Western Union and MoneyGram Indicate Scam
One of the biggest indications of a scam, if not the biggest, is any request that money, for any purpose, be sent via a money transfer service like Western Union, MoneyGram, Coinstar, Liberty Reserve, Vigo or Moneybookers.
Western Union and MoneyGram both recommend that consumers never send money to strangers using their services. Obviously, in any online transaction you are sending money to a stranger, so you should never send money via a money transfer service in any online transaction. Sending money with a money transfer services is just like sending cash. Once the money is sent its gone, and you can't get it back, even if you were scammed. Sending money via WU/MG to someone you don't personally know and trust is like giving cash to a stranger and hoping he does whatever he says he would do.
WU and MG agreed to place fraud warnings on their websites as part of a settlement of two class action lawsuits brought against them resulting from fraudsters abusing their services. See: WU and MG for information on the lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the London Metropolitan Police have similar warnings. Excepts from the warnings are quoted below. Click the titles to see the full warning and additional information from this article: FTC "Wiring Money".
Western Union
See also Western Union Fraud Center
MoneyGram
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Metropolitan Police (London, England)
Real Governments and Companies Do Not Request Payment via WU/MG
No government department, official, employee, agent or diplomat; No court of law, lawyer, solicitor, attorney, barrister or law firm; No local, national or international law enforcement agency; No lottery, promotion or charity; No shipping, courier, or escrowcompany; bank or financial institution, or similar company, no matter what country it is in, including, but not limited to, the FBI, Interpol, Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), World Bank, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Federal Reserve Bank, United Postal Service, DHL, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, MoneyGram, Western Union, Bank of America, ING, Prudential, Central Bank of Nigeria, etc. ever requests payment of any cost, fee, or charge, via WU/MG. No real company or government of any kind will ever request money via WU. If that ever happens, its a scammer impersonating that company or government.
Legit Online Stores Do Not Request Payment via WU/MG
Any online "store" or "company" that only accepts, demands, encourages or even mentions payment via WU and/or MG should be viewed as a scam as no legitimate business would have such a payment policy.
Counterfeit Check Scammers Depend on WU/MG to Run Their Scams
Never accept a check or money order from an online stranger or company for any reason, deposit it in your bank account, and when it "clears", wire money back to the stranger or anybody else using WU/MG. It is a scam! The check/money order will always be fake! The scammer hopes that the fake is good enough to fool the bank long enough for it to make the funds "available". Just because the funds are "available" does not mean that the check has actually cleared or is genuine. The funds are only made available temporarily until the check/money order is verified. If you withdraw the cash and sent it via WU/MG to the scammer, the money's gone. When the bank finds out the check/money order is fake (in the U.S. they have a year to do this) they will debit your account for the amount of the check/money order and turn the fake over to law enforcement. At best, your account will be closed or frozen and your credit could be affected, at worst you could be prosecuted for attempting to cash a fake check. See: www.fakechecks.org
Scammers Can Collect WU/MG Transfers Even Without Full Or Real Identification Information
Never agree to send money via WU/MG to a relative or friend and then send a partial copy of the receipt or some of the information about the transaction to a third party "to prove" that you actually have the money; or send money via WU/MG to someone and send a partial copy of the receipt or some of the information, withholding the rest until they perform their part of the deal. A scammer can claim the money with minimal information or identification, even if the money was not actually sent to him or her and they will!
WU/MG Allows Scammers to Receive Money Anonymously
WU and MG are well designed for scammers to receive money which is why, perhaps 90% of scammers request money via those methods. Sending money via WU/MG is like giving cash to a stranger on a street corner, having him leave and then hoping he will reappear with whatever goods, services or money he promised you...only its worse because you never even see the stranger and he is hundreds or thousands of miles from you! In many cases, minimum or no identification is required to claim money sent via WU/MG, just the MTCN number, and in some cases that number is not even necessary, just knowing who the money was sent to. You have no assurance the money was retrieved by the person you sent it to and in the case of a scam the person gave you an alias.
