hunter_hunted]

really good, to be informed is to be safe, but
they can read it too and maybe change their tactics,
lets hope they wont do,
face and cross at the same coin.

[scallywag]

Congrats to the US Government for finally seeing this as an important issue that needs to be dealt with pronto..and thus helping to save many victims in the future!

Today, I was listening to my local Radio Station and low and behold up came an Voice Advert about - Scams! My ears pricked up, and dutifully listened...Okay..it wasnt about Romance Scams, but about 419 scams and others...so maybe the word is finally getting out there - slow but hopefully surely positive!

For the Record, I checked out the site the Radio Station was broadcasting about which was for our Government Org.

Scallywag

[Crescentmoon]

As a US Citzen I have to file an income tax return each year. I can claim a theft by deception deduction from the scam. I am not sure how much I may be able to get back from what I sent. But, let's all keep our fingers crossed! I just bundled up the information for my accountant and wrote a note to him and realized, almost one year later this nasty business is finally DONE! WHEW! Never thought I would make it. Thanks to all of YOU, and a lot of soul searching on my part, I DID IT!

However, when I read this post this morning, it reminded me that all US Citzens should do the same. Perhaps, if the IRS had enough deductions recorded maybe someone in the Federal Government would take notice and do something! For any US Citzen reading this, you need to keep all your receipts and file a form with the FBI, but it isn't too bad. If anyone needs info, please PM me.

[Pinky]

Just an FYI: it's a common misconception that anyone's going to 'get money back'. The way the US taxes work is that you can deduct your losses from your taxable income. Say for instance you earn $50,000 annual salary. Every month your employer sends 10% of your paycheck to the IRS for your income tax withholding. At the end of the year the IRS has $5,000 of your money held waiting for you to file your taxes. If your tax obligation on the $50,000 is $5,000, you get nothing back. If you were scammed for $10,000 and claim this loss, then you only have to pay $4,000 (on $40,000) and the government will refund you the overage of $1,000. (Please bear in mind that these figures are arbitrary and not indicative of actual taxes.)

I just want to be certain that no one is thinking the US government is giving back money that scammers stole.

[Crescentmoon]

Thanks for clarifying Pinky! I knew what you said, I and was not very clear. Sorry I was confusing to everyone.

[viktoria]

I was refered to this site by the US Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria. Maybe the US goverment through its Consulate General offices also received similar complaints or request for information on US citizen that claimed to be in Nigeria (like me). I was also refer to another website (IC3) to file a complaint regarding this romance scam. That website is related to FBI for all complaints that involving internet crime. Any body regardless of citizenship can make formal complaint of the crime to that web site.

[Pinky]

Yay! I'm so glad the consulate referred you. This time last year they were clueless.