A number of expats in different countries have fallen prey to financial and investment scams, turning all their hard-earned money into ashes.
Predominantly, expats around the world are vulnerable to fraudsters because they trust someone who should not be trusted in their new country and they have never encountered the same scenario before.
Among the most common financial and investment scams targeting expats are as follows:
1 Easy-return investment scam – Fraudulent investment firms ask expats for money in exchange of high return of investment (ROI). Some offer an ROI of 30 percent in 15 days, and an ROI of 60% in 60 days.
2 Non-existent properties – Scammers offer expats properties that are either non-existent, named under other owner, or already sold to another individual. Expats are advised to never pay anything for a property they have never seen unless a friend or a relative have actually visited the property. Ask for documents such as gas certificates.
3 Prize money scam – Scammers introduce themselves as a part of a company who randomly chooses an expat to win a big amount of cash prize. The scammer will ask expats to transfer money for the processing of necessary documents to be able to claim the prize. Companies don’t give away money out of the blue so always check if the offers are legitimate.
4 Online auction purchase scam – Expats are asked to join an online auction to buy different items, often very cheap. The person with the winning bid is asked to transfer money using a “fictitious name” to protect themselves. Once the transaction has been made, they may take your money but send you a faulty product instead or even nothing at all.
5 Business investment scam – The scammer will pretend as a representative of a major corporation and will offer expats to become a stockholder by financing different business ventures. In return, expats will receive financial returns. The money expats invest sometimes goes straight into the scammer’s bank account and not towards any real investment.
