Banca de Economii S.A.

Protect Yourself from Fraud

• Never send money to a stranger using a money transfer service.
• Beware of deals or opportunities that seem too good to be true.
• Don’t use money transfer services to pay for things like online auction purchases.
• Never send money to pay for taxes or fees on foreign lottery winnings.
• Never send a money transfer, in the name of a friend or relative, with the intention of changing the name to someone you have not met personally.
• Never send a money transfer, in the name of a friend or relative, in order to delay payment of the transaction to someone you have not met personally.

• You receive an offer that sounds too good to be true, like a rock-bottom price on expensive or hard-to-find merchandise.
• You are the winning bid in an online auction and are dealing with a seller who will only accept a money transfer as payment.
• You’re told you’ve won a lottery or prize, but have to pay taxes or fees before you can collect.
• Someone responds to your ad claiming they have found your lost pet or jewelry and asks you to send money for shipping or a reward.
• You’re selling merchandise and receive a check for much more than your asking price, but are asked to send the extra amount back through money transfer.
• You’re offered a low-cost loan but must pre-pay fees or the first few loan payments using money transfer services.
• You get a call from someone claiming to be a police officer or a hospital employee asking for money for the bail or medical treatment of a loved one.
• You respond to an internet posting and are asked to provide details of a money transfer to someone you have not met personally in order for them to "verify" the existence of a money transfer.
• You respond to a job ad for a Mystery Shopper and as part of the job you receive a check and are asked to wire money back. Even though a bank makes funds available, it does not mean the check or money order will clear. It can take weeks for a counterfeit check or money order to be discovered, at which time the bank can deduct the amount that was originally deposited into your account. Visit www.fakechecks.org/ecard.html for additional information on the mystery shopping scam.

• Know the person you’re sending money to.
• Buy goods and services from known and trusted sources.
• Be alert to internet advertisements for goods or services wherein the provider suggests you send funds via a wire transfer service.
• Avoid paying for online auction purchases through money transfer.
• Use extra caution if buying or selling items to someone outside of your country, especially when buying popular, high-dollar,items.
• Discontinue any transaction if someone coaches you on how to respond to questions asked by Western Union. This is a sure sign of fraud.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau if you are suspicious of a business.
• Contact your State Attorney General Office of Consumer Affairs if you think someone is trying to defraud you.

• The Western Union Money Transfer service is a great way to send money to people you
• know and trust.
• The Western Union Money Transfer service isn’t intended to send money to someone you
• don’t know.
• Western Union doesn’t provide an escrow service and isn’t responsible for the quality or non-receipt of any goods or services.
• Western Union will pay a transaction to the "named recipient" if they know all of the details of the transfer and present unexpired identification in the name of the recipient.
• Sending money using a fictitious receiver name won’t protect you when doing business with a stranger.Don’t do it.
• Where available, the “Test Question” feature is designed for emergency situations where the receiver will not have proper identification. It should never be used as additional security to time or delay payment of a transaction.
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.