218
votes
Why is a friend asking me to make multiple Money Gram transfers in my name using his money?
Stop doing this. If your friend contacts you, don't answer until you've followed through on step 2.
Go get a lawyer. They might advise you to contact the police and tell the police what's been going ...
- 2,563
115
votes
Why is a friend asking me to make multiple Money Gram transfers in my name using his money?
Scam/Criminal.
There is no limit how much money he can send into the world, so the excuse is BS.
Of course, nobody can say for sure, but the chances are that it is money laundering: Illegally ...
- 37.5k
65
votes
How do you link two checking accounts from two different banks in two different countries?
There is no banking process in the world which requires you to share your "security info" (passwords, PINs, TANs, mother's maiden name or other authentication factors) with a third party.
No bank ...
- 23.8k
62
votes
Accepted
Sold item on eBay, buyer wants it to be delivered to another country, and pay by bank transfer
Since no-one else has answered I'll convert my comments into an answer.
This does have the hallmarks of a scam to me, and in your shoes I would cancel the purchase and explain to the would-be buyer ...
- 22.6k
34
votes
Accepted
Umlaut Character in Account Holder Name (German Bank)
I am from Germany and occasionally avoid Umlauts because I use a non-German keyboard layout. So I might share some experience here.
Usually, the German financial institutions are ok with ue, ae, oe, ...
- 364
31
votes
If an international bank has branches in two countries, can I bank transfer between them?
This isn't something that's automatically offered just by virtue of the bank having branches in two countries. You'd need to ask the specific bank what facilities they offer.
- 27.7k
26
votes
Sold item on eBay, buyer wants it to be delivered to another country, and pay by bank transfer
In Germany there is a somewhat popular schema that roughly translates to triangular fraud. The fraudster sees your auction and buys the item for price X. He will then immediately create an auction "...
- 361
25
votes
Accepted
How do I protect myself from a scam if I want to help a relative?
"For some reason can't transfer it directly to his account overseas (something to do with security codes, authorized payees and expired cards)."
Don't become someone's financial intermediary. Find ...
- 41.5k
22
votes
Umlaut Character in Account Holder Name (German Bank)
Chances are umlauts are ignored/implicitly converted anyway.
SWIFT symbols
It is important to remember that cross-border payment form can only be filled in with SWIFT symbols. If illegal ...
- 8,457
14
votes
Accepted
Accept a check on my behalf in USA, and then transfer the money to me in Europe
Some suggestions.
First ask your bank if it is possible to accept a cheque in US dollars. Some won't but some will, possibly for a fee.
Second ask your bank if there is an account you can open ...
- 32.4k
13
votes
Accepted
If I sell shares in the US, will I be liable to pay taxes in US?
Source: Investopedia: Do non-U.S. citizens living outside the U.S. pay taxes on money earned through a U.S. internet broker?
From the sounds of it, you will be considered a non-resident alien, and ...
- 2,404
12
votes
How do you link two checking accounts from two different banks in two different countries?
There is only one answer to this.
Wire the money. International transfer of money from Norway works very well and has decently low costs.
Any other transfer method will either make you lose money or ...
- 538
12
votes
Crypto Transfers of Large Sums Overseas for Beginners
What 'exorbitant fees' are you actually expecting? Have you asked your bank how much this would cost? Would you really put everything on the line to risk what is likely a ~$30 one-time wire fee charge?...
- 41.5k
11
votes
Sold item on eBay, buyer wants it to be delivered to another country, and pay by bank transfer
Bank transfers certainly are reversible.
Just as one example, imagine this. The person hacks someone and transfers the money from the victim's account. Does the victim get to reverse that charge? ...
10
votes
If an international bank has branches in two countries, can I bank transfer between them?
HSBC Premier allows direct international transfer free of charge.
You only need to open an account in each country. Their online tool is called Global View.
- 101
9
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to send money to someone in USA through Paypal?
PayPal is generally a pretty safe way to send money, because not only is there a money trail, but PayPal has pretty good fraud and buyer protection. Furthermore, if you fund your PayPal account with a ...
- 47.1k
9
votes
Sold item on eBay, buyer wants it to be delivered to another country, and pay by bank transfer
Contrary to the given answers I think you can make the sale provided you have a shipping option with proper tracking.
First, not everybody has a paypal account but (at least in Western Europe) ...
- 1,105
9
votes
Accepted
Will I be taxed on money I accept on behalf of an overseas family member?
No. If you accepted money on someone's behalf and then passed it on to them it would not count as income to you. You are simply acting as an agent for your friend. If you took a fee for doing this, or ...
- 32.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Stranger in Asia wants to send me $3000 in Europe over Western Union because he "likes me"?
how are the ways he could scam me?
There are hundreds of different ways the scam can progress ... broadly;
Getting you to part money: The next steps would be money is transferred and you need to pay ...
- 57k
8
votes
Why is a friend asking me to make multiple Money Gram transfers in my name using his money?
He is doing this so you will go to jail when he finances terror with his money. Or any other unsavoury thing he wants to send money for. Paying for child porn. Laundering money. None of us know, but ...
- 1,104
7
votes
Accepted
Will I need to worry about "structuring" with wire transfers?
In the US, currency transactions of more than $10,000 require a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) to be filled out and submitted to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Note than FinCEN ...
- 47.1k
7
votes
Ever been asked to send money to this man?
It's a scam.
Why else would a stranger contact you and ask you for money?
- 709
7
votes
How can I transfer money from a US bank account to an IBAN+BIC number (European bank account) without any fees?
Franck, "a rate" does not exist. Dealers who exchange 10s of millions, complain bitterly that other guys who exchange hundreds of millions get a better price. Rates are incredibly different ...
- 13.7k
7
votes
Is an OTC code a legitimate code for a transfer from the UK to here in the USA?
The whole transaction is a scam. See many other answers. There is no money. Walk away. And report it to you bank.
If you have given them any of your personal information -- social security number, ...
- 41.5k
6
votes
Stranger in Asia wants to send me $3000 in Europe over Western Union because he "likes me"?
The first question I have to ask is, why would your "friend" even be considering something so ridiculous? There are so many variations of the banking scam running around, and yet people can't seem to ...
- 10.1k
6
votes
Will I need to worry about "structuring" with wire transfers?
The law in the United States is related to cash transactions. It doesn't include those transactions done electronically, by wire transfer, or by check. The structuring part of the law applies to those ...
- 133k
6
votes
Umlaut Character in Account Holder Name (German Bank)
Replace ä with ae, ö with oe, ü with ue, and ß with ss.
If possible, use the correct letters. It may not be printed on the keyboard, but for example on a Mac, you press and hold the a key and after ...
- 22.3k
6
votes
Why does my routing number (IBAN) come up as invalid
IBAN is an european concept (some others have adopted IBAN aswell) and american accounts dont have IBANs yet (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Bank_Account_Number).
The IBAN starts with ...
- 997
5
votes
Transfer money from "inherited" land sold outside US to the US without income tax?
The money you will be bringing to the US will be classified as your own money, and will not be taxable.
The proceeds from the sale are taxable to you, probably as capital gains. The fact that you ...
- 162k
5
votes
International wire transfer without SWIFT code
Most of the credit unions and small banks in the USA do not have connectivity to the SWIFT network and thus do not have a SWIFT code.
They can still receive international wire transfers. Sender's ...
- 51
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible