Someone stole my money and charged my credit card with fraudulent linden purhases. What can I do?

[RandiHardcastle]

When I logged on there was some kind of wallet attached to my avatar's wrist. A message said that if I granted the owner permission, they could help themselves to my Lindens. I denied it several times, and finally detached it. When I went to look at my account history, this is what I found. I need help. I have been ripped off for nearly $300. USD.

07/03/2011 07:00:15 Customer Payment ($120.78)    $0.00  07/03/2011 07:00:15 LindeX Currency Buy $120.78   $120.78 07/03/2011 06:55:53 Customer Payment ($120.78)    $0.00  07/03/2011 06:55:53 LindeX Currency Buy $120.78   $120.78 07/03/2011 06:07:44 Customer Payment ($40.46)      $0.00 07/03/2011  06:07:44 LindeX Currency Buy $40.46       $40.46 07/03/2011 06:06:56 Customer Payment ($8.30)        $0.00 07/03/2011  06:06:56 LindeX Currency Buy $8.30           $8.30

[Rolig Loon]

That's a classic trap, and at this point you can't do a thing about getting your money back except learn.  Right now, though, remove your credit card information from your SL account so that this cannot continue.  You can do that from your dashboard at secondlife.com.   Then call the SL Billing Office and ask for their help in stopping future payments.

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NEVER give anyone permission to debit your account unless you know exactly who you're dealing with and why you are doing it.  That is one of the oldest scams in SL.  If you have documentation to back up a complaint, you can AR the individual.  Chances are pretty good, though, that you're dealing with a one-day alt who has already left SL with your money and will never been seen again. 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

Contact your credit card provider/bank and dispute the charges.  Chances are you will still be debited or charged the amont that was charged..........but, if you can demonstrate that it was fraudulantly charged to your card the charges will be removed from your credit.  At the very least, you'll get some advice from your credit card company about how to proceed.  It's also important that there is a record for any legal action that may come up..........both with Linden Lab and your credit card company.  $300 USD is enough to consider legal action..........it's stealing and it is a crime (possibly at the felonly level).

 

Also call LL's billing number.  You have to get the ball rolling now or you will, in effect, willingly allowed someone to take your money.  The L$ taken is probably a lost cause...........not the real money taken when the charges were made.

[Lillyanna Oleander]

You say this is the oldest trick in the book? Forgive my ignorance here but how did this happen? how did the wallet get attached in the first place? 

 

I think this is something people like me who has not experianced this can learn from. I am so sorry that this happened to you Randi and I agree with the other posters here. Get the ball rolling on this ASAP and contact your bank.

[Monti Messmer]

Hi Lilliyane ? sorry ur name is hard to read about that picture.

Usually people get items and just attach them right away without knowing what could happen.

Plus, some objects attach on take or other events; but not without grant the right to attach and then ask for permissions to make payments. What is a big yellow sign box !

Just because this "trick" is old it doesnt mean new SL users know about. Sad but this world has to many people using their knowledge or power for nasty or criminal things.

Monti

[Rolig Loon]

@Lillyana -- The bandit script or versions of it have been around since SL was started.  For quite a while, a version was even posted in the LSL wiki.  It's a very easy script to write, though, so you don't need to be much of a scripter to do it.  The script is typically dropped into an attractive freebie that some unsuspecting newbie might pick up and wear. Once it's attached, it opens the bright yellow window to ask the new owner for permission to take money from her/his account.  Despite the boldface warning that LL puts into that box, a certain percentage of newbies either don't read or don't understand how risky it can be to give that sort of permission.  They click it, and in no more than a few seconds the script has drained their entire account.  Some people immediately yell "OMG!" and some still don't even notice until they go to buy something.

[Lillyanna Oleander]

lillyanna .. yeah it is a bit. Yeah I know about authorising people to charge your account but she said she hit deny a few times but it still got in... This just amazes me.. Like I said forgive my ignorance, I have been in SL over two years even run a club so I am not new.. Just ignorant to this scam....I just hope she can get her money back.

