The term straw man is slang for a person who is used by someone else to commit a crime. They are intended to conceal the real perpetrator or other person who should benefit from the crime.
How can you be turned into a straw man?
Ads for earning extra income easily – forwarding funds
You see an offer on a social network or the internet for a quick way to make extra cash without having to do any work. The only condition is that you have your own account and are able to transfer money quickly and easily.
The work entails forwarding funds that are sent to your account.
In practice, this means that, e.g., CZK 100 000, is sent to your account from an unknown party. You, i.e., the straw man, then transfer CZK 95 000 to a different account and keep CZK 5 000.
Ads for earning extra income easily – leasing an account
Just like in the first case, the ad that appears on the internet offers you the chance to earn extra cash quickly and without having to do any work.
The scammer who is offering the extra income claims they are unable to set up an account themselves. They ask you to do so for them. An agreement to this effect is draw up between you and the scammer. You set up an account, including internet banking, according to the scammer’s instructions. You use the contact information (e.g., email and telephone number) specified in the agreement to set the account up. You then provide the scammer with all the internet banking security details.
Ads for earing extra income through investments
This scam is very similar to the “Remote access scam”. You allow the scammer remote access to your device and even your internet banking. The scammer then sends money from other victims to your account and enters a payment that you authorise, thereby allowing these funds to be sent to the account of another straw man.
It may seem that the dubious actions are only being perpetrated by the scammer, but that is not always the case. Even a straw man can end up feeling the full force of the law.
How can you be turned into a straw man?
Ads for earning extra income easily – forwarding funds
You see an offer on a social network or the internet for a quick way to make extra cash without having to do any work. The only condition is that you have your own account and are able to transfer money quickly and easily.
The work entails forwarding funds that are sent to your account.
In practice, this means that, e.g., CZK 100 000, is sent to your account from an unknown party. You, i.e., the straw man, then transfer CZK 95 000 to a different account and keep CZK 5 000.
Ads for earning extra income easily – leasing an account
Just like in the first case, the ad that appears on the internet offers you the chance to earn extra cash quickly and without having to do any work.
The scammer who is offering the extra income claims they are unable to set up an account themselves. They ask you to do so for them. An agreement to this effect is draw up between you and the scammer. You set up an account, including internet banking, according to the scammer’s instructions. You use the contact information (e.g., email and telephone number) specified in the agreement to set the account up. You then provide the scammer with all the internet banking security details.
Ads for earing extra income through investments
This scam is very similar to the “Remote access scam”. You allow the scammer remote access to your device and even your internet banking. The scammer then sends money from other victims to your account and enters a payment that you authorise, thereby allowing these funds to be sent to the account of another straw man.
It may seem that the dubious actions are only being perpetrated by the scammer, but that is not always the case. Even a straw man can end up feeling the full force of the law.
Straw man’s liability under civil law
A straw man is practically always obliged to return the funds that enriched them, i.e., the remuneration they received from the scammer. A straw man is also liable for the amount withdrawn from the account or transferred according to the scammer’s instructions, because such actions made the fraudulent behaviour possible. There are instances where the straw man is liable for the full amount. That means they will be obliged to return the full amount that the scammer sent to their account.
A straw man’s liability under criminal law
Under criminal law, a straw man commits the crime of “legalisation of proceeds from crime” pursuant to Section 216 et seq. of the Criminal Code. The straw man may be imposed a fine, forced to forfeit property, prohibited from doing business or even sentenced to prison for up to ten years. Again, as in civil law, the degree of punishment is proportional to the straw man’s actions.
How to avoid becoming a straw man?
- Be careful when choosing a way to make extra income.
- If funds appear on your account from someone you don’t know and you don’t know why you got them, do not withdraw them or forward them. Return them instead!
- Do not set up a personal account for a third party.
- Do not disclose security information to third parties.
- Do not allow remote access to your device.
- Do not disclose the code from an authentication SMS to a third party – confirm only those transactions you have entered yourself.
- In George Key, confirm only those transactions you have entered yourself. If you are not sure what the transaction is about, DO NOT CONFIRM IT!
If you have done any of the above:
- Contact the bank immediately – block all security details to Banking IDentity and all payment cards (physical and virtual).
- Contact the police and provide them with all the information.