There are many techniques that can extort money from you without giving you the slightest chance of ever seeing it again.
But to maximize their chances of not getting caught, criminals must redouble their ingenuity by using methods that make tracing the transaction very complex, if not impossible.
And a new technique seems particularly in vogue lately: using prepaid cards.
Money withdrawn anywhere in the world
Rechargeable payment cards are commonly sold at tobacconists and can be used around the world, like the PCS, Transcash or Neosurf offers. Without obligation, these formulas allow you to pay for your purchases on the Internet or in stores without having to open a bank account. They avoid any overdraft, since you can only spend what is on the card, and are accessible to everyone without a condition of solvency.
In addition, they allow you to make money transfers with ease.
In fact, all you have to do is buy a top-up at the tobacconist and communicate their code to the person of their choice so that the latter can then credit their own prepaid card and withdraw the sum in cash at an ATM located anywhere in abroad.
And this is what attracts crooks, who can thus recover your money with impunity in the most complete anonymity and untraceable.
Watch out for distress messages
Have you spotted an attractive advertisement for the rental or sale of any object on the Internet?
Any request for payment by refill coupon must alert you.
Also beware of messages supposedly coming from relatives in distress abroad or from those who make you believe that your computer has been hacked and who now ask for the payment of the ransom via this type of card.
Find out more about Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr to avoid the most frequent scams on the Web.
In case of attempted fraud, do not hesitate to report it on the official website Internet-signalement.gouv.fr.
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