Stay Safe When Sending Money

You've been chatting with someone online for weeks or even months and feel you've built a genuine relationship. One day, they ask you to send money through our money transfer service to help with a medical emergency, travel costs, family problems or because they can't access their bank account. They promise to repay you or visit you once the situation is resolved.

• You've never met the person in real life.
• They avoid video calls or make excuses, such as claiming they have a poor internet connection.
• They ask you to keep your relationship private.
• They suddenly need money due to an emergency.
• They ask you to send money or invest on their behalf, especially overseas.

• Never send money to someone you've only met online.
• Verify their identity independently.
• Speak to a trusted family member or friend before sending money.

After hearing about a natural disaster, medical emergency, or people in need, you decide to make a donation. Someone claims to represent a charity, temple, orphanage, community organisation, or fundraising campaign and asks you to send money through our money transfer service. They may provide what appears to be an official bank account or ask you to send money to an individual collecting donations on their behalf. Later, you discover the charity, organisation, or fundraiser was fake, and your money has gone to scammers.

• They claim to represent a charity, temple, orphanage, or other organisation but cannot provide proof.
• You're asked to send money to a personal bank account or an unfamiliar overseas account.
• The charity, organisation, or fundraising campaign cannot be independently verified.
• They contact you through social media, messaging apps, or unsolicited emails.

• Donate directly through the charity's official website or verified fundraising page.
• Verify the charity before making a donation.
• Be cautious if someone asks you to send donations to an individual's bank account, even if they claim to be collecting funds on behalf of an organisation.

You're planning a holiday, buying or renting a property overseas, or arranging a service for yourself or your family. You find a travel agency, property agent, shipping company, visa service, or another business online. Everything looks genuine, they have a professional website, positive reviews, and helpful staff. They ask you to send a deposit or service fee through our money transfer service to secure your booking or appointment. After you send the money, they stop responding, disappear completely. You later discover the business or service was fake.  

• They ask you to pay a deposit or service fee upfront to confirm your booking or secure the service.
• They might ask you to send money to a personal overseas bank account.
• They offer prices or discounts that seem much cheaper than other providers.
• The website, licence, or business registration cannot be verified.
• The business cannot be independently verified, or its reviews appear fake or suspicious.

• Research the business independently before making any payment.
• Verify the company's registration, contact details, and customer reviews.
• Be cautious if you're asked to send money to a personal bank account or through an unusual payment method.
• Never feel pressured to pay quickly because of a "limited-time offer" or to secure your booking.
• If something doesn't feel right, verify the business before sending any money.

You've been offered an easy way to earn money online by completing simple tasks, such as liking videos, reviewing products, placing orders or completing online shopping tasks. You're promised commissions or rewards for each task completed. At first, you may receive small payments, but you're later asked to deposit your own money to unlock higher commissions or withdraw your earnings. After making the payment, you discover you're unable to recover your money or commissions.

• You're promised easy money or guaranteed commissions for completing simple tasks.
• You're asked to deposit money to unlock commissions or complete additional tasks.
• You're told your funds or commissions are "locked" and require another payment to release them.
• You're pressured to act quickly or risk losing your earnings.
• You're asked to communicate through messaging apps or social media platforms.

• Never send your own money to earn commissions or rewards.
• Be cautious of online jobs or opportunities that promise easy money.
• Verify the company or platform independently before making any payment.
• Stop immediately if you're asked to make additional payments to unlock your earnings.

You've been invited to join an investment opportunity through social media, WhatsApp or Telegram. After making a small profit, you're encouraged to send a larger amount using our money transfer service to continue investing. You may also be asked to complete online tasks or reviews to earn commissions. When you try to withdraw your money, you're told you must first pay taxes, fees or another deposit.

• They promise guaranteed or unusually high returns.
• They pressure you to invest or deposit more money to avoid losing the funds you've already invested.
• You're asked to send money to an overseas personal bank account or investment platform.
• You're asked to pay additional fees, taxes, or deposits before you can withdraw your money.
• You're shown fake profits or account balances that cannot be independently verified.
• The investment platform or company cannot be independently verified.

• Research the investment independently before sending any money.
• Verify that the company or platform is licensed by the relevant financial regulator.
• Be cautious of investment opportunities promoted through social media or messaging apps.
• Never pay additional fees or deposits to release your investment or profits.

You receive an urgent call or message claiming that a family member has been in an accident, or is facing another emergency. You're told to send money immediately through our money transfer service and not to contact anyone else. Wanting to help, you send the money and only to later discover there was never an emergency.

• You receive a call or message from an unfamiliar phone number.
• The caller claims to be a doctor, police officer, or another authority.
• You're asked to send money immediately for emergency expenses.
• You're pressured to act quickly without verifying the situation.

• Contact your family member using a trusted number.
• Verify the situation with another family member or trusted contact.
• Never send money until you've confirmed the emergency is genuine.