A person can get money sent via these services and remain anonymous which is essential to any scam and why they use free email addresses, free classified advertisements, free domain websites, pre-paid mobile telephones and personal forwarding numbers such as telephone numbers beginning with +4470, +44(0)70, or +44070 . As stated by the FTC, once the money is sent, its impossible to reverse the transaction and there are corrupt WU/MG agents and franchises who cooperate with scammers by allowing them to claim money without proper identification for a percentage of the “take.” This was one of the reasons WU and MG were sued.
Never Use WU/MG To Pay Someone You Don't Personally Know
Basically, anybody who is not a known relative or close friend who requests money via WU/MG or any other money wire service such as Coinstar, is a scammer, or should be treated as such. Sending money to friends or relatives is the only legitimate reason to use WU/MG.
Many scammers, especially electronic good scammers, pet scammers and romance scammers, will attempt to tell you that they are not strangers because you have exchanged emails, instant messages or telephone calls. They are still strangers, regardless of such interaction.
A stranger, for the purposes of WU/MG is someone you have not physically met and/or have not independently confirmed to be who they state they are. Scammers will tell you that WU/MG is a fast and efficient way to send money, which it is…for scammers! They will tell you that in their country WU/MG is the normal way of doing business, and/or that sums under a certain amount must be paid by WU/MG. Both of these statements are false. They will tell you that other people pay by WU/MG all the time. If those people did, they were scammed. They will probably come up with other similar excuses for you to pay WU/MG.
Scammers will also send you various picture identifications, such as passports, driver's licenses, visas to "prove" their identity so they are not strangers. These are all invariably fake or forged! No legitimate person or businessman would send you his or her passport or driver's license to prove his identity. Only scammers do this.
The more a stranger insists that its okay for you to pay them via WU/MG, the more they are confirming that they are a scammer.
Filing a Fraud Complaint Will Not Get Your Money Back
WU/MG are designed to send cash with very few, if any questions, asked. It's not their responsibility to make sure that you are not defrauded or that you get whatever services or goods you paid for. There job is to send cash to the person you tell them to send it to and that is what you are paying them for. Though, as part of the settlements both WU/MG are supposed to do a better job of alerting their customers about possible frauds, ultimately its up to you to protect yourself. Thus, you can, and should file a fraud complaint, so that WU/MG is at least alerted to the fraud , however, WU/MG fulfilled their obligations once they sent the money and don't expect them to "bail" you out.
Credit Cards Are the Safest Way to Pay For Goods Online
Some scammers posing as "stores" or "companies" will tell you that payment via credit cards is risky. That's untrue. You can dispute a charge on a credit card and have the amount chargebacked or adjudicated fraudulent. That option is not available with WU or MG.
However, in entering your credit card information in any online payment form on a website you must make sure that you are on a SSL secured connection Either look for a lock icon at the bottom of the screen, in the status bar of your browser. If the site is secure, the lock will be closed. If website address begins with https:// - the 's' indicates the site is secure. If the lock is not closed and the website address does not begin with https://, the store or company is not authorized to accept credit cards and is just phishing, i.e., stealing your credit card information. See Shopping Online Safely.
You are not protected by your credit card chargeback provisions if you pay via WU/MG using a credit card. The transaction is considered a cash advance which does not have the protections a credit card purchase does.
Some online stores or companies will indicate that they accept credit cards, however, when you actually attempt to use these methods of payment you will find that they are not available for various reasons, e.g., their banks are under audit or their banks only accept credit cards for payments above a certain amount.
Bank to Bank Transfer / Telegraphic Money Transfer
The same rules that apply to Western Union/MoneyGram apply to Bank to Bank Transfer. Never send money to someone you don't know using that method. Never use that method of payment to pay for any item purchased online. Read: Don't Pay Strangers Using Bank Transfer!
One of the biggest indications of a scam, if not the biggest, is any request that money, for any purpose, be sent via a money transfer service like Western Union, MoneyGram, Coinstar, Liberty Reserve, Vigo or Moneybookers.
Western Union and MoneyGram both recommend that consumers never send money to strangers using their services. Obviously, in any online transaction you are sending money to a stranger, so you should never send money via a money transfer service in any online transaction. Sending money with a money transfer services is just like sending cash. Once the money is sent its gone, and you can't get it back, even if you were scammed. Sending money via WU/MG to someone you don't personally know and trust is like giving cash to a stranger and hoping he does whatever he says he would do.
