How can I report pump and dump scams?
Start with your local police department then move on to these sites. Fill out the United States Postal Service fraud complaint form  http://ehome.uspis.gov/fcsexternal/ Contact your State Attorneys General. Your state Attorney General or local office of consumer protection is also listed in the government pages of your telephone book Write to the Federal Trade Commission: spam@uce.gov If you are aware of a securities (e.g., stocks) scam, insider trading, etc., you will want to contact the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/SEC.php
"there is a problem with grouping them all as ""dismantling"" as many are overgrown and are wasteful.  The EPA itself can not get out of it's own way.    I worked on one project recently (2 years ago) where we were designing a counterflow cooling tower (huge AC for power plant) for Goose Creek SC where we were going to add another tower so that they could eventually switch to a close loop system (keeps all water in system, no dumping in river).  the city of Goose Creek went to court because the EPA made a rule that by a certain date a company could no longer use an open system on a cooling tower if it dumped into a waterway.  the city got their wish and they won and the EPA backed off and the town of Goose Creek gets to keep the dirty warm water that was (is) being dumped into the river so that the fishermen would have better catches (no shit, this is how it was and they wanted to keep it) they didn't want to chance losing the warm waters that drew more fish.  Well, jokes on the town as we are now building a crossflow tower in that location that will have an open system to dump into the river.  here's the catch, before it was to be a counterflow tower where the water must be better quality as the media in the tower could foul and impact the thermal rating of the tower, now they are going with a crossflow type tower and the media on those can accept the worst fucking water you can think of and still perform properly.  so now the fishermen will get some nasty water that will be just below the allowable amount set by the EPA so that some lazy people can catch fish easier.  that is what I consider a wasteful government program.  but that is just my opinion, based on an interaction I had with a project where the EPA stuck there big head where they didnt even know what they were doing." "Short answer: Yes this is a scam. I see three different possibilities how they get you. I will rank them from ""best"" to worst Scammer A sends 100$ to you. You then follow his instructions and send back 50$ through WU (this is untraceable). He then contacts his bank and tells them he never intended to send that 100$ to you, then bank will then reverse that transaction and give him back his money, leaving you 50$ short. Scammer A hacks or scams innocent person B and either sends B:s money to you or tricks person B to do it. When person B reports this to the police it will look like you were behind the whole thing. The transaction will be reversed leaving you 50$ short and with unwanted police attention (see this article for an extreme example: https://www.wired.com/2015/10/online-dating-made-woman-pawn-global-crime-plot/) The nice person A wants to send money to a criminal syndicate or terrorist organization but don't want to be associated with it. Leaving you 50$ up (hurray) and possibly on a bunch of terrorist watch lists (ouch!). The extra info you provide wouldn't be necessary for any of these scams but I guess it could be nice to have for some regular identity theft. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all that the scammers could do. It's just a short list to show you how dangerous it would be to play along. To state the obvious, don't walk from this person, RUN!" "This is colloquially referred to as a ""pump and dump"" scheme. You basically buy up some stock, and then try to pump up the demand through false and misleading positive statements and market activity. You then close your position once market interest is sufficiently high. If your firm has access to high frequency trading mechanisms, you may even be able to front run other market participants attracted by your buying activities.  &gt;I am wondering what is the best route to go down.  Definitely micro-cap stocks. Things listed on the OTC markets, especially penny stocks, have this tendency to attract retail buyers just begging to be scammed. Emerging biotech firms also have a lot of potential due to investors' hopes of successful clinical trials.  I should warn you though, this is very illegal and falls under market manipulation [according to the SEC](https://www.sec.gov/fast-answers/answerspumpdumphtm.html) and can lead to up to 25 years in prison. So make sure you stay small enough to avoid the regulatory radar.  (But seriously, this belongs in r/personalfinance or elsewhere, r/finance isn't the sub you want)." There are statutes of limitations on how long they can wait before coming after you.  14 years certainly exceeds it, which I believe means you are not legally required to pay. statutes of limitations by state The most likely scenario is that this is a scam.  