“Royal Mail will only send email and SMS notifications to customers in cases where the sender has requested this when using our trackable products that offer this service. The scam comes at a difficult moment for the UK, with the nation still in lockdown and many relying more heavily than usual on delivery services.Ī Royal Mail spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that the company is aware of the scam, and sent across the following statement: Those hit with the text messages have been posting on Twitter, hoping to warn others away. "No genuine bank would message you to transfer money to a 'safe account' – we advise any customers to ignore anyone who asks to do this, whether it’s by phone, email or any other method." "Fraudsters try to appear as legitimate as possible, so it’s important to be vigilant and stay alert to anything suspicious," they added.
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"We have provided the customer with a full refund of the amount that was lost." "Following an investigation of this case, it is evident that our customer has been the unfortunate victim of a very sophisticated scam," a Barclays spokesperson told Mashable in an email. Mashable has reached out to Hartley for an update. Hartley is now in contact with Barclays fraud team to try and reclaim the money. After asking her to transfer all of her money into the "new account" he'd set up, he then cut the call short. Unfortunately, the person contacting Hartley was actually part of the scam. Victim of Romance Scam Who Became Money Mule Tells Storyĭonna J.Apple looks to rid App Store of ‘rip-off’ scam apps that trick users into paying large sums Two Defendants Indicted During Nationwide ‘Money Mule Initiative’ Law Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Year’s Enforcement Department of Justice Announces Results of Nationwide Enforcement Action Against Money Mules Kalispell Businesswoman Accused of Running Money Mule Business to Launder Funds Overseas from Wire Fraud Schemes in the United States Motivated by financial gain or loyalty to a known criminal group.Operate funnel accounts to receive fraud proceeds from multiple lower level money mules.Travel, as directed, to different countries to open financial accounts or register companies.This may also include a review and/or rating by other criminal actors on the money mule’s speed and reliability. Advertise their services as a money mule, to include what actions they offer and at what prices.Serially open bank accounts to receive money from a variety of individuals/businesses for criminal reasons.Individuals are aware of their role and actively participate Motivated by financial gain or an unwillingness to acknowledge their role.May have been unwitting at first but continue communication and participation.Open accounts with multiple banks in their true name.May have been warned by bank employees they were involved with fraudulent activity.Individuals ignore obvious red flags or act willfully blind to their money movement activity Motivated by trust in the actual existence of their romance or job position.May be told to keep a portion of the money they transferred.Asked to use their established personal bank account or open a new account in their true name to receive money from someone they have never met in person.Often solicited via an online romance scheme or job offer.Individuals are unaware they are part of a larger scheme