What Are the Safest Ways to Send Money Internationally?

Sending money to someone in another country has never been easier — and it has a ton of benefits. But what are the safest ways to send money internationally? The ability to send money overseas makes it easier to help loved ones living abroad pay for education, health care, or everyday expenses. You can also use it to pay for goods and services you can’t find where you live. Transferring money overseas is even a great way to prepare for a move to a new country or invest in global opportunities. 

Whatever your reasons for sending money internationally, you have to make sure you’re using a service you can trust. Fraud, identity theft, and scammers are all problems to worry about. Luckily, there are plenty of safe ways to send money to someone. We’ve curated the safest ways to send money internationally to put you at ease during your next transaction.   

Important Things to Consider when Sending Money Overseas 

When looking for the safest way to send money internationally, there are three key factors to keep in mind: 

• Transparency: a reliable service should provide clear information about the costs involved. Look for platforms that transparently display their fees and be cautious of hidden charges that may be tacked on during the transfer process.  

• Speed and Reliability: You’ll want to make sure the service is both fast and dependable. A trustworthy money transfer service should process your transaction quickly, especially if it’s urgent. It’s equally important that the platform is reliable, consistently delivering your money to the right destination without delays or issues.
  
• Security: When sending money internationally, security should be your top concern. Choose a service that employs robust encryption methods to safeguard your sensitive information. It’s also important to ensure that the platform is regulated by respected financial authorities, as this adds an extra layer of trust and accountability, protecting you from potential fraud or mishandling of funds. 
  

Security Issues with International Money Transfers 

Here’s the thing: international money transfers are typically safe. In fact, people safely made over $656 billion in international money transfers in 2023 alone. Still, there are certain safety concerns you need to be aware of before you make an international money transfer. 

• Fake and fraudulent transfers: One of the biggest concerns when sending money abroad is choosing a safe and reliable provider. If a service seems too good to be true, it probably is. Some scammers pose as legitimate companies, only to steal your money when you give them your bank information. 

• Hackers: Even with a reputable transfer partner, your money may be at risk if you’re not using a secure network to send your information. For example, if you’re entering your bank account information on an unsecured Wi-Fi network, a hacker could steal that information and use it to redirect the transfer to their account. 

• Identity theft: Another issue with hackers and fake transfers is the risk of identity theft. Your bank account numbers, and personal information might be enough for someone to steal your identity. They might create additional fake wire transfers, open up new lines of credit, or even take out loans, all in your name. 
  
• Sending money to the wrong person: While this isn’t as scary as some of the other concerns on this list, it can still be a problem. If you make a small typo on your transfer, you may end up sending the money to the wrong person. In most cases, you can’t reverse a transfer once the recipient receives the money, so you’d be out of luck. 

Safest Ways to Send Money Online 

Don’t let the above threats scare you — there are plenty of ways to send a safe international money transfer. Here are a few of the safest ways to send money overseas to get you started. 

Wire Transfers

Wire transfers are a way to electronically send money to a recipient in another country. To complete a wire transfer, you’ll need to have the recipient’s personal information, including their name, address, and bank account number. You’ll also need to know their bank’s specific address and routing number. After providing this information, you’ll pay an international outgoing wire transfer fee, which varies depending on the bank. The person you’re sending money to may also need to pay an incoming wire transfer fee. On average, bank fees are 11.48% of the total transfer amount. 

Typically, wire transfers are completed from bank to bank and take a few days from start to finish. Nonetheless, one of the biggest frustrations with international wire transfers is the long wait time—while domestic transfers are often processed within minutes, international transfers can take up to two weeks or more to reach their destination. 

Digital Wallets

If you don’t want to use a wire transfer, then a digital wallet is another safe way to send money overseas. A digital wallet is a peer-to-peer app that allows you to send money directly to your international recipient. 

The exact process varies depending on the wallet you use, but typically, wallets partner with an international money transfer service to move your dollars across borders. Some let you specifically send cash directly to your recipient’s wallet, while others will allow you to make a transfer into their bank account or a Visa debit card. 

