What are drops and how to avoid becoming an accomplice to fraudsters: explanation by cyber police
Fraudsters come up with various schemes to launder illegally obtained funds. In many cases, they involve so-called "drops" who are promised "easy money". This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the press service of the National Police of Ukraine.
Involving people in their scheme, fraudsters "bring" people under a number of articles of the Criminal Code, which threatens not only fines but also very real prison terms.
Who are "drops"?
These are people who provide fraudsters with access to their bank cards and accounts for a fee. The payment instruments are used as transit funds to make transfers of various amounts between accounts to mislead the victim and complicate the work of the police.
"Funds that pass through a drop account can be obtained by criminal means, in particular, by trafficking in drugs, people, weapons, etc. Also, drop accounts are often used to evade taxes and move money stolen from other people's accounts," the press service writes.
How fraudsters look for drops
Typically, "drops" are sought among people who are looking for easy money or are in a difficult financial situation.
Ignore job offers if:
- the description indicates the need to transfer money between accounts;
- there are no other requirements for the candidate (education, job responsibilities, etc.),
- they lure you with high incomes for little effort, do not provide for personal contact with the employer, but only through online services.
What to do if you become a "drop"
You need to contact the cyber police for help and leave a statement on the website at any time of the day.
"And if you have already managed to work as a 'money sludge' for some time, we recommend that you stop cooperating with such an 'employer', contact the cyber police, as well as the bank whose account was unwittingly used for money laundering," the press service writes.
Author: Sergey Pyshkin