Don’t risk becoming a criminal

IF YOU receive an email from someone asking for financial assistance, stop and think about what is being requested and whether you could become not only a victim, but also a criminal.

Police report they continue to receive complaints from victims about overseas offenders making contact via email, purporting to be something they are not.

These offenders are then using the victims to launder stolen or fraudulently obtained money. It is even likely the victims are committing money laundering offences.

Victims’ accounts are still being hacked and naive people are then helping and enabling the offenders by receiving the stolen, fraudulently obtained money into their accounts and then on-sending it overseas.

Police say these people are purportedly having online love relationships when the only thing they have is a photo of somebody (male and female) they don’t know, with some bogus identity.

“They receive thousands into their bank account and think this is normal?” asks Detective Senior Sergeant Daren Edwards, of the Queensland police force.

“They carry out no real checks to see where the money came from or get the bank to check where the account was sourced from to see if there was something amiss.

“They carry out no valid checks such as writing a letter to an address and getting a reply, and then being able to check the address.”

Snr Sgt Edwards reminds seniors to be aware – the moment there is a request for assistance with finance or to on-send money, there should be a huge alarm bell ringing.