[coco]

I was conned out of a lot of money by a professional conman & am unsure how to get it back :mad:
I have spoken to lawyers who said I could bankrupt the person however my thoughts are that people like that will obtain fake ID etc & credit that way. This person to my knowledge has no assets or job - just cons people out of money & lives off credit.
Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated...
I have considered Debt collectors but again don't know any & all the one's on the search engine seem to be business orientated not personal - I do not live in the States but this person does.

[fredg]

Hi,
If you are serious about this, listen and take advantage of what your lawyer says. I am not a Lawyer, nor a professional in this area. Going up against a Professional in any area (whether con-man, or any other) isn't a very good idea, unless you are one, too!
Personally, I would follow my lawyer's advice.
Best of luck.

[valinors_sorrow]

I hate to say this but in most cases I don't think you get money, you get the lesson instead. Take the legal path if necessary, but conmen are the reason the phrase "throwing good money after bad" was invented. If you take legal action, you need to weigh it against accurate big picture. Not all attorneys will have the same take on this. Have you talked to a prosecuting attorney about criminal charges?

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes in most cases con men are legal proof, don't own anything in their name, don't have any jobs and if you do sue them and win, no way to collect anything.

Of course if the con was illegal, turn it over to the police, you may not get any money back but they will at least go to jail.

[coco]

Many thanks all for your input. Yes Val I have spoken to an attorney re costs & would be looking at a min of USD50,000, this is why I thought of debt collectors as this is their baby, hand the responsibility over to them.

Fr Chuck: it seemed a legitimate business deal however after talking to some private investigators in Australia who know of this person I now believe the money was used for something illegal but have no proof unless a sting is set up & wasn't sure if the police would be interested - I know the media would be as this person is/was fairly high profile.

[CaptainForest]

You should definitely report it to the police.

Will they do something about it? Maybe not.

But, if many people complain about this same guy, they might do something.

[coco]

I have since heard that he has found funding for the company which changes things dramatically! I still want my money back, any new thoughts/suggestions on how proceed now..

[ScottGem]

First you are throwing out some accusations here. You clam this person is a con man, but you offer no explanation of the con he pulled. Few professionals stay around after the con. While most are judgement proof, its not that necessary since they will disappear. But, from what you are saying, this person is still around and you are able to find him.

From your last note, it sounds like you invested in this guy's company. But the company isn't performing as you expected. This is sounding more like a case of buyer's remorse than a con.

Without more info about what the true situation is, its hard for us to give you accurate advice.

[coco]

Point taken ScottGem.

Lets clarify the situation: I meet this guy in the UK a few years ago through a friend of a friend. He is an ex-jockey & was a partner in a company that needed more funding - I saw all the catalogues relating to the company & checked that it existed (not a UK company) which it did. A few of us then invested into the company & were told - all in writing that our LOAN not just an investment (I am in the finance world & am well aware about taking a punt in a business & if it doesn't work it's your loss) however this was classified on paper as a loan - to be repaid within 3 months of the date the money was lent at a certain rate of interest - it didn't happen & so the fight has gone on for a few years now. Last year I had more than enough & decided to hire a PI to see if this guy & the company had any assets that I could go for via the courts & the PI came back with some not so pleasing results stating that the person in question is a known conman & had been plastered all over the papers in this particular country (not the USA or UK & therefore fled from the country) for illegal things in this case race fixing, then it dawned on me that that was where the money had gone. The connection with the USA is that we have managed to track him down there but I am at a loose end to know what to do & not in a position to spend huge amounts of money on legal fees unless I know it's going to benefit me in some way or make his life extremely difficult hence my route of debt collectors...

hope that makes it clearer.

[valinors_sorrow]

Debt collections, as you said earlier Coco, may be the way to go as its not that much money out your pocket. However in the US they can only go so far and its possible your guy will not respond knowing they don't have much bite. The nonprofit business I run gets targeted for bogus bills, unfortunately (and nuisance law suits too among lots of other harrassment) and I know the law here stipulates that one letter from us stating its not a legitimate bill and that finishes their efforts. Any further contact after that is turned over the State Attorney General for improper collections. Fraud is a criminal matter so if that is at all viable, its really the better path for serious action.

All I know is the cons I've seen up close know their stuff and manage to slip through the gaps between collection, law suits and criminal action more often than anyone would like. If he is in Florida, I would advise you to make a long distance call to some authorities as we are taking cons much more seriously these days here.

I hope that is helpful, albeit not very optimistic. :(

[DrJ]

I knows a guy who knows a guy how knows a guy... if you knows what I mean ;)

[coco]

Thanks Val