What to Say When a Customer Is About to Wire Money to a Scammer
A customer comes in to wire $18,000 to an account in Hong Kong. She’s nervous. She keeps checking her phone. When a teller asks what the wire is for, she says she can’t really explain — “it’s complicated” — and that a friend told her to do it quickly and not to mention it to anyone at the bank.
The teller flagged it. A branch manager sat with the customer for ten minutes. She had been talking to a man she met online for four months, and he needed help with a customs fee to access his late wife’s inheritance. The wire never went.
Stories like this happen at Canadian branches every week. Staff who know what to look for have saved customers tens of thousands of dollars. The difference is knowing what signs to watch for — and what to say when you see them.
The Signs That a Wire Transfer May Be Scam-Motivated
No single signal is proof of fraud. But several together should prompt a conversation.
The customer is distressed or unusually rushed. Scammers manufacture urgency. If someone is visibly anxious, keeps checking their phone, or says the money needs to go today, slow down. Urgency is a tool, not a reason.
They’re vague about the recipient or the purpose. “It’s for an investment.” “A friend needs help.” “I can’t really explain it.” Legitimate wire transfers — business payments, property purchases, family support — have specific, explainable purposes. Vagueness is worth gently probing.
Someone told them not to tell the bank. This is one of the clearest warning signs in fraud. Scammers coach victims to keep the transaction secret because they know financial institutions can stop it. If a customer says they were told not to explain this to you, that is the explanation.
The recipient is unknown to them, or the money is going to a crypto exchange. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) reported $492 million in fraud losses in Canada in 2024, with a significant portion routed through cryptocurrency. Wires to crypto exchanges or to individuals the customer has never met in person — especially those contacted only online — warrant a direct, caring conversation.
How to Raise It Without Making the Customer Feel Accused
The goal is not to interrogate. It is to pause, and to give the customer an opportunity to hear what you’re noticing.
A useful approach: name what you’re seeing, not what you’re suspecting.
“I want to make sure this goes exactly where you intend. Before we send it, can I ask a few questions about the recipient? We ask when amounts are over a certain threshold.”
Or, if the warning signs are stronger: “I’ve seen a few situations lately where customers have been contacted by people who turned out not to be who they said they were. I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here — but this feels similar, and I’d feel better if we took a few minutes together before this goes through.”
You are not accusing the customer of being naive. You are doing your job. Most people, when given a moment to breathe and a caring question, will tell you far more than the wire form shows.
What Your Escalation Process Should Look Like
Individual tellers should not be left to handle this alone. Effective fraud intervention at a branch level requires a clear process:
- A designated person (branch manager, compliance officer) who can join a conversation with a customer when a teller has concerns.
- A script or talking points tellers can reference quickly, so they don’t have to improvise in a high-pressure moment.
- A way to delay the transaction — even briefly — without requiring the customer’s consent. Most institutions can place a short hold on a wire pending review.
- Documentation of the concern, even if the wire ultimately goes through. If a customer insists and the bank cannot legally refuse, note the conversation.
OSFI and FINTRAC guidelines support financial institutions taking reasonable steps to identify and document potentially coerced transfers. You are not overstepping. You are protecting your customers.
One Thing to Do
Confirm with your branch manager what your institution’s current protocol is for flagging a potentially coerced or scam-motivated wire transfer. Ask specifically: is there a script? Is there a designated escalation contact? If the answer is “it depends on the teller,” this article is the reason to start the conversation about building something more formal.