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TransferWise Launches International Money Transfers Via Facebook (reuters.com)
Money transfer company TransferWise has launched a new service that allows users to send money internationally through Facebook's Messenger, as competition in the digital payments landscape intensifies. From a report on Reuters: The London-based startup said on Tuesday that it had developed a Facebook Messenger "chatbot", or an automated program that can help users communicate with businesses and carry out tasks such as online purchases. TransferWise's chatbot enables customers to send money to friends and family to and from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and Europe from Facebook Messenger. It can also be used to set up exchange rate alerts. Facebook already allows its users to send money domestically in the United States via its Messenger app, but has not yet launched similar services internationally. TransferWise said its service will be the first to enable international money transfers entirely within Messenger.
When the too-stupid-to-be-burger-flippers stop you in customs and demand your Facebook login they'll be drooling over this.
Decrementing a counter in one country and incrementing another counter overseas causes this company to be worth $1bn right out of the gate ! That right there shows you how much people are being ripped off to transfer money.
Nullius in verba
There's already a common scam where someone scrapes a Facebook profile, sets up an apparent duplicate, and starts adding all their friends. Inevitably people respond to the friend requests (they forget that they're friends, or assume that the person had to create a new account for some reason, or whatever), and then the scammer starts up with the money requests.
This might make it simpler, but it's already not that hard to set up these kinds of scams.
To be honest, I'm at the point where I find it hard to believe that there's anyone left on the Internet who is (a) gullible enough to fall for these scams and (b) still has enough money to be able to fall for these scams.
Log in or piss off.
When you thought it couldn't get any worse than Western Union...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.