Two scams involving transferring money to victims. In both cases this does not bode well.
There are several characteristics by which you can clearly recognize an online scam. Probably the most obvious scenario is a request (or even solicitation) under the dubious guise of transferring money to someone. But what if not You Giving away your money, but suddenly got a large sum of money transferred to him? Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?? But there is a catch here as well!
In this post, therefore, we would like to address two types of fraud based on incoming referrals.
"Hello! I need your services. Can you make me a logo?"
As a freelance designer, Andy had his own website from the start. Although this did not bring him many orders, he still resisted closing the page. Finally, a personal domain name has its advantages.
In fact, his site hadn’t attracted any new customers for a while, but one day Andy received the following message:
"Hello! My name is Dave. I would like to know if you design logos."
The alleged prospect and Dave exchanged a few emails, nothing really detailed. Apparently Dave had just jumped into a new business idea. His website was still under construction and the materials for the logo and brochure were with a "consultant" – let’s call him Hernn K. – have been roughly thrown together.
But Dave seemed so eager to get started in business that he immediately accepted Andy’s first idea and gave the go-ahead with no questions asked. The only small obstacle was that Dave had to get the materials for Mr. K’s assignment. and Dave owed money to this one. Not a really large amount of money, a little over a thousand euros, and Dave was actually willing to pay him too. The only catch? Apparently there were some "technical problems" with the money transfer.
However, Dave suggested sending Andy the money to get the project back on track that way. Would that be all right? He would pay the fee for the job and for the debts to Mr. K. transfer, plus a small compensation for Andy. Andy would then pay the amount owed to Mr. K. transfer the money… and if they didn’t die, they are still alive today.
Who could refuse such an offer?
This is how the incoming transfer scam works
As appealing as the wire transfer may sound, it remains suspicious. This type of scam has been going on for at least a couple of years now Round. If Andy had agreed to the proposal, here’s how events would have unfolded:
- Dave transfers 4.500 euros to Andy’s account: 3.000 euros to cover Andy’s fee, 1.400 euros for the debts to Mr. K. and 100 euros for the "inconvenience".
- Andy, an honest man, transfers Mr. K. as agreed 1.400 euros from his account.
- A few days or weeks later, the card used for the original transfer is reported as stolen. The bank cancels the transfer made and Andy loses everything; not only his fee, but also the additional payment. The to Mr. K. However, the transfer made cannot be cancelled. Ironically, this transfer was in fact legal.
[blockquote] In a nutshell, the incoming wire transfer will be cancelled after a while and thus the money will be withdrawn from your account. But it will be much more difficult even impossible to get back the contribution you have transferred.
Fraud with an "erroneous" transfer
Designer and other freelancers are generally savvy (or have a quick overview). A suspicious nature or unusual request from a potential customer quickly leads them to subreddits or blogs where such cases are discussed.
However, if you read the comments, you will quickly see that people continue to take the bait and lose money. This also explains why criminals can still cheat with this scam.
Another inbound wire transfer scam is aimed at a wider audience. Someone transfers money to your account (usually a very small amount). You receive a call or text message from a concerned-sounding person claiming that the money was transferred by mistake and subsequently asking you to transfer the amount back.
You probably already know how the story ends. If you send money to the scammers, a short time later the initial transfer disappears into thin air.
What to do if you have already received a bank transfer?
The simplest and most effective answer in most cases is: Nothing at all.
This is the rare case where inaction is better than action. Block suspicious "customers" and tell senders of erroneous transfers to contact their bank. Ideally, call your bank and explain the situation at hand.
Do not spend the unexpected money! The sender might try to get it back through the bank or through legal proceedings.