Courier and ATM Franchise Agency Scam on social media

How it looks on social media, the red flags and what to do.

On Instagram, Facebook or YouTube the scam can be an ad, a direct message, a giveaway or a "trader" who shows profits. Courier and ATM Franchise Agency Scam is one of the ways this shows up: An offer to open an ATM, courier or delivery franchise with guaranteed monthly income takes registration and security fees, then goes silent. See how.

What courier and atm franchise agency scam looks like on social media

• A giveaway that asks you to pay a small fee or share a code.
• An ad with a celebrity face and a payment link.
• A "friend" account that is a copy of someone you know.

The scammer copies the logo and the language of a well-known company and sends an email that appears to come from its franchise department. A website with a form and a list of 'approved partners' backs it up. The offer is hard to resist: a small deposit, a share of every transaction or parcel, and a promise that the business runs by itself.

Red flags to check on the social media message

• A franchise that promises a fixed monthly income with no work.
• Fees for registration, clearance or inspection paid to a personal or unrelated account.
• An email from a free address or a website address that differs from the real company's.
• Only a few locations left, with a payment deadline.
• A stranger moves the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram.
• A prize needs a payment or a code first.

What to do

1. Contact the real company using the contact on its official website typed by hand.
2. Ask whether it has franchise offers and whether the person who contacted you works there.
3. Never pay fees to a personal account or before you see a registered agreement.
4. Check the account: when it was created, who follows it, and whether the real brand links to it from its own website.
5. Report the account or ad inside the app and block it.
6. Make your own profile private and review who can message you.

Use Report on the profile, post or ad. If money was lost, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with each payment and the website address.
2. Tell your bank on the number printed on your card and ask about holding transfers.
3. Inform the real company so that it can warn the public.
4. File a written complaint at the police station with all emails and receipts.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's link check can look at the franchise website or form link you paste and warn about lookalike domains, and the scam check marks the guaranteed income and the stage-by-stage fees in an email you paste. It cannot judge whether a business plan is sound or the company is registered, so verify with the real company yourself. Treat any fee as a stop sign.

Full guide: Courier and ATM Franchise Agency Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, email, WhatsApp.

Questions