Scammers actually replenish your bank card account - that's why they do it

[Friend]

Did I receive an SMS on my phone that says about replenishing the balance from an unknown number? Probably, someone made a mistake - this is how most people react. But do not rush to return the money to the victim. Perhaps they are trying to fool you or simply bring you under the article.

Other people's money - to return or not?​

To begin with, the money can really come by mistake. For example, a person wanted to transfer money through the Faster Payment System (FPS) and accidentally indicated the wrong phone number. The FPS indicates a mobile phone number when transferring, and not the card number. The money will come to you. It is advisable to return them. In this case, you need to return the transfer amount only to the person who sent it. By the details or phone numbers from where the money came.

However, there may be situations when the money is asked to return to a different place from where it came. You really receive a transfer, and a large one, but on the other side there is not an ordinary person, but a scammer. I will tell you three stories in which you need to be as careful as possible. Two of them happened to loved ones.

Transfer to the wrong person​

One of my acquaintances received a fairly large transfer for 30,000 rubles. She immediately thought that someone had made a mistake and was waiting for a call. Indeed, she was called back literally 5 minutes later. A confused voice on the phone asked to return the money back to the account. He apologized for the inconvenience caused.

Everything seems to be fair, what can go wrong? And here's the thing. The offender asked to send the money back to the name of Vladimir K. While the transfer came from Maria. I. What really happened? Most likely, the scammer lured this money from the real victim - Maria K. He deliberately sent money to the number of my friend so that she would become an indirect accomplice.

Scammers can go further. In a conversation, they ask to keep, for example, 5,000 rubles out of 30,000 rubles. This is an emergency call that they want to deceive you. They are trying to draw a person into a criminal scheme. He will have problems not only with the bank, but also with law enforcement agencies.

Cashing out​

This method of fraud can also be called a "decoy". The scheme is similar to the first case. A friend of mine got into it. He received a transfer for 15,000 rubles. Immediately there was a call, where a plaintive voice asked to return the money to other details. Naturally, the friend heeded the request and made a translation.

Three days later, he received another call from an unknown phone. Only now it was an irritated voice that demanded a refund for the goods. In my friend's case, it was a TV. But he does not sell equipment, and even more so does not accept payments for it. What happened?

Scammers have created a fictitious website for the sale of TVs. We launched advertising on it, customers began to come to them. Only now they accepted payment not to a bank account, but to a mobile number. A potential client was told something like: "the payment system is on maintenance, but you can pay by number until the goods run out." In our case, the purchase of the TV was made to my friend's number. It turns out that the scammers laundered the money.

The site can be of any orientation. The main thing that attracts attention to it is a very low price and a small amount of goods. This causes a stir. The victim-buyer is ready to pay through an unfamiliar number, just to be in time. Later, she calls the person whose number the payment was made. Naturally, the buyer asks for a refund, since the goods were not delivered to him. The case can go to court and even prison.

Mistake in a microloan from an MFI​

In rare cases, MFI managers simply make mistakes. They draw up a contract with another person, indicating your phone number. I receive an SMS on my phone about replenishing my account. Do not rush and return the money. Usually, the transfer is automatically reset after some time.

What to do with the transfer​

Three main recommendations to follow:

1. Call the bank and report the erroneous transfer.
2. Do not rush to return the money back. Wait at least a day.
3. Make a reverse transfer only to the details or phone numbers from where it came from.

And you should certainly not appropriate money for yourself in any case! Call the bank manager on the hotline. Find out where the transfer came from and how you can get it back.