A Ukrainian woman, who planned to return to Ukraine for the holidays, became a victim of fraud by transporters who actively promote their services on social media. The girl turned to TikTok to share her story and warn others about similar situations. Her video has already been viewed nearly 130 thousand times.
This is reported by Finway
How Transfer Scammers Operate
The girl explained that she decided to use a transfer service for the first time instead of taking a train to Ukraine. She found a transporter on TikTok, where they had a large number of followers and active comments. After agreeing on the details, she made a prepayment of 2500 UAH, hoping for a comfortable trip.
“Today I gave money to scammers. They have a lot of followers on TikTok, a lot of views, comments. I’m probably not the only one. People fall for this. I planned to go to Ukraine, I bought a transfer for the first time instead of a train. I thought: I’ll treat myself, I’ll buy a transfer. I sent them a prepayment (2500 UAH)”
An hour before departure, the girl decided to confirm that everything was still on track, but received a response of ‘no’. After that, the transporter blocked her on messenger, and the payment details disappeared from their page. Despite this, she managed to take a screenshot of the details and contacted the bank that serviced the company, asking them to investigate the fraudulent actions.
According to the victim, what upset her the most was not the loss of money, but the wasted time and disrupted plans. She specifically took a day off work and informed her relatives about her arrival, but ended up without a transfer and money. There has been no response from the transport company yet, despite the widespread publicity on social media.
Advice and Reactions from Internet Users
In the comments to the video, other users shared their own experiences and recommendations:
- Before making an online payment, always verify the seller’s phone number through special services, such as GetContact. Some advised only to contact verified transporters with whom they have been working for years.
- It is often emphasized online that only scammers demand prepayment for a trip.
- Users recommend not paying private transporters in advance and thoroughly checking all details before making a payment.
This situation once again confirms: even if a transporter’s page looks popular, it does not guarantee safety. Users should be particularly cautious to avoid falling prey to internet scammers when organizing trips home.