Is a bank transfer safe?

[Glitterblue]

Before I do this, I just wanted to check I'm not being stupid.

Someone I've known on Facebook for 6 years through a mum and baby group has asked me if I could lend her £5 as she is really struggling. She has a little boy and having been in that position before, I know how hard it is and I know it's not easy to ask for help. I don't doubt that she is who she says she is etc.

Having said that, I haven't met her in person, and I'm a little bit nervous about transferring any money. It would only be £5 or £10 but I just want to double check before I do it, that bank transfers are safe...I'm always very trusting of people and probably a bit naiive, so I want to be sure that there isn't a way of her getting hold of my bank details and emptying my account or anything 😂 I feel a bit silly even wondering that! Please don't judge me, I want to help her but just want to be sure it's safe 🙈

This doesn't sound like money laundering. ,but it does sound dodgy

I’d probably pop a (supermarket?) gift card in the post.

Ask her for her address and tell her you will put a fiver in an envelope and post it to her.

Nobody can set up a direct debit on your account but you.

I thought money laundering was where you already had the cash, and needed some way to seemingly legitimately get it into an account?

It is. It's the need to clean dirty money, hence laundering. So money earned from drug deals etc. Businesses which trade in a high volume of cash are often set up as a front for such things (just watch S1 of Line of Duty!).