This process is likely easier and cheaper than sending a wire transfer, but it poses slightly more risks. Because you’ll be conducting your transfer in an app, you need to assess the app’s security first. At a minimum, you want the app to be encrypted and have 24/7 fraud monitoring to make it harder for hackers to gain access to your information and make sure you’re using one of the safest ways to send money. 

Crypto Transfer

Another option for sending money internationally is crypto transfer. Cryptocurrencies are decentralized; digital currencies not attached to any one country — so they’re actually an optimal choice for sending abroad because you won’t pay exchange fees.  

Cryptocurrency exchanges allow you to buy crypto using your local currency. Once you purchase crypto, you store it in a crypto wallet. Everyone’s crypto wallet has a unique address that allows them to send and receive crypto. 

To send crypto to someone, you’ll need to get their wallet address. These are long strings of characters, so many crypto wallets have QR codes that you can scan instead — just have your recipient send you theirs. Then, choose how much you want to send and confirm the transaction. It should take just a few minutes for the crypto to transfer to the recipient, making this one of the fastest ways to send money internationally. Once your recipient has the crypto, they can convert it to their local currency and transfer it to their bank account. 

As far as safety goes, crypto transfers are in a bit of a gray area. That’s because cryptocurrency is largely unregulated on a federal and international level. If you accidentally send crypto to the wrong person or are a victim of crypto fraud, you likely won’t be able to get any help getting your money back. 

Money Transfer Services

Perhaps the safest way to transfer money internationally is through a money transfer service. Unlike banks, which provide dozens of services, these are agencies solely dedicated to completing money transfers between users. Because of that, they’re more likely to be experts in answering your questions and helping you feel secure with your transfer.  

Also, unlike banks, money transfer services can sometimes finish your transfer in minutes instead of days. This makes them the ideal choice if you need to get money from someone in a hurry. 

Again, the process for sending money varies depending on the transfer service you choose. But typically, most require you to have the recipient’s bank account and personal information and pay a small fee. 

Money transfer services have to follow the same security protocols as banks when sending money overseas, so you can rest assured they’re one of the safest ways to send money. But again, you have to make sure you’re choosing a service that has good in-app security, a solid error resolution policy, and fraud prevention protocols, like Ria Money Transfer.  

How to Ensure Security when Sending Money Overseas with Ria 

If you’ve decided to use Ria for your international money transfer, you’re in good hands. Even so, we have a few additional tips to make your experience as safe as possible. 

• Make sure you’re on a secure Wi-Fi network or using a virtual private network (VPN). Don’t get us wrong, the Ria app is secure. But even we can’t fight against hackers who gain access to your phone or computer via your internet. Avoid using public, unsecured networks when sending transfers, or consider subscribing to a VPN to mask your internet activity. 
• Double-check all information. We’ll do our part to make sure your recipient is correct, but ultimately, it’s up to you to provide us with the right information. Make sure you have their accurate full name, phone number, and bank account details to avoid delays or money being sent to the wrong person. 
• Verify your bank account. If you plan to send money using a bank account, this step isn’t optional. It’s one of the ways we make sure you own the account you’re using to fund the transaction. Ria uses Plaid’s instant verification technology to quickly and easily confirm you have legitimate access to the account you want to use. 
• Stay aware of common scams. Scammers are creative, and they’re always coming up with new ways to steal your money. For example, many people make fake accounts on dating sites, match with strangers, and then request money for an emergency. Others may claim you won the lottery but just need to send a small deposit to claim your prize. If you’re sending money to someone you don’t know, always do a little research before transferring money with Ria to make sure it’s not a scam. 
  

Ria: The Safe Choice for Your International Money Transfer

With our industry-leading security tools, including our 24/7 fraud team and rigorous ID verification protocols, Ria is an extremely safe international money transfer option. Whether you want to send money online, in our app, or in person, we’ve got you covered. Get started with your safe international money transfer now.