I JUST GOT SCAMMED THRU INSTAGRAM?

OK so basically there was this guy on Instagram who claimed to be selling iphones who said he'll send me an iPhone if I pay him $150 thru western union so I paid him and he never sent my phone I have his Kik and his western union information but I'm not sure if its actually his real info how do I get my money back? Also is there some sort of legal action I take against this guy? I have his Kik name, his number, his Instagram name, and the western union info he gave me. Can the police help me or do anything about this thief?

Your money is gone, and so is he. He's probably not even in this country. You can contact the police, but there isn't anything they can do.

The price alone should have raised a big red flag. Then the fact that they wanted payment through Western Union should have an even bigger red flag.

You can report him here http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams
You could also try to call 911 and report him to your local police

Chances of you getting your money back, however, are slim. You just have to learn from it and move on.

The Western Union website has a page dedicated to fraud awareness; I suggest you read up so that you don't get taken advantage of again.

https://www.westernunion.com/content/wucom/base/us/en/fraudawareness/fraud-home.html?src=us_en_hp_promoad_4

It is not a police matter. You would have to sue him in court. Since the filing fee alone would be $75 to $125, depending on your jurisdiction and, by the time you serve the lawsuit, you will have spent more than what you are owed.

Your only option would be to file a complaint with Instagram. However, that will not get your money back. Nothing will get your money back.

Western Union is the only non-traceable money order company. I would never use it, for any reason. If the seller suggested it to you, it should have been a red flag. Yes, you were scammed but, you have to take responsibility for being very foolish and taking a huge risk - 99.999999999999999 percent a guaranteed scam. Anyone selling stuff to a stranger online would use Paypal, which offers protection for both of you. I have sold several items off Craig's List to people across the country and I have had no problem, using Paypal. Get money orders out of your life. Sorry, I did not have better news for you.

You have just learned an extremely valuable life lesson for the bargain price of $150.

You will never see the money again. Chalk it up to lesson learned, you never, ever, ever Western Union money to someone you don't know.

You're a fool to pay anyone through Western Union. Chalk it up as a cheap lesson. You can file a police report but I wouldn't hold out much hope you'll ever see your money back.

Don't ever send money through Western Union to someone you don't know.

The contact info you have almost certainly is not real.

You can report the matter to the police on their non-emergency line, since it's presumably an intentional scam. However, you're not likely to get your money back regardless. (Also, this is not a contract dispute -- it's a scam. You're not realistically suing them yourself.)

You can report what occurred to Instagram as well, so they can't do it to others. However, this is mainly likely to go down as you paying to learn a lesson. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

I don't know why people ignore the warning on Western Union's website where they tell customers to ONLY send money to trusted friends and family and to NEVER use Western Union for online purchases. And NOBODY sells iPhones for $150 unless they are stolen. The wholesale price is more than that