How to avoid currency exchange scams?

With the development of the Internet and the increase in the number of electronic payment systems, the issue of money exchange has become one of the most urgent. With the help of electronic money, you can make online purchases, deposit funds for various types of services, top up a mobile phone, transfer money to users of other systems, and so on. At the same time, from time to time, it becomes necessary to convert (exchange) currency both in the global network and in offline mode.

High demand and multi-million dollar exchange transactions attract scammers who come up with a lot of ways to deceive people. One of them is the creation of an exchange office - "one-day", which "collects" money from customers, but does not exchange. How to check the e-money exchanger for fraud? What are the characteristics of deception?
 

Checking the exchange office: secrets

The variety of exchangers often plays a cruel joke with network users. Instead of focusing on reliability, the best rate is preferred. But fraud in the exchange of currencies is precisely based on human greed. How else to draw the users attention to an unknown site, if not with a profitable course?

There is an opinion that the exchange office works on the network, is automated and a priori must be honest. But this is not the case. There are hundreds of known cases when the site was closed after a few months of operation, and with it tens of thousands of dollars of defrauded customers disappeared.

But its easy to check the exchanger for fraud - just follow a few steps:

    Study information about the site on the Internet. The main assistant in this matter is the search engine, through which it is easy to find the information you need (start time, reviews, course, and so on). Netizens who have “burned out” on cooperation with any exchanger are sure to share their experience with other people.
    Go to the WebMoney website and check the information regarding the owner of the WMID. In this way, you can find out about the wallet passport, study reviews, read complaints (if they were left by other users).
    Website design is an indirect indicator of honesty that can be used as an additional criterion for evaluation. If the resource was made to order, then it will not be template. In doing so, evaluate whether the site scripts are working.
    Domain. If the site has just started working, then this should raise suspicion. The best option if the domain registration time is from six months with renewal for up to two years.
    Hosting. If the server on which the exchanger is located is free, do not trust it with money. With 99% probability, it can be argued that such a resource will not work for a long time.
    Contact details. Many people are interested in the easiest way to check an electronic money exchanger for fraud. The answer is simple - by examining the contact information. If the operator is always in touch, and the given number is a working one, then this is a big plus for the chosen exchanger. The more information provided, the better. As a rule, there should be Skype, ICQ, mailbox, phone number and other data.
    Working with WebMoney. It is worth considering that foreign companies do not cooperate with the Webmoney payment system (except for a few exceptions, which are estimated at 10-15 organizations).
    Restriction of exchange. Currency exchange scams are often based on the introduction of a minimum transaction limit, for example, $ 20-30. In this way, the owner protects himself from those who want to check the resource and gets the maximum income. If the exchanger works in automatic mode, then he does not care whether the client exchanged $ 30 at a time or did the same work thirty times for $ 1 each.
    Secure protocol. A reliable exchange office must operate over a secure "HTTPS" connection, which guarantees the safety of personal data.
    Webmoney Advisor opinion. Often, to get information about the site, just go to the Webmoney Advisor, where all problems and complaints related to the site are considered.

It is worth noting that each of the points above does not imply that the site is a fraud. It is possible to accurately check the exchanger for fraud only in a complex, after evaluating all the criteria. If the site “failed the exam” on 3-4 points, then it is better to look for another option.
 

Personal exchange

We must not forget about the risk of fraud in the case of a personal exchange of electronic currency (without involving exchangers). A personal exchange may be required when no exchange office offers the required direction, or the rate (commissions) are too unfavorable for the exchange operation.

You can find a person who is ready to conduct an exchange of interest on numerous forums and special sites. To avoid cheating, you should pay attention to the following points: Certificate. The second party must have a personal passport, and the business level is at least 20. Again, you should not rely on these parameters completely, but you cannot discard them. Contact information. If communication takes place through a mailbox or communication systems, then the data of a potential partner should be checked through any search engine. If a person has previously cheated on someone, then it will come up. It is unlikely that a fraudster will create a new mailbox or account for each victim.
    Promises of honesty. People who carry out daily exchange transactions will not swear to be honest. They are just stating the terms. If the latter does not suit the other side, then the transaction is not carried out. No one is forcing anyone and is not trying to convince anyone of anything.
    Representation by a famous person. To gain credibility, scammers often introduce themselves as a well-known person, for example, an administrator or moderator of a large forum. Do not take your word for it - this information is worth checking. For example, an administrator profile is available for registered users. To check it is worth asking to make certain edits to the profile. On the other hand, it is not necessary to exclude the option of hacking (although this probability is lower).
    People under 25 often act as cheaters. They can be identified by numerous mistakes and communication style. As a rule, such “scammers” have a meager vocabulary and are not able to communicate at a high intellectual level.
    Faster, faster. If a potential exchanger begins to rush, explaining this by a large number of cases or the presence of other customers, then such a transaction should be abandoned.

Private exchanges are in high demand due to the ability to exchange at a favorable rate and no commission. On the other hand, there are always risks of deception. Sometimes it is easier to check the exchanger for fraud and overpay a little than to risk the entire amount.
 

Offline exchange offices

It is worth remembering that the exchange does not only take place on the network. Sometimes you have to change your currency offline, that is, at regular exchange offices (in a store, in the market, and so on). There is also a high risk of falling for the bait of scammers. To prevent this, it is worth considering the following rules:

    Checking the course. There are situations when the actual and real rates differ from each other. For example, when exchanging $ 1000 or less, one exchange rate price, and when exchanging an amount of $ 1000 or more, another. A person may not be aware of such a condition until the moment he receives another amount in exchange. In such a situation, it will not be possible to return funds. To avoid problems, you should immediately clarify what the rate for a particular currency will be.
    Lack of the required amount. Before giving money to the cashier, it is worth clarifying if the amount required for the exchange is. There are known cases when a potential buyer puts funds in the tray, and then he is informed that the required amount is not available. A person takes the money and already at home discovers that there is not enough money. One of the options for the scheme is an indicative recount before returning funds to the tray. This lulls the persons attention, and he does not notice that a smaller amount is in his hands. An experienced cashier determines by the client whether this method can be applied or not. When a visitor to an exchange office is in a hurry or is nervous, he is unlikely to waste time recounting.
    Change of money. In exchange offices or banks, a banknote substitution technique may be used. For example, before returning the money, the cashier changes one or a couple of bills, explaining that they do not go through. Over time, it turns out that the donated funds were fake. Such fraud when exchanging currencies is popular, because it will not be possible to prove anything. Moreover, the shadow of suspicion falls on the victim himself. They could have helped out surveillance cameras, but through them it is not possible to see anything. It is easy to avoid such a deception - just make minor notes with a pencil on the corner of the banknote and, after receiving them back, check for a "tick".

To avoid problems with exchangers, you should follow a few tips:

- The exchange should be made only at verified points. How to check the electronic money exchanger has been described above. Dont be lazy. After spending a few minutes, you can save money from loss.

- If in doubt, it is better to make an exchange at a bank branch (if possible). Of course, here you will have to give up the course, but you will have confidence in the successful completion of the operation. On the other hand, if you carefully check the online exchanger, the risk of falling into a fraudulent scheme is minimal.