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First of all, let me say that it's best to never fall victim to an Internet scam in the first place. In a perfect world, we never would. However, even the best of us get taken in once in a while. I'm specifically referring to the kinds of scams in which someone offers a product or service for sale on the Internet, gets your money, and then never delivers it. When you have been conned like this, what's the best and easiest way to get your money back? You could take the perpetrator to court, but that's a lot of hassle and most people -- myself included -- generally will not go that route.
Never use cash, a check, a debit card, or a bank account withdrawal to make an Internet-based purchase from someone with whom you are not familiar. If you do and then don't get what you paid for, it is virtually impossible to recover your money without going to court. And even then, there's no guarantee that you'll be successful. In many cases, your money is likely gone.
Protect yourself by using a credit card instead. And it's best done via a certified third party like Paypal, so the vendor never actually gets access to your credit card number. When you use a credit card to make a purchase, it is just a paper transaction until you pay for it. You are using the credit card company's money, not yours, up front to make the purchase. You are not required to pay if the product or service you purchased is not provided or if it is substandard.
You can dispute the transaction by simply calling your credit card company and telling them you did not get what you bought. They will not require you to pay for the product or service while it is in dispute and will send you an affidavit to sign. Once you sign it and send it in, the burden of proof will be on the seller to prove that he or she provided the product or service as advertised. If they can't, your credit card company will assume the role of recovering the money and you will never be required to pay for that purchase.
Now, there are some things to keep in mind during this process, as scammers are, by nature, opportunists and will use any mistake you make to their advantage. Obviously, they won't want to give you a refund and will fight hard to avoid having to do so. They will point the finger of blame at you -- sometimes even accusing you of being the one who is dishonest -- whenever they get a chance. Just don't give them that chance.
First, don't be too quick to pull the trigger when the product or service is not immediately provided. Give the seller a chance to provide it – and possibly enough rope to hang themselves with. I generally give them about two weeks to either provide the product or begin delivering the service. If they haven't by that time, they probably have no intention of doing so. However, if you dispute the transaction too quickly, the seller will merely claim they were going to make good on their obligation but you did not give them a chance.
Second, don't wait too long to report the transaction. You must raise the flag within a reasonable amount of time. One just can't wait for months and then suddenly dispute a transaction out of thin air. That kind of delay will cause the credit card company to call your motives into question. The seller will argue that you should have said something earlier if you didn't get what you paid for or if you weren't satisfied with it. And that's an argument they will probably win.
Third, keep records of all correspondence with the seller. Preferably, do all correspondence via email so it can easily be recorded and saved for future reference. Before disputing a transaction, the credit card company will expect that you have already tried to contact the seller to communicate your dissatisfaction and/or request a refund. Along with the affidavit, you will be asked to provide documentation of such contacts. Most Internet scammers will give you the silent treatment (in lieu of the product or service you bought) once they have the payment in hand. That is, they'll stop answering your phone calls, emails, and snail mail.
You just need some proof that you did in fact try to contact them. And you'll need this documentation because you can bank on the fact that the perpetrator is going to lie when they are contacted by the credit card company. Scammers are basically thieves, and I have never met a thief who wasn't also a liar. Yes, they will claim that they did actually send you the product, perform the service, contact you in a timely fashion, etc. If have your ducks in a row, however, they won't get away with it.
Fourth and finally, don't tip the seller off that you are about take some kind of action or that force is coming. Don't let them know when the long arm of the credit card company to is on its way to reach out and touch them. Don't tell them stuff like "I'm going to get my money back one way or another" and you certainly don't want to issue any threats, which could be used against you later.
Instead, play it meekly. Let them think you are helpless to get the transaction reversed, even though you are kindly requesting a refund. You don't want to do anything that will allow them to start preparing their case before the hammer drops. At that point (to borrow a phrase from John McCain), the credit card company will pursue them to the gates of hell to get their money back. Besides not having to pay, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that the scammers will be getting their just desserts.
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