Unofficial money transfer (hundi): warning signs and what to do
What to do
Send money home through a bank, an exchange house or an official mobile-wallet remittance service. Hundi money has no legal protection, can be lost or frozen, and misses the government cash incentive for remittances through official channels.
Warning signs
- Offers a better exchange rate for sending money home outside the banks.
How this scam has played out
Hundi: a "better rate" for sending money home
Hundi networks collect foreign currency from workers abroad and pay their families through mobile-wallet agents in Bangladesh. CID said in 2022 that at least 5,000 agents were involved and linked the networks to gambling, drug and gold smuggling money. Money sent this way has no legal protection, and accounts used for it can be frozen.
Source: Prothom Alo (Sep 2022), CID
Received a message or offer like this? Check it before you pay.
Check it nowHelp and helplines
- National emergency 999
- Police Cyber Support for Women 01320-000888
- Visa check for Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (Ami Probashi, paid) 16768
This guide is a warning about a pattern; it does not accuse any particular person or organisation.