Only send money to people you know and trust. If you've never met the recipient in person, have only met them online, or can't check who they are, you could be the target of a scam. Once your recipient collects the money, it may be impossible to get it back.
If you think you've been scammed and your transfer hasn't been paid out yet, contact us straight away. We may be able to stop it.
In this article, we'll cover:
Before you send money
Ask yourself:
- Do I know the recipient personally?
- Have I checked who they are, using contact details I found myself?
- Am I being pressured to send the money quickly?
- Does anything about this seem unusual, or too good to be true?
- Am I paying a fee to receive a prize, loan, inheritance, or investment return?
- Do I know exactly what this money is for?
If you're unsure about any of these, stop. Check the situation before you send anything. Scammers rely on urgency, secrecy, and emotional pressure, so taking a few minutes to check is one of the best ways to protect your money.
Common scams and how to spot them
Romance and online relationship scams
You meet someone online, on social media, a dating site, or a messaging app. Over weeks or months, you build a relationship. Then they ask for money for an emergency, such as medical bills, travel problems, or a family crisis. Many of these relationships are created only to get money from you.
Warning signs:
- You've never met them in person.
- They avoid video calls or meeting up.
- They have one financial emergency after another.
- They ask you to keep the relationship, or the money, a secret.
- They ask for money for travel, visas, medical treatment, or family emergencies.
To protect yourself:
- Don't send money to someone you've only met online.
- Check who they are, independently.
- Talk to family or friends you trust before you send anything.
Lottery, prize, and sweepstakes scams
You're told by email, text, phone, or social media that you've won a lottery, prize, inheritance, or sweepstakes. To claim it, you need to pay a tax, admin fee, processing cost, or transfer charge first.
If you didn't enter a competition, you can't have won it. Genuine lotteries and prize draws don't ask you to pay to collect your winnings.
To protect yourself:
- Never pay money to receive a prize.
- Check the offer with the organization directly, using contact details you found yourself.
- Be wary of any message saying you've won something you didn't enter.
Family emergency scams
Someone contacts you pretending to be a family member or close friend who's traveling, injured, arrested, stranded abroad, or in trouble. They push you to send money right away, and ask you not to tell anyone else in the family.
To protect yourself:
- Contact the family member directly, using a number you already have.
- Check with another relative before you send money.
- Take time to confirm what's happening, even if it sounds urgent.
Job and mystery shopper scams
You're offered a job with easy pay, such as reviewing stores, processing payments, or acting as a company representative. You're sent a check or payment, and told to deposit it and send part of it back. The original payment later turns out to be fraudulent, and you're left responsible for the money.
To protect yourself:
- Never send money on behalf of an employer you don't know.
- Be wary of any job that involves moving money for someone else.
- Check that the company and the job are real, independently.
Vehicle purchase scams
You see a vehicle advertised online for much less than it's worth. The seller asks you to send a deposit, insurance fee, delivery cost, or loan fee by money transfer before they'll release the vehicle. Once you pay, the seller disappears.
To protect yourself:
- See the vehicle in person before you pay anything.
- Don't send a deposit by money transfer for a vehicle you haven't seen.
- Check the seller owns the vehicle, and check its documents.
Online shopping and rental scams
Scammers post fake ads for rental homes, vehicles, pets, electronics, vacation rentals, and other goods. You're asked to pay a deposit or pay in advance for something that doesn't exist.
To protect yourself:
- Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.
- Check the seller or property is real, independently.
- Use a payment method that offers buyer protection where you can.
- Don't send money to people you don't know.
Charity and disaster relief scams
After a natural disaster, humanitarian crisis, or major news event, scammers pretend to be charities and ask for donations.
To protect yourself:
- Only give to charities you recognize.
- Research a charity before you donate.
- Find out how your donation will be used.
- Be wary of donation requests you didn't ask for.
Overpayment and refund scams
Someone sends you a check, money order, or transfer for more than they owe you, and asks you to send back the difference. After you send it, the original payment turns out to be fraudulent, and you lose the money you sent.
To protect yourself:
- Don't send back money from an overpayment you weren't expecting.
- If you have to refund someone, wait until their payment has fully cleared.
- Be careful when buying from, or selling to, people you don't know.
Scams that target older people
Scammers often target older people with phone calls, emails, texts, fake investments, and promises of financial rewards. They build trust first, then ask for money, personal information, or access to bank accounts.
To protect yourself:
- Talk to family members you trust before any big financial decision.
- Never let a stranger manage your money.
- Be wary of offers that promise unusually high returns.
Guaranteed loan scams
A lender promises you're guaranteed to be approved for a loan, but asks for a payment before they'll release the money. Genuine lenders don't usually ask for money upfront to approve a loan.
To protect yourself:
- Be wary of any lender promising "guaranteed approval".
- Research the lender independently.
- Never send money to get a loan.
Identity theft
Identity theft is when someone gets your personal information and uses it without you knowing. Scammers may try to get your ID documents, online banking details, card details, passwords, or other personal information. They may contact you by phone, email, text, or social media, or pretend to be a real company or government agency.
To protect yourself:
- Keep your personal information private.
- Use strong passwords, and turn on two-step verification where you can.
- Check your bank and card accounts regularly.
- Never share personal or financial information with someone you don't know.
Impersonation scams
Scammers pretend to be from a bank, government agency, tax office, tech support company, utility provider, or the police. They usually tell you something urgent is wrong, and pressure you to pay straight away.
To protect yourself:
- Don't give personal or financial information to anyone who calls you unexpectedly.
- Hang up, then contact the organization using contact details from its official website.
- Check any request independently before you act on it.
What to do if you think you're being scammed
- If your transfer hasn't been paid out yet, contact us straight away. We may be able to stop it.
- Stop all contact with the person you think is scamming you.
- Don't send any more money.
- Contact your bank or card provider.
- Report it to the police or your local fraud reporting service.