WU and MG agreed to place fraud warnings on their websites as part of a settlement of two class action lawsuits brought against them resulting from fraudsters abusing their services. See: WU and MG for information on the lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the London Metropolitan Police have similar warnings. Excepts from the warnings are quoted below. Click the titles to see the full warning and additional information from this article: FTC "Wiring Money".
Western Union
Quote:
| The Western Union Money Transfer® service is a great way to send money to people you know and trust. If you need to send money to someone you don’t know well, you may be putting yourself at risk for fraud. ... * Never send money to a stranger using a money transfer service. * Beware of deals or opportunities that seem too good to be true. * Don’t use money transfer services to pay for things like online auction purchases. * Never send money to pay for taxes or fees on foreign lottery winnings. * Never provide your banking information to unknown individuals or businesses. * Never send money in advance to obtain a loan or credit card. * Verify every emergency situation before sending money. ... |
MoneyGram
Quote:
| Make sure the person or company you are sending money to (or who you are sending money on behalf of) is someone you know and trust. Please also keep the information relating to your transaction confidential. Once the money has been paid out to the person you name as the receiver, cancellation or refund is no longer possible. ... |
Quote:
| You’ve won a prize! I’m in a foreign country, and I need cash. We’re temporarily unable to accept credit cards. Your dream apartment is available immediately at an incredible price! Scam artists use a number of elaborate schemes to get your money, and many involve money transfers through companies like Western Union and MoneyGram... money transfers may be useful when you want to send funds to someone you know and trust — but they’re completely inappropriate when you’re dealing with a stranger. Why do scammers pressure people to use money transfers? So they can get their hands on the money before their victims realize they’ve been cheated. Typically, there is no way you can reverse the transaction or trace the money. Another reason: When you wire money to another country, the recipient can pick it up at multiple locations, making it nearly impossible to identify them or track them down. In some cases, the receiving agents of the money transfer company might be complicit in the fraud. Money transfers are virtually the same as sending cash — there are no protections for the sender. ... |
Quote:
| ... Money transfer services are often used by fraudsters in connection with many types of fraud... * Never let a fraudster educate you on how a money transfer service works - only take advice from the money transfer company. * Never ignore the warnings or make false statements on money transfer documents. The information is there to protect you. * Do not pay for items bought on line, including via Auction sites, using a money transfer service. Providers of money transfer services are not responsible for the satisfactory receipt of goods or services paid for by means of a money transfer. * Never share details of a money transfer with a third party to prove the availability of funds. Doing so may enable the money transfer to be paid to that third party. This is known as a ‘Proof of Funds’ fraud. Many people become victims of fraud due to a relationship they have over the Internet. This may be persuasive selling or a long term ‘honey-trap’ romance lasting months. The advice is simple: Never send money to, or share details of a money transfer with, somebody that you do not know. |
No government department, official, employee, agent or diplomat; No court of law, lawyer, solicitor, attorney, barrister or law firm; No local, national or international law enforcement agency; No lottery, promotion or charity; No shipping, courier, or escrowcompany; bank or financial institution, or similar company, no matter what country it is in, including, but not limited to, the FBI, Interpol, Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), World Bank, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Federal Reserve Bank, United Postal Service, DHL, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, MoneyGram, Western Union, Bank of America, ING, Prudential, Central Bank of Nigeria, etc. ever requests payment of any cost, fee, or charge, via WU/MG. No real company or government of any kind will ever request money via WU. If that ever happens, its a scammer impersonating that company or government.
Legit Online Stores Do Not Request Payment via WU/MG
Any online "store" or "company" that only accepts, demands, encourages or even mentions payment via WU and/or MG should be viewed as a scam as no legitimate business would have such a payment policy.
