Pickup and Collection Scams With Money Transfer Services
Cash pickup transfers are fast and hard to trace, which is why scammers love them. How advance fee, romance and 'collect for me' scams use money transfer pickups.
Cash pickup transfers let someone collect money at an agent location, sometimes within minutes. That speed is useful for families, and ideal for scammers, because once collected the money is almost impossible to get back.
Common pickup scams
- Advance fees for prizes, loans, jobs or inheritances. See advance fee scams.
- Romance: an online partner needs money for travel, customs or a medical bill. See romance scams.
- Emergencies: a "relative" stranded abroad.
- "Collect this for me": you are asked to pick up money and forward it. You become a money mule. See money mule recruitment.
Rules that protect you
- Never send pickup transfers to people you have not met in person.
- Never collect or forward money for someone else.
- Keep the reference number private; anyone with it and a fake ID may collect.
- If you sent money to a scammer, call the transfer company immediately.
If someone insists on cash pickup instead of a bank transfer to their own account, ask why.
Related: international wire transfer scams. For more, see our guide to financial scams.
Frequently asked questions
Why do scammers prefer cash pickup?
Money can be collected within minutes, often with minimal checks, and is very hard to recover.
Someone asked me to collect money for them and send it on. Is that safe?
No. You may be acting as a money mule for stolen funds, which can have legal consequences.
Can a pickup be stopped?
Only if it has not been collected yet. Call the transfer company immediately with the reference number.
Sources
- What To Know Before You Wire Money, US Federal Trade Commission
- What To Know About Romance Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- What To Know About Advance-Fee Loans, US Federal Trade Commission
