ThinkCritical.eu · Manipulation atlas
Scams and data theftUpfront fee
You must pay first to get the promised income, prize or loan – and then more payments follow.
The promised prize, loan, job or recovery of stolen money is just bait – the real goal is the fee. Pay once, and another “tax”, “insurance” or “transfer fee” usually follows.
Phone call: “We have traced your stolen money and will return the full amount. You just need to pay a €200 processing fee first. Don’t tell your bank yet.”
How to spot it
- You have to pay before you receive anything.
- The fee has a vague name: “registration”, “processing”, “activation”, “tax on your winnings”.
- The offer came out of nowhere: a prize in a contest you never entered, a loan with no checks, a job with no interview.
- Someone promises to recover money from an earlier scam – scammers target people who have already been cheated.
How to check and what to do
- Look up any firm offering a loan or investment in your financial regulator’s register (in the EU, the central bank or financial supervisor). If it isn’t there, don’t pay.
- The police and banks don’t charge a fee to return money – call them on a number you know and ask.
- Don’t pay anything until you’ve talked the offer through with someone you trust.
Tip: If someone wants money so that you can get money, it’s almost always a scam.
Full explanation and exercises:
thinkcritical.eu/en/manipulation-atlas/upfront-fee