Counterfeit Check Scammers Depend on WU/MG to Run Their Scams
Never accept a check or money order from an online stranger or company for any reason, deposit it in your bank account, and when it "clears", wire money back to the stranger or anybody else using WU/MG. It is a scam! The check/money order will always be fake! The scammer hopes that the fake is good enough to fool the bank long enough for it to make the funds "available". Just because the funds are "available" does not mean that the check has actually cleared or is genuine. The funds are only made available temporarily until the check/money order is verified. If you withdraw the cash and sent it via WU/MG to the scammer, the money's gone. When the bank finds out the check/money order is fake (in the U.S. they have a year to do this) they will debit your account for the amount of the check/money order and turn the fake over to law enforcement. At best, your account will be closed or frozen and your credit could be affected, at worst you could be prosecuted for attempting to cash a fake check. See: www.fakechecks.org
Scammers Can Collect WU/MG Transfers Even Without Full Or Real Identification Information
Never agree to send money via WU/MG to a relative or friend and then send a partial copy of the receipt or some of the information about the transaction to a third party "to prove" that you actually have the money; or send money via WU/MG to someone and send a partial copy of the receipt or some of the information, withholding the rest until they perform their part of the deal. A scammer can claim the money with minimal information or identification, even if the money was not actually sent to him or her and they will!
WU/MG Allows Scammers to Receive Money Anonymously
WU and MG are well designed for scammers to receive money which is why, perhaps 90% of scammers request money via those methods. Sending money via WU/MG is like giving cash to a stranger on a street corner, having him leave and then hoping he will reappear with whatever goods, services or money he promised you...only its worse because you never even see the stranger and he is hundreds or thousands of miles from you! In many cases, minimum or no identification is required to claim money sent via WU/MG, just the MTCN number, and in some cases that number is not even necessary, just knowing who the money was sent to. You have no assurance the money was retrieved by the person you sent it to and in the case of a scam the person gave you an alias.
A person can get money sent via these services and remain anonymous which is essential to any scam and why they use free email addresses, free classified advertisements, free domain websites, pre-paid mobile telephones and personal forwarding numbers such as telephone numbers beginning with +4470, +44(0)70, or +44070 . As stated by the FTC, once the money is sent, its impossible to reverse the transaction and there are corrupt WU/MG agents and franchises who cooperate with scammers by allowing them to claim money without proper identification for a percentage of the “take.” This was one of the reasons WU and MG were sued.
Never Use WU/MG To Pay Someone You Don't Personally Know
Basically, anybody who is not a known relative or close friend who requests money via WU/MG or any other money wire service such as Coinstar, is a scammer, or should be treated as such. Sending money to friends or relatives is the only legitimate reason to use WU/MG.
Many scammers, especially electronic good scammers, pet scammers and romance scammers, will attempt to tell you that they are not strangers because you have exchanged emails, instant messages or telephone calls. They are still strangers, regardless of such interaction.
A stranger, for the purposes of WU/MG is someone you have not physically met and/or have not independently confirmed to be who they state they are. Scammers will tell you that WU/MG is a fast and efficient way to send money, which it is…for scammers! They will tell you that in their country WU/MG is the normal way of doing business, and/or that sums under a certain amount must be paid by WU/MG. Both of these statements are false. They will tell you that other people pay by WU/MG all the time. If those people did, they were scammed. They will probably come up with other similar excuses for you to pay WU/MG.
Scammers will also send you various picture identifications, such as passports, driver's licenses, visas to "prove" their identity so they are not strangers. These are all invariably fake or forged! No legitimate person or businessman would send you his or her passport or driver's license to prove his identity. Only scammers do this.
The more a stranger insists that its okay for you to pay them via WU/MG, the more they are confirming that they are a scammer.
Filing a Fraud Complaint Will Not Get Your Money Back
WU/MG are designed to send cash with very few, if any questions, asked. It's not their responsibility to make sure that you are not defrauded or that you get whatever services or goods you paid for. There job is to send cash to the person you tell them to send it to and that is what you are paying them for. Though, as part of the settlements both WU/MG are supposed to do a better job of alerting their customers about possible frauds, ultimately its up to you to protect yourself. Thus, you can, and should file a fraud complaint, so that WU/MG is at least alerted to the fraud , however, WU/MG fulfilled their obligations once they sent the money and don't expect them to "bail" you out.