[Marianne Little]

I think the problem here is that you can't get rid of it even if you deny it permission.

If you get such an griefer object, the best is to log off immediatly. Do not try to stay logged in and try to detach and delete it. Then remove payment info before you log into a SL sandbox with scripts turned off.  You find full sim sandboxes here, scroll down a bit to Public Linden Sandboxes: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Building-tips/ta-p/700041

To change login destination before you log in, you go to Me - Preferences - General and find Start location. Tick the box before Show on Login. Now, you should see a "Start at" option after your name, password and mode. Click <Type region name> and then fill in a full sim sandbox with scripts turned off, like Newcomb. Now you log in as usual. Then you should be able to take off the griefer object. You should fill an AR, you find out how to do it here: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Filing-an-abuse-report/ta-p/700065

 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

Has everyone missed the part about her credit card being charged without her doing it?  The transaction shows several currency buys in less than one hour.  Scripts to take your SL currency are one thing..........and you probably will never recover those lindens.  There's no mention of how many L$ were taken..........but at the current approximate exchange rate it would have to be L$5000 to equal a $20 bill.  I'm assuming Rand did not make those buys using her credit (otherwise, what's the problem?).

 

Fraudulent use of a credit card is a crime..........and I'm not sure but even amounts under $1000 USD can be at the felony level.  It's a serious crime.  Someone gained access to her account and not only took the L$ from her, but also purchased L$ using her credit card and took those also.

[Rolig Loon]

That's probably the best relaxed way to remove and delete the object, Marianne, since a no-script sim will automatically disable the object and give you all the time in the world to get rid of it. Even if you don't use this approach, though, there's no way that a scripted object can debit your account unless you give it permission. So long as you click that Deny button, your L$ are safe. Thing is, it's a reasonable bet that after you've hit the same Deny button several times without any apparent effect, you're likely to either make a mistake or just try clicking some other button to make it stop. A slightly clever scripter can easily write a script that keeps popping that yellow box up over and over and over until that happens. I feel truly sorry for non-native English speakers who get caught by this scam.

[Chic Aeon]

I am on the call your credit card bandwagon. I have done this many time for fraudulent charged (web based) and have always been credited the amount. ALSO if the object is around and you have taken out your credit card info ( I NEVER LEAVE CREDIT CARD INFO ON FILE ANYWHERE *wink) and haven't deleted the object. Look at it in your inventory (don't rez it) and see if it has a name attached. It might not depending on scripts and such. In case it does, take down the name.

REPORT this if you possible can to Linden Labs. They may, in the end, be liable for this. Credit card companies are NOT going to be happy about this and they will want someone to pay. Since Linden Labs runs the game, they would be the likely target. So you would think they would want to know and figure out a way to stop this.

As an aside, when the game was much younger there was a big break in and lots of personal info was lost. So it is always (ALWAYS) a good idea not to leave any info on the web. Huge companies have been broken into lately and those were ones we just know about. So while this doesn't seem like it (and I do very much empathize with your problem) it may be a relatively cheap way to learn.

 EDIT: It seems very likely that with your transaction info and the bank on board, LL and the bank would be able to track where that money went. There is always a money trail.

 

Sometimes learning is painful. Been there. Done that. Have many T shirts in closet.

 

Hope it all works out. If nothing else it will be a test of how well your credit card company will stand up for you.

[Saskia Krokus]

:matte-motes-evil:hello . I just read what you write. I have discover this morning 7000 L$  be take from my account . no trace or history. I do not know why ? this happen . Do not know what to do about  . Before my husband and me  have a land ,pay  6 weeks advance and  one day as try to  go home EJECT From  are place  everything gone  incluse all as have on this land = Money pay. Gone  Today  again someone take from my account  MONEY?  Maybe you have  a answer to this please. or anyone. Why all of as accept this. Why these people  can become rich with are money ?

 Sorry i can 't help you. How to trust in Second life ? Tyou for read me.  saskia