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I see would-be scammers all over the place trying to get my personal info. You know, they want to be generous and pay off my debt or be my sugar momma. They're all so terribly obvious. But a would-be scammer gave me their routing and checking account number. What can go wrong if I were to use that to make a payment on one of my credit cards? None of my information is out, in this scenario.

Brandon
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    There are lots of directions it could go from there. To remove the temptation, realize that the information they gave you isn't theirs. It's stolen/scammed from someone else, and they need someone's help to get the money out anonymously (from their standpoint). – glibdud Feb 26 '20 at 00:57
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    Like glibdud said, the information will have been stolen from some poor victim. The scammers are trying to get you to commit fraud on their behalf. – Only_me Feb 26 '20 at 02:20
  • I don't know why it never occurred to me it wasn't actually their information. But what are they gaining then? I don't see an angle. – Brandon Feb 26 '20 at 06:09
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    They’re gaining your trust. You pay off a credit card bill with this account (that isn’t theirs) and then they say hey, buy yourself an iPhone! Buy two! In fact, buy three and send a couple to my “grandma” who can’t get to the shops to buy one herself... (hint: there’s no grandma) – Vicky Feb 26 '20 at 07:27
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    ... and then the next thing you know the police are on your doorstep and you’re up on charges of fraud or theft or whatever. – Vicky Feb 26 '20 at 07:28
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    Meanwhile the scammer is skipping off into the sunset with their lovely new iPhone which has no traceability to the crime. – Vicky Feb 26 '20 at 07:29
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    @Brandon The typical comment I make in this sort of situation applies here as well: Only one of you needs to know what's going on for the scam to work. It doesn't matter if you know what the scam is. The scammer certainly does, and that's enough. It's a frequent feature of scams that the mark doesn't feel they're being tricked. – Upper_Case Feb 26 '20 at 16:53
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    @Upper_Case I'm trying to understand it so that I can better understand any future scams that haven't been thought up yet. Usually, I can spot the motivation, which is a quick way to know it's a scam. – Brandon Feb 26 '20 at 19:25
  • @Vicky Great point! I guess it's a little of both social engineering and a scam that follows, then. That makes a lot more sense than anything I've been able to think up. – Brandon Feb 26 '20 at 19:26
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    @Brandon Certainly understandable, but the motivation is to get money from you, use you to launder money, or some combination of the two. There simply isn't a valid reason for a stranger to give you unfettered access to their bank account, and the specific mechanism of the scam is irrelevant. Thinking that you have a functional understanding of a scam can itself be dangerous-- there is an entire category of con based around that situation (the Kansas City Shuffle, if you're interested). – Upper_Case Feb 26 '20 at 19:29

1 Answers1

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But a would-be scammer gave me their routing and checking account number. What can go wrong if I were to use that to make a payment on one of my credit cards?

The routing and checking account number are possibly stolen and belong to a victim of the scammer

By using the innocent victim's account details you are committing fraud and stealing further money from the victim. The crime will be traced to you not the scammer.

You might have to prove to a court that the scammer is real and not just a fiction you or a pal dreamed up to get you off the hook.

You might have to prove that you were not negligent in ignoring signs that you were laundering money for a criminal.

RedGrittyBrick
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