Credit Cards Are the Safest Way to Pay For Goods Online
Some scammers posing as "stores" or "companies" will tell you that payment via credit cards is risky. That's untrue. You can dispute a charge on a credit card and have the amount chargebacked or adjudicated fraudulent. That option is not available with WU or MG.
However, in entering your credit card information in any online payment form on a website you must make sure that you are on a SSL secured connection Either look for a lock icon at the bottom of the screen, in the status bar of your browser. If the site is secure, the lock will be closed. If website address begins with https:// - the 's' indicates the site is secure. If the lock is not closed and the website address does not begin with https://, the store or company is not authorized to accept credit cards and is just phishing, i.e., stealing your credit card information. See Shopping Online Safely.
You are not protected by your credit card chargeback provisions if you pay via WU/MG using a credit card. The transaction is considered a cash advance which does not have the protections a credit card purchase does.
Some online stores or companies will indicate that they accept credit cards, however, when you actually attempt to use these methods of payment you will find that they are not available for various reasons, e.g., their banks are under audit or their banks only accept credit cards for payments above a certain amount.
Bank to Bank Transfer / Telegraphic Money Transfer
The same rules that apply to Western Union/MoneyGram apply to Bank to Bank Transfer. Never send money to someone you don't know using that method. Never use that method of payment to pay for any item purchased online. Read: Don't Pay Strangers Using Bank Transfer!
Iwas a victim of a scam lost allot of money and I received an email saying I would recieve compensation for my lost .I received the email below is there a way you can tell me it this is a scam again
ReplyDeleteAttention: Adam M. Coleman Jr,
Payment Purpose: Inheritance Fund Release
Payment Value: $6,500,000.00 dollars
Authourized Paying Bank: Central Bank of Nigeria
Date: 20 March 2013.
Attention: Adam M. Coleman Jr
Thank you for your email update. However, all statutory documents proving the legitimacy of the funds as a genuine funds free from terrorism has been duly processed. Hence, I assure you 100% that there will be no money request for any kind of documentation on this transfer.
However, I have enclosed herewith a scanned copy of my working ID for your approval and authentication. Please acknowledge your receipt of the enclosed ID and make effort to secure and send the $70 dollars asap. The information required to send the $70 dollars is hereunder stated below: My email address is Indyguy216@yahoo.com
NAME OF RECIPIENT'S: NNABUIHE TIMOTHY
DESTINATION: LAGOS, NIGERIA.
SECRET QUESTION: IN GOD
ANSWER: WE TRUST
AMOUNT: $70.00 USD
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Federal Ministry of Finiance, Nigeria
Yes it is a scam. Any request for money to be sent via Western Union is a scam. Any request!
Deletethis site fake. got me $ 170 for an engine that is not 'never arrived.
ReplyDeletewww.rctoys888.com
RC TOYS 888
Jl. Bandar kalipah No.8/88
Medan, Sumut 20223
Indonesia
Tel: +(62) 812 6574 0957
Email: sales@rctoys888.com
Domain Name: RCTOYS888.COM
Registrar: PDR LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM
Whois Server: whois.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Referral URL: http://www.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Name Server: NSIIX19.RUMAHWEB.COM
Name Server: NSIIX20.RUMAHWEB.COM
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 10-oct-2012
Creation Date: 10-oct-2012
Expiration Date: 10-oct-2013
UK Border Agency,
ReplyDeleteLunar House,
40 Wellesley Road,
Croydon, Surrey CR9 2BY
Date:09-May- 2014
Attention:Visa Applicant
We're the government department responsible for immigration and nationality. It's our job to regulate entry to, and settlement in the UK.
This section explains how you can apply to enter or remain in the UK as a skilled worker under Tier 2 (General) of our points-based system.Furthermore, in response to your Appointment, from the company (Virgo Marketing Limited ), for the immediate processing of your Work Permit Entry Clearance / Residential Visa, as directed by the Board management of your host company, to enable you migrate and work here in the United Kingdom,the Tier 2 (General) category is for foreign nationals who have been offered a skilled job to fill a gap in the workforce that cannot be filled by a settled worker.Before you apply, you must read the Point scoring system file first, as attach above, for more illustration, regarding the application.
