Anti-Scam FAQ: How Are Most Scammers Arrested

Answer:

Scammers are typically arrested in one of five ways:

  1. Victim Reporting
    The reports that victims make through the various agencies (local police, national police, Anyscam.com) all accumulates – it may not result in immediate action but over time it identifies individual scammers or organizations. Once the law enforcement agency has enough to identify someone they can begin an investigation that can lead to arrests. This is why victim reporting is so important. Right now, only about 3% of victims report these crimes.
  2. Connection to Other Scammers
    When one scammer is arrested all of their connections are looked at carefully. If the scammer had connections that also involved suspected crimes it allows law enforcement to roll up whole organizations in this way. One identification can lead to hundreds, including their leadership.
  3. Obvious Lifestyle
    Most scammers are business people and understand the need to stay below the radar, but there is always one in every group that wants to live large. They show off their new money with cars, jewelry, friends, entertainment, houses, and more. In other words, they make it obvious that they are spending more money than they earn – this allows law enforcement to investigate them for tax evasion, and if they confirm they spend more than they have income for they can be arrested for that.
  4. Tips & Partnerships
    Law enforcement agencies have relationships (usually confidential) with other organizations, NGOs, or entities) that regularly feed them with information. Or they receive tips from the public about individual scammers or groups. All of these allow law enforcement agencies to begin investigations that can lead to arrests.
  5. Scammers Turn On Each Other
    The over-riding motivation with fraudsters is greed – if they feel that they have not been fairly treated they can and do report each other to law enforcement. There is no honor among thieves.

Do you want to see some of the scammers that have been arrested? Click here to visit www.scammerphotos.com (the SCARS Photo Gallery website)

Scammers & fraudsters arrested year by year