“Can I send money to your account and you send it on?”: how a money request gets set up
Other ways it's worded
- “I need you to receive a wire and forward it to my supplier”
- “My bank is frozen, can I use yours to send money to my mom?”
- “I'll deposit in your account, you keep $500 and send the rest”
- “Can you send some cash to my friend through your account?”
- “My accountant says I need a U.S. account holder to move funds”
Behind the emergency
When someone asks to route money through your account, they are not asking for help with a banking hiccup. They are asking you to touch money that does not belong to them so the real owner, the bank, or law enforcement cannot follow the trail. The money may come from a compromised account, a fake check, a romance victim, or another scam. They will often let you keep a percentage, which is bait, not pay. When the bank discovers the source, it reverses the deposit. You are left owing the money you forwarded plus any fees, and your account may be frozen or closed. Even if you genuinely did not know the source, you can still be investigated for money laundering or fraud.
Why this story is chosen
Moving stolen money through an innocent person's account is one of the oldest laundering tricks because it works. You become the visible transaction owner, which buys the scammer time and distance. The small cut they promise is far cheaper than other laundering methods, and the emotional bond they have built makes you less likely to ask hard questions. They may also use your account to test whether stolen credentials still work before moving larger amounts. By the time a bank flags the activity, the money has already left your account and the scammer is untraceable. Some victims are told the transfer is for a family member, a supplier, or a charity, which makes the request feel noble rather than suspicious. In every version, the goal is the same: make someone else's stolen money look like it passed through you.
What follows the first payment
- 1Your bank freezes your account and asks where the money came from
- 2The deposit is reversed after you have already forwarded it, leaving you negative
- 3You are interviewed by bank investigators or law enforcement
- 4Your account is permanently closed and you may be blacklisted from opening new accounts
- 5The relationship turns into threats or blackmail if you refuse to continue
The rare honest version
There is almost no legitimate reason for someone you have only met online to route money through your account. Real businesses use official payment processors; real friends can use their own bank apps or wire services. The only safe version of this request involves someone you have known face-to-face for a long time and a clearly documented, legal reason.
Saying no, clearly
“I don't move money for other people. That's a hard rule.”
Why it works: It is direct and unapologetic. Money-mule recruiters look for people who can be guilted into bending rules.
“If your bank is frozen, call them or use a legitimate wire service. I can't help.”
Why it works: It redirects them to real channels and makes it clear you will not be the workaround.
“Keeping a cut doesn't make it legal. I'm not getting involved.”
Why it works: Many people think a fee makes the request legitimate. Naming the risk removes that illusion.
Already paid? Start here
Do not forward any more money, and do not 'return' what is left. Tell your bank's fraud department immediately that you believe you are caught in a money-mule scheme. File a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Keep every message, account number and transfer receipt. Do not delete anything, because investigators may need the trail.
Where you'll see it
- Hinge
- Tinder
- Match
- Bumble
- Telegram
Frequently asked questions
Related scam lines
“Can you help me with a small gift card?”
High riskTreat this as a scam essentially every time. Gift cards are not a way for adults to send each other money — they are a way to move value instantly, anonymously and irreversibly, which is why fraud scripts ask for them and almost nobody else does.
“My account is frozen”
High riskThis is the hinge of most romance scams: the moment a warm relationship acquires a money problem. Frozen accounts do happen in real life, but a frozen account belonging to someone you have never met in person, which arrives just as you're getting attached, is a request for money wearing a disguise.
“I need money for a flight to come see you”
High riskThis is one of the oldest romance scam requests. A real adult who wants to visit you will pay their own way or, at minimum, will not ask someone they have never met to fund the trip. If you send the money, the ticket almost never exists and the excuses keep coming.
“I need help paying customs fees for a package”
High riskThis is a classic advance-fee setup. Real customs fees are paid directly to the carrier or customs office by the recipient, not to a stranger you met online. If someone asks you to cover a customs charge for a package you did not order, it is almost certainly a scam.
“I'll pay you back as soon as my contract ends”
High riskThis is a repayment promise, and in romance scams repayment promises almost never come true. The 'contract ends' or 'paycheck clears' date is usually imaginary, designed to make a loan feel safe and temporary when it is actually a gift to a scammer.
“My bank won't let me transfer from overseas”
High riskThis is a setup for a loan, gift-card request, or money-mule arrangement. Banks and the military do not routinely prevent people from accessing their own money. Any follow-up request for your money or account should be refused.
Keep reading
Suss explains common patterns in online dating messages. It is not a background check, not legal or financial advice, and a single line is never proof that someone is lying. Use it as one signal among several.