The Visa application form attach above, must be filled and completed in blue or black ink.Please download the attach file above, and follow the Point base scoring system file carefully, to complete all questions as indicated, in the Visa and Immigration forms.The UK Border Agency may take a decision on your application based on the information contained here without interviewing you. Therefore please ensure you submit all relevant documents within the next 72hours, (please see the supporting documents point scoring file more details.)
Fees for our services:
We charge fees to ensure that we raise the money we need to run a strong, robust immigration system and to offer a world-class level of service. We set our fees at levels that are fair to our customers.
When setting fee levels, we work within strict financial limits agreed with HM Treasury and the UK Parliament. We balance a number of complex factors, including:
the cost of processing applications;
the importance of attracting certain groups of migrants to the UK; and
the value of a successful application to the migrant.
AWARENESS;
If you can't comply with the payment needed for the processing of your work permit entry clearance, Please do not fill up the Visa and Immigration form. Also be inform that your application will be terminated without your notification if you submit any false document or fill up the forms without all other supporting documents.All entire documents must be submitted back to us on this same e-mail within the next 3 working days.
Regards,
Sir. Rob Whiteman
(Chief Executive Officer (CEO) @ UK Boarder Agency)
Jason Cripe with phone numbers 217-273-8528 and previously 217-273-2967 is a scammer. uses money gram thru walmart to get money. Says he is a repo man that sells vehicles, big talker on all the money he made. He was going by Jay Allen when we spoke. anyone with info contact the missouri private investagor working this case with any leads at 314-539-2238. He has been known to scam many out of small funds all the way up to 12k.
ReplyDeleteDEAR VISA APPLICANT.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR APPOINTMENT, I RECEIVE YOUR DOCUMENT NECESSARY FOR VISA APPLICATION WITH YOUR WORKING PERMIT APPROVAL HERE IN MY OFFICE FROM THE COMPANY AS WELL AS YOU ARE ONE OF THE SELECTED CANDIDATE, THE COMPANY AS APPLY FOR YOUR WORKING VISA ON YOUR BEHALF, SO DUE TO THIS YOUR VISA IS NON-APPEARANCE, NOW YOU HAVE TO SEND ME THE SCAN COPY OF BELOW DOCUMENT.
*SCAN COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT
*SCAN COPY OF PASSPORT SIZE PHOTOGRAPH (WITH WHITE BACKGROUND)
*SCAN COPY OF VOTER ID CARD OR DRIVING LICENSE
*FILLED VISA APPLICATION FORM
SEND ALL THIS DOCUMENT TO ME SO THAT I CAN PRINT IT OUT AND ENCLOSE IT IN YOUR FILE TO SUBMITTING FOR YOUR VISA REGISTRATION
ATTACH TO THIS MAIL IS THE VISA APPLICATION FORM KINDLY DO THE PRINT OUT FILL IT BY HAND , THEN SEND A SCAN COPY BACK TO ME TODAY, IN CASE YOU DO NOT KNOW ANY OF THE INFORMATION TO BE WRITTEN IN THE VISA FORM KINDLY LEAVE IT BLANK.
TOTAL VISA FEES 28,500 RUPEES
FURTHERMORE YOUR TOTAL VISA PROCESSING FEE IS 450 US DOLLAR EQUIVALENT TO INDIA RUPEES 28,500 ONLY OF WHICH YOU HAVE TO DEPOSIT BY CASH TO THE CORRESPONDENT SECRETARY ACCOUNT IN-CHARGE OF THE VISA REGISTRATION. THE PROCESSING START IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT AND IT TAKES 2 WORKING DAYS TO GET YOUR APPROVAL , THE PAYMENT RECEIPT WILL BE SEND TO YOU BY VIA E-MAIL FOR THE PROOF OF YOUR PAYMENT .
IMMEDIATELY YOUR VISA IS APPROVED I WILL SEND YOU THE APPROVAL COPY ,THEN YOU CAN GET YOUR CALL UP LETTER FROM AMBASSADOR WHICH WE INDICATE THE DATE OF YOUR APPOINTMENT THAT YOU ARE TO COME TO EMBASSY WITH YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT FOR YOUR VISA STAMPING AND FINGER PRINT.
REGARD
RUBEN STAGE