Have you ever been scammed?

Yes, by the Social Security Administration.

yes… my ex stole my retirement check and forged my name and cashed it. Came to my mailbox and took it. not sure if that would be defined as a scam, but came to mind first!

Not really (unless you count a really poorly performing retirement annuity investment as a scam).

But my dad had $5 500US stolen from him through an internet phishing scam. Assholes.

I had a checkbook stolen once. They kept writing checks, went up to about $4000 including over draft fees. Had to file a police report, and had multiple collection agencies calling me cause of bounced checks. Fortunately after about 6 months I was able to clear it all up.

An old room mate of mine moved out early to go away to another school a few states away. She tried to sublease her room for what was left of our lease (about 4–5 months). Well she found someone online who was trying to find an apartment for his niece or daughter (I forget which). Well anyways the guy sends her a check to cover the remaining rent on the lease (like 2500 would be what was left for her share). Well the guy sends a check for like 3000 “on accident.” But he “trusts” her to just send him the change via Western Union (he lives far away and hence we can’t just give the money to his daughter he explains).

My friend immediately recognized that it was a scam, and that the check he had sent would bounce and he would make off with her “500 dollars change.” So she called him and called him out on it. There was no response on the other line after she called him out, just silence and then dial tone.

I’m on a car forum too, and I was reading a thread some new guy had made. He was wondering if there was anyone who recognized a car, and he included the picture. Sure enough most of us recognized it as someone on the forums car (it was a specific car, car site). We asked why. Turns out he had sent a “down payment” for that car over Western Union to someone, then flew a few thousand miles to Florida to pick the car up, only to find that the address the guy had given him was like a Wal-Mart.

I once sold something on Ebay before I had learned the scamming signs and shiver now to think how gullible I was. I accepted a payment via whatever service Ebay was using in those days—they hadn’t get bought PayPal—and mailed a not inexpensive item to some relative of the buyer with an overseas address. Within a few days I learned the credit card that had funded the payment deposit was stolen, so I lost three ways: I lost the payment, I had to pay service fees, and of course I lost the item. After that, I learned never to sell to anyone’s “cousin” at another address and never to accept an offer in which the buyer offers to pay more than you’re asking. I now use Craigslist locally most of the time so I could get cash from the buyer. I did just sell something on Ebay to a California buyer, but all went smoothly. I detest scammers

The company I worked for presented an early retirement offer which I accepted. Three months later they declared bankruptcy and screwed many of us out of promised health care and pensions.
Don’t worry, the big boys kept their generous pensions and benefits.

Yes, by magazine telemarketers. It was a major hassle and embarrassing enough for me as it was so I will say no more. One thing I did learn here however, be very leary of magazine telemarketers. They will do whatever they can to suck you in, trick you and take as much of your money as they can.