Being blind and sympathetic to a person who is in trouble is just the beginning of getting led to a scam that is multidimensional. The whole problem is that as human beings, we have our soft corner for people who are in distress. The messages that we receive from these people who are posing as distressed and wounded individuals, make us believe that we would be put on a pedestal because of our acts of kindness. Little do we realize that these acts mean that we part with our own hard-earned money. We do not give a moment’s thought to what it means to have money transferred into an account, without even checking the background of the person who is asking for it. This is how wire transfer fraud takes place. It can be so simple and smooth that you do not understand how deep you are in it, till the money leaves your account.
How Genuine Is Your Emailer?
Just imagine this scenario: you receive an email from a person who is not in your list of contacts. This email has not gone into your spam folder; so, you think that the person should be quite genuine. Somehow, he is able to convey to you that he is in great distress and he recounts bits and pieces of information that are quite familiar to you. With this info, you think that he is a genuine person and you do not bother to check with others to corroborate all that he is saying. You do not know whether this emailer is genuine or not. Since you have put your trust in what he is saying, you part with the money that he has asked you for. Once that happens, this person just disappears – literally vanishes into thin air!
Check With Your Other Contacts First
One of the easiest ways of calling a bluff is by cross-checking with the people mentioned by the fraudster in his email, who also happens to be part of your contact list. Since there is so much confidence in the way in which he mentions their names, you tend not to bother about cross-checking. Do not make this mistake; instead, send a mail or message to your contacts and ask about this person who has reached out to you.
Since this is a fraud that involves a lot of money, it would be good if you are doubly cautious while dealing with unknown people who ask you for money.
