# Can anybody in Chicago help me catch a scammer?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anybody-in-chicago-help-me-catch-a-scammer/195746
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [August 17, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anybody-in-chicago-help-me-catch-a-scammer/195746 "2003-08-17T10:12:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lady\_Eboshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Eboshi)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anybody-in-chicago-help-me-catch-a-scammer/195746/1 "2003-08-17T10:12:59Z")
Ok, here’s the story: I purchased a DVD on [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) from a seller who hasn’t sent it to me yet. I contacted him (her?) by email about this situation, and I got an email back informing me that the person who was supposed to ship my my DVD has gone missing, along with a lot of other orders, and that I should contact the police and [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). I’ve been given a name and address that I should contact, but I live all the way on the East Coast so it would be impossible to contact in person. I don’t know if the Chicago police would get involved with an Internet scam, but I’m out $22.47 and I’m pissed! Any ideas?
of course, it occurs to me that the original seller might be running a game on me… ☹
---
### Author:  [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anybody-in-chicago-help-me-catch-a-scammer/195746/2 "2003-08-17T11:19:20Z")
Who wrote this email? If it came from the seller Amazon put you in contact with, he should return your money and work out the problems with his distribution himself. You didn’t have the luxury of the distributor’s wholesale price because you paid the retailer to handle that end. The retailer can’t back out now and tell you to take it up with his distributor.
Depending upon your method of payment, the bank may be able to help.