It isn’t odd that you need to learn to fake a wire transfer. Besides, MoneyGram, Western Union, and similar companies have stiffer policies that, although let you send money quickly, keep wire fraud in check.
As a professional con, it can be difficult to fake a wire transfer. But you could always trick your marks to believe that you wired the money. First, you need to get in touch with the mark trick them to wire money, and lie about returning the favor.
This works, besides a woman lost $340K in a wire transfer scam, and 4 banks did little to stop it. Have in mind that your marks have been warned “never wire money to someone you do not know”. Thus, you need to be convincing enough to con successfully.
How to fake a wire transfer
Table of Contents
Follow the steps below to falsify a wire transfer and get away with it:
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Engage the scam
The first step is to engage the scam, making it look real and convincing. Some of the scams con artists typically use on marks include:
Classified ad
Here, you play the role of a fake buyer to swindle the seller. Go to an online classified website such as Craigslist and look for a mark. You could also use newspapers or auto sales journals to find a mark. You would contact the seller, perhaps, the ones advertising electronics, cars, etc., and pretend to be an interested buyer, where you initiate the fake wire transfer.
Normally, you send a fake overpayment check. You then ask the seller to resend the balance that you made a mistake. The balance the seller wires back is actually real money.
A relative in need
For this scam, you need to run a background check on your mark. Perhaps, you found the mark on Facebook and now have their contact information. Call or send an instant message to the target, claiming to be a relative.
You could pose as their grandchild or a friend they’ve met in a long while, and claim to have been arrested overseas. You do not want to sound desperate, however, you get to do anything within your power to get the mark to send the money instantly.
For the purpose of faking a wire transfer, you would have to mail them a fake check or send a direct screenshot, which will entice them to give you the money.
Fake lotteries
Send a certificate indicating a big winning and a check for your mark. Ask the mark to keep the money but should send you a wire transfer to cover the processing fee and taxes.
Advance-fee loans
In this scam, the con artist submits a loan application and asks the mark to wire processing payments to a lender. The mark thinking that the checks received are original wires their real money to your account.
Work from home schemes
You probably come across lots of “work from home and earn” schemes online. It works by offering a target a part-time job as an international relayer. Explain to the mark that their job is to deposit checks into their personal bank accounts, keep a percentage as a commission, and relay the balance by wire transfer to their new employer. Of course, the check you send the mark to cash is fake.
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Send a fake check
After deciding what con to use on the mark, the next is to create a counterfeit check. Since we are not affiliated with any fakes maker and do not recommend this act, you can search “fake checker generator” online. Create one for yourself, making sure it looks real. You have to mail it to the person you want to con.
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Request a wire transfer
If you use a classified ad scam, the trick is to overpay the mark. Suppose the item is worth $1,000. You will send a counterfeit check worth about $1,500. Inform the person that your assistant misheard the amount you instructed them to enter in the check.
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If you use a con like the fake lottery, you simply ask the mark to send the wire transfer as a cover for the processing fee and taxes of the winning.
If you use cons like advanced fee loans, work from home, or a relative in need, the mark gets to resend a reduced amount in real money. For example, suppose you sent them a counterfeit check of $1,000 to pay to an employer. The victim then keeps 10% of the money and wires you $100 in real money.
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Force the mark to send the money
If the mark does not wire the transfer, a con will attempt to scare them. in this case, the con artiste will threaten to call the IRS or FBI on the mark who refuses to send their money back. The con can impersonate an FBI or IRS agent to threaten the mark with arrest or other consequences for not paying up.
How con artists get away with faking wired money
The following tips are necessary when tricking a mark:
Keep it real
Suppose you use the family member’s con on a mark, you want it to look real by having information about the mark handy. You want to fool the person into thinking their relatives are in need of money. You could even try to disguise the relative’s voice, which you would have figured out during your thorough background check.
Have the victim wire the money overseas
It is usually advisable to receive the money from a different country. Suppose your client stays in the UK. You want them to wire the transfer to the US. This way, it is tougher for them to get the money back.
Mind your grammar
Typos or grammar errors reveal a con man. A smart con artiste will mind their grammar, making sure their sentences and phrases are grammatically correct. If you have to talk over the phone, your accent needs to match the location you claim to call from.
Don’t forget the pickup details
Suppose the wire transfer is arriving from Western Union. You need your valid photo ID (drivers license, passport, etc.), and the tracking number (MTCN) for the money transfer. You also need the victim’s name and the expected amount of money you are picking up.
The reality is that you can’t make a fake wire transfer, but you can trick your recipient to believe you sent them money. Of course, you do this by sending them a counterfeit check, and then getting them to send you real money.
