Wire transfer remains one of the best ways to send money locally and internationally. One of the main reasons people prefer this money transfer method is its safety. Wire transfer boasts features that make it one of the safest ways to transfer money home and abroad. However, it comes with some risks.
Wire transfer comes with some risks that you need to watch out for. Some of the risks of a wire transfer are fraud, teller mistakes, and malware. Another risk of wire transfer lies in the inability of a sender to recover sent funds.
To use wire transfer, you need to understand it fully. Plus, you need to understand how it works, how it is carried out, the types, the risks, and tips to protect yourself from the associated risks. In this post, I have outlined all these.
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Wire Transfer Risks and Controls
Before we look at wire transfer risks and controls, let’s refresh our memories with a brief definition of wire transfer.
Wire transfer is an electronic transfer of funds through a network managed by banks and transfer service agencies worldwide. Wire transfers involve two parties, a sending and receiving institution, and require details from the party making the transfer, like the receiver’s name and account number. Unlike typical transfers you do at banks, wire transfers don’t involve the physical exchange of cash but are carried out electronically. Common types of wire transfers are those made between domestic and international banks.
Wire Transfer Fees Charged by the Biggest U.S. Banks:
| Banks | Domestic – Incoming | Domestic – Outgoing | Foreign – Incoming | Foreign – Outgoing |
| Bank of America | $15.00 | $25.00 | $16.00 | $45.00 |
| Wells Fargo | $15.00 | $30.00 | $16.00 | $45.00 |
| Chase | $15.00 | $30.00 | $15.00 | $45.00 |
| Citibank | $10.00 | $25.00 | $10.00 | $40.00 |
Understanding Wire Transfers:
Wire transfers, also regarded as wire payments, allow money to be moved quickly and safely without exchanging cash. They let two parties transfer funds even if they are in different places.
A transfer is usually made from one bank or financial institution to another. Rather than cash, the participating institutions share information about the recipient, the bank receiving account number, and the amount transferred.
The sender pays for the transaction in advance at their bank. This party must give their bank the information:
- The receiving bank’s information, which includes the institution’s name, address, and bank identifier (routing number or SWIFT code).
- The recipient’s name, address, contact number, along with any other personal information needed to make the transaction.
- The recipient’s banking information, including their account number and branch number.
- The purpose of the transfer
As soon as the information is recorded, the wire transfer can begin. The initiating firm sends a message to the recipient’s institution with payment guides via a secure system, like Fedwire or SWIFT. The recipient’s bank receives the information from the initiating bank and deposits its reserve funds into the correct account. The two banking institutions then settle the payment on the back end after the money has been deposited.
Wire transfers are essential tools for anyone who needs to transfer money quickly and securely, especially when they aren’t in a similar location. They also allow entities to transfer a huge amount of money. Firms restrict the amount that can be transferred, but these caps tend to be a little high. For example, one company may use a wire transfer to pay for a huge purchase from an international supplier.
How is a Wire Transfer Carried Out?
How does a wire transfer work? How is it done?
A wire transfer is always used to send money from one bank or financial institution to another. When carrying out a wire transfer, no physical money is transferred between banks or financial institutions. Instead, information is sent between banking institutions regarding the recipient, the bank receiving account number, and the amount transferred.
The sender first makes a payment for the transaction in advance at their bank. The sending bank sends a message to the recipient’s bank with payment guides via a secure system, like Fedwire of payment system SWIFT. The recipient’s bank gets the needed information from the initiating bank and deposits its reserve funds into the right account.
The two banking institutions then sort out the payment on the back end (after the money has been paid to the recipient account).
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Risks of Wire Transfers:
If you consider using wire transfers, you might want to know the risks involved.
You see, wire transfer is one of the safest and most secure payment methods. However, you can only enjoy these features if you know the individuals receiving the transfer. If you use a legit wire transfer service, each individual involved in the transfer should be required to prove their identity to eliminate anonymous transfers.
International wire transfers emanating from the U.S are often supervised by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, an agency of the United States Treasury. The agency ensures that money sent abroad is not being used to fund illegal activities. In addition, the Office of Foreign Asset Control is tasked with halting the transfer of money to countries sanctioned by the United States Government.
If the agency suspects that any of these scenarios are true, the sending bank has the right to freeze the funds to prevent the wire transfer from going through. Wire transfers may be prevented for many reasons, alerting officials to possible misconduct by either the receiver or sender in the case of:
- Transfer to safe-haven countries
- Huge amounts wired by cash businesses
- Frequent transfers for no significant reason
- Incoming and outgoing wires with the same dollar amount
Safety Tips for Wire Transfer:
Here are some tips to keep yourself safe from fraudulent wire transfers:
- Verify changes
- Investigate unique requests
- Double-check email addresses
- Be alert
- Be suspicious of confidentiality
- Prioritize verbal conformation