Second most likely is that this is a collections agency trying to trick you into paying even though they don't have legal authority to force you.  In that case if you do pay them anything, then the statute of limitations restarts and they can legally start giving you trouble, so definitely don't do that. If they keep harassing you, you can probably take legal action against them.  That's the worst case scenario, though.  I'd just ignore them. At this point, if they are legally entitled to any money, which I highly doubt, they will need to take you to court.  They are not going to do that over $1000. Blocking their number might be a reasonable idea. I would doubt whether they can even do anything to your credit rating over this issue.  If you are worried about your credit, you can check your oustanding debts and negative incidents at www.annualcreditreport.com and see if you see anything.  I would be surprised. Edit: You might read up about time-barred debts (assuming it's not a scam.  I still think it is). FTC page on time-barred debt Figure out who regulates the bank. Complain to your state banking/consumer affairs department. Complain to your state Attorney General. The Feds regulate most banks too, there are several different agencies, and I believe the way they regulate banks has changed recently. Try contacting the US Comptroller of the Currency. There is usually a phone number on the side of the ATM to call for situations like this. That is where I would start. Can you pursue a legal action? Sure, you could do that even if the machine didn't eat your money. Anyone can do that for any reason. The pertinent question is whether you will win. Maybe, but even if you do it would take a while and probably cost more time/money than it is worth. It isn't like there was malicious intent from the bank, call the ATM vendor or bank, and politely explain your situation. No need to start the conversation by threatening a lawsuit. What are the chances of BOA screwing you over? Based on their reputation, probably higher than they should be. I have had a couple of businesses do this to me.  I simply ask them to come over to talk about the bill.  Sometimes this ends it.  If they come over then I call the cops to file a report on fraud.  A lot of times the police will do nothing unless they have had a load of complaints but it certainly gets the company off your back.  And if they are truly unscrupulous it doesn't hurt to get a picture of them talking with the police and their van, and then post the whole situation online - you will see others come forward really quick after doing something like this. "This is almost certainly a scam or a mistake.  This is not good, spendable money: it is not yours to keep. Very simple to handle.  Tell the bank, in writing that you were not expecting to receive this money and are a bit surprised to receive it. Preferably in a way that creates a paper trail.   And then stop talking.  Why?  Because you honestly don't know.   This puts you at arm's length to the money: disavowing it, but not refusing it. Wildest dreams: nobody wants it back ever.    As for the person bugging you for the cash, tell them nothing except work with their own bank.  Then ignore them completely.  He probably hacked someone else, diverted their money into your account, and he's conning you into transferring it to a third location: him.  Leaving you holding the bag when the reversals hit months later.  He doesnt want you reversing; that would return the money to the rightful owner!  He works this scam on dozens of people, and he wins if some cooperate. Now here's the hard part.  Wait.  This is not drama or gossip, you do not need to keep people updated.  You are not a bank fraud officer who deals with the latest scams everyday, you don't know what the heck you are doing in this area of practice.  (In fact, playing amateur sleuth will make you suspicious).  There is nothing for you to do.  That urge to ""do something"" is how scammers work on you. And these things take time.  Not everyone banks in real time on smartphone apps. Of course scammers target those who'd be slow to notice; this game is all about velocity.   Eventually (months), one of two things is likely to happen.   The transfer is found to be fraudulent and the bank reverses it, and they slap you with penalties and/or the cops come knockin'.  You refer them to the letter you sent, explaining your surprise at receiving it.  That letter is your ""get out of jail free"" card.   The other person works with their bank and claws back the money.  One day it just disappears.  (not that this is your problem, but they'd file a dispute with their bank, their bank talks to your bank, your bank finds your letter, oh, ok.)  If a year goes by and neither of these things happens, you're probably in the clear.  Don't get greedy and try to manipulate circumstances so you are more likely to keep the money.  Scammers prey on this too.  I think the above is your best shot."