You receive an unexpected phone call, SMS, email or message claiming to be from immigration, customs, border protection, police, a government agency or a courier company. You're told there is a problem with your visa, immigration status, or an overseas parcel that has been held at the border. To resolve the issue, you're instructed to urgently send money through our money transfer service to pay customs duties, taxes, clearance fees, or fines. After making the payment, you discover the request was a scam.

• They claim to be from immigration, customs, border protection, or a courier company.
• They say your visa, immigration status, or overseas parcel is at risk.
• They pressure you to pay immediately to avoid fines, legal action, deportation, or your parcel being seized.
• They ask you to send money to a personal or overseas bank account.
• They discourage you from contacting the organisation directly or verifying the request.

• Contact the organisation or courier using its official website or phone number to verify the request.
• Never send money because of an unexpected call, SMS, email, or message.
• Be cautious of urgent requests demanding immediate payment for taxes, customs duties, or fines.
• If you're unsure, verify the situation before sending any money.

You receive an unexpected phone call, SMS, email, or social media message from someone claiming to represent a remittance company, bank, or other financial service provider. They say there is a problem with your transaction and ask you to verify your identity, provide your One-Time Password (OTP), make an additional payment, or transfer money to a different account. Later, you discover the person was an impostor.

• The SMS, email or phone call looks suspicious or unexpected.
• They create a false sense of urgency and pressure you to act immediately.
• They ask you to scan a QR code, click a payment link or visit an unfamiliar website.
• They ask you to send money to a different bank account than usual.
• They ask for your password, PIN, or One-Time Password (OTP).

• Contact us using the official phone number, email address, or website listed on our official channels.
• Never share your password, PIN, or One-Time Password (OTP) with anyone. We NEVER ask you for this.
• Never send money or update payment details based on an unexpected call, SMS, or email.
• If you're unsure whether a message is genuine, contact us directly before taking any action.

After losing money to a scam, you search online for a law firm or recovery service that claims it can help recover your losses. You find them through social media, where they promote their services using convincing videos, reviews, or testimonials from people who appear to have successfully recovered their money. They ask you to send payment through our money transfer service to cover legal fees, taxes, or administration costs before they can begin. After you pay, they either continue demanding more money or disappear without recovering any of your funds.

• They guarantee they can recover your lost money.
• They ask you to pay upfront fees before providing any assistance.
• They claim to have special connections or insider access to recover your funds.
• They advertise on social media using impressive success stories or testimonials that cannot be verified.
• They pressure you to act quickly or say the opportunity to recover your money will expire.

• Never pay upfront fees to recover money lost to a scam.
• Verify the organisation independently before responding.
• Be cautious of social media advertisements or testimonials promising guaranteed recoveries.
• If you've been scammed, report it to the relevant authorities instead of paying a third party to recover your money.

You're sending money through our money transfer service while someone stays on the phone, messages you, or instructs you beforehand on exactly what to say if our staff/ system ask about the purpose of your transfer. They may tell you to say it's for "family support", a "gift", or another personal reason, even though the money is actually for an investment, an online relationship, paying fees, or another purpose. They tell you this is the only way the transfer will be approved.

• They tell you to hide the true purpose of the transfer.
• They tell you not to answer our questions honestly.
• They tell you not to mention them or the real reason for sending the money.
• They give you a script or tell you exactly what to say to our staff or enter in our online system.
• They stay on the phone or continue messaging you while you complete the transfer.

• Always provide the genuine purpose of your transfer.
• Never let anyone coach you on what to say to our staff or enter in our online system.
• End the conversation if someone tells you to hide information or provide false answers.
• If you're unsure, speak privately with our staff or contact us before sending any money.

Someone asks you to exchange currency or make a payment on their behalf because they say they don't have the right identification, a bank account, or can't complete the transaction themselves. They may offer you a commission or reward for helping. After completing the transaction, you may discover the funds were linked to fraud or criminal activity and become involved in a police or regulatory investigation.

• They ask you to send money or exchange currency on their behalf.
• They ask you to use your own identification or bank account.
• They offer you money or a commission for helping.
• They can't clearly explain where the money came from or why they can't complete the transaction themselves.
• They tell you to keep the arrangement confidential.

• Never use your identification or bank account for someone else's transaction.
• Only exchange currency or send money for yourself or someone you know and trust.
• Be cautious if you're offered money simply for helping with a transaction.
• If something doesn't seem right, decline the request and contact us for advice before proceeding.

You receive an unexpected phone call, SMS, email or pop-up message from someone claiming to be from a well-known technology company, your internet provider or an IT support team. They tell you there's a problem with your computer or mobile device and ask you to install remote access software so they can fix it. Once they gain access, they may steal your personal information, access your online accounts or convince you to send money.

• You receive an unexpected call, message or pop-up about a virus or security issue.
• You're asked to install remote access software on your device.
• You're told your device, bank account or personal information is at risk.
• You're pressured to act immediately to prevent data loss or account suspension.

• Never give remote access to your computer or mobile device unless you initiated the support request and have verified the provider.
• Legitimate technology companies will not contact you unexpectedly to fix a problem with your device.
• Never provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers or messages.
• If you're unsure, end the call and contact the company directly using the official contact details published on its website.