Scammers increasingly target people sending money internationally, exploiting trust and urgency to steal funds. Understanding common scams and red flags protects you and your hard-earned money. Here's what you need to know.
Why Money Transfer Users Are Targeted
International money transfers create attractive opportunities for scammers:
- Irreversible transactions: Once sent, money is extremely difficult to recover
- Cross-border complexity: Legal recourse across countries is challenging
- Emotional manipulation: Scammers exploit family loyalty, romance, or crisis situations
- Perceived anonymity: International transfers seem harder to trace (they're not)
Knowledge is your best defense.
Romance Scams (Most Common)
How it works: Scammers create fake dating profiles, build online relationships over weeks or months, then request money for "emergencies."
Common stories:
- "I need money for travel visa to visit you"
- "Medical emergency—need immediate funds"
- "Investment opportunity we can share"
- "Customs fees for gift I'm sending you"
- "Temporary financial difficulty until my paycheck"
Red flags:
- Never met in person despite long relationship
- Professes love very quickly
- Always has dramatic emergencies
- Requests money transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency
- Photos seem professionally taken or stolen (reverse image search reveals models)
- Refuses video calls or makes excuses
Protection:
- Never send money to someone you haven't met in person
- Be skeptical of online relationships requesting money
- Video chat to verify identity
- Check photos with reverse image search
- If it feels wrong, it probably is
Emergency/Family Scams
How it works: Scammers impersonate family members claiming urgent emergency requiring immediate money.
Common scenarios:
- "Grandma, it's me! I'm in jail and need bail money"
- "Your son was in accident abroad—needs hospital payment"
- "Your relative is kidnapped—send ransom immediately"
Red flags:
- Urgent demand for immediate action
- Requests secrecy ("Don't tell anyone")
- Pressure not to verify with other family
- Unusual communication method (text from unknown number)
- Demands specific payment method (gift cards, wire transfer)
Protection:
- Hang up and call the family member directly on known number
- Verify emergency with other family members
- Be skeptical of urgent demands for secrecy
- Real emergencies allow time to verify
- Police and hospitals don't demand immediate wire transfers
Advance Fee Fraud
How it works: Scammers promise large payments, inheritance, or prizes but require advance fees to "release" funds.
Common versions:
- "You've won lottery but must pay processing fee"
- "Inheritance from distant relative requires legal fees"
- "Government grant available—pay application fee"
- "Investment returns guaranteed after initial fee"
Red flags:
- Unsolicited offers of large sums
- Requires payment before receiving funds
- Poor grammar in official-looking documents
- Pressure to act quickly
- Requests wire transfer to foreign country
- No legitimate contact information
Protection:
- Legitimate winnings don't require advance payment
- Real inheritances work through established legal processes
- Government grants don't require fees to unknown parties
- If it sounds too good to be true, it is
Fake Money Transfer Services
How it works: Scammers create fake websites or apps mimicking legitimate services, collecting money that never reaches recipients.
Red flags:
- Website looks unprofessional or has spelling errors
- No verifiable company registration or licenses
- Rates significantly better than all competitors
- No customer service or only WhatsApp contact
- Requests unusual payment methods
- Pressure to act immediately
- No online reviews or only fake positive reviews
Protection:
- Use only established, licensed services like Afriex
- Verify company registration and licenses
- Check independent reviews on Trustpilot, app stores
- Be skeptical of too-good-to-be-true rates
- Research companies before sharing personal information
- Avoid services only contactable via WhatsApp or social media
Employment Scams
How it works: Fake job offers require money transfers for training, equipment, or work visa fees.
Common scenarios:
- "Send money for training materials before starting"
- "Pay visa processing fees for overseas job"
- "Buy equipment from specific supplier we'll reimburse"
- "Deposit this check, send portion back, keep rest as payment"
Red flags:
- Job offer without interview
- Requests money before starting work
- Vague job descriptions
- Employer uses free email (Gmail, Yahoo) not company domain
- Payment by check followed by request to return portion
- Promises unusually high pay for simple work
Protection:
- Legitimate employers never require payment
- Research companies thoroughly before accepting offers
- Be skeptical of too-easy international job offers
- Never deposit checks and return money
- Verify company legitimacy through multiple sources
How to Verify Requests Are Legitimate
Before sending money, verify:
- Confirm identity directly:
- Call the person on a known phone number
- Video chat to confirm they're real
- Ask questions only they would know
- Verify urgency:
- Why immediate action required?
- Can it wait a few hours for verification?
- Is secrecy necessary? (Usually not)
- Research claims:
- Google the situation—is it a known scam?
- Check company/organization legitimacy
- Look for warning signs and reviews
- Consult others:
- Discuss with trusted family or friends
- Get second opinion on legitimacy
- Contact relevant authorities if claiming to be officials
What Afriex Does to Protect You
Afriex implements multiple fraud prevention measures:
- Identity verification: KYC processes verify user identities
- Transaction monitoring: Suspicious patterns trigger reviews
- Secure platform: Bank-level encryption protects data
- Regulatory compliance: Licensed and overseen by financial authorities
- Customer education: Resources like this article help users stay informed
If You've Been Scammed
Act immediately:
- Contact Afriex: Email hello@afriex.co immediately if scam involved our platform
- Report to authorities:
- Local police
- FTC (US): ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- Action Fraud (UK): actionfraud.police.uk
- Your country's cybercrime unit
- Alert your bank: If you provided account information
- Warn others: Prevent friends/family from falling for same scam
- Document everything: Save all communications, receipts, screenshots
Important: While Afriex will investigate, we typically cannot recover funds sent to scammers. Prevention is crucial.
General Protection Principles
Never send money to:
- Someone you've never met in person
- Anyone demanding immediate action without verification
- People offering too-good-to-be-true opportunities
- Those requesting unusual payment methods
- Anyone demanding secrecy
Always verify:
- Identity through multiple channels
- Urgency of claimed emergency
- Legitimacy of organizations/opportunities
- Stories through independent research
Trust your instincts:
- If something feels wrong, stop
- Pressure to act immediately is red flag
- Secrecy demands are warning signs
- Real emergencies allow verification
Resources
Report scams:
- US: FTC.gov/complaint
- UK: actionfraud.police.uk
- Canada: antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
- International: IC3.gov
Learn more:
- Consumer.ftc.gov/scams
- FBI.gov/scams-and-safety
Stay informed, stay skeptical, and stay safe. Scammers rely on urgency and emotion—take time to verify, and protect your money and identity.