For example, you may get a message which may appear that your boss has sent it to you. The message will talk about an emergency situation like he or she has met with an accident and needs to go to the nearest hospital. Through the message, the fraudster will ask for some money to be transferred to the online bank account of the hospital as registration fee which he/she would return later.
Got an SOS message/mail from an old friend or from Boss asking for financial assistance??? This could be an attem… https://t.co/4cW5cd07Zn
— DCP Cybercrime (@DCP_CCC_Delhi) 1591510427000
As the message would sound urgent, you may be inclined to pay immediately without asking any questions. Usually the amount asked is less to not ring any alarm bells. In most cases, the victim ends up directly sending money to the scammer’s account. And as it is a voluntary action, this doesn’t qualify for a bank scam per se, making it hard to get back the money.
This kind of message seeking emergency money is becoming more common and in most cases the fraudsters stalk social media profiles first to get information about the victim and then customise the message accordingly to increase the chances of success.
It is highly recommended that if you happen to come across any such mails or messages, get in direct contact with the person and verify the claim. In most cases, the fraudsters expect you not to ask much questions as the money demanded is less and think that it may sound rude to verify someone’s claim during an emergency. While helping someone in need is encouraged, do take your time to verify the claim and don’t rush into sending money immediately.
