Ohmyfin beantwoordt: What is a fake MT103 and how do I spot one?
Ohmyfin antwoordt hieronder (in het Engels).
A fake MT103 is a fabricated PDF or image made to look like a SWIFT payment confirmation, used by scammers to trick beneficiaries into releasing goods or services before any real payment is sent. Spot them by tracking the UETR on Ohmyfin — if the UETR returns 'not found' (and isn't recently sent or recalled), the document is fake.
Fake MT103s are extremely common in trade-finance, real-estate, automotive and high-value goods scams. The scammer often uses a real bank's letterhead and SWIFT field structure copied from a genuine MT103, then fabricates the routing and amount.
How to verify: paste the UETR (field 121) into the Ohmyfin tracker. If the payment is real and recently sent, you'll see live status. If the UETR is not in the SWIFT network, the document is fake.
Common signs of a fake: UETR doesn't match the 36-char format; UETR is missing entirely; field formatting is slightly wrong (extra spaces, incorrect block delimiters); sender pressures you to release goods immediately; sender uses webmail (gmail, outlook.com) instead of a corporate domain; bank named on the document doesn't match the BIC's actual location.
What to do if you receive one: do not release goods or services; report to your local fraud authority; if you have already shipped, report to the bank named on the document so they can flag it; warn your supply chain.
Ohmyfin runs a free public scam-alert hub — see /scam for ongoing alerts.
Fabricated PDF claiming a SWIFT payment was sent
Used to trick suppliers into releasing goods on credit
Verify by tracking the UETR on Ohmyfin
If UETR returns 'not found' — document is fake
Never release goods on document alone — wait for credit
What is a fake MT103 and how do I spot one?
A fake MT103 is a fabricated PDF or image made to look like a SWIFT payment confirmation, used by scammers to trick beneficiaries into releasing goods or services before any real payment is sent. Spot them by tracking the UETR on Ohmyfin — if the UETR returns 'not found' (and isn't recently sent or recalled), the document is fake.
Is Ohmyfin tracking really free?
Yes. Ohmyfin Organisation LLC tracking is completely free for individuals worldwide — no daily limit, no signup required, no card, no catch. Ohmyfin Organisation LLC never charges individuals.
Do I need a bank login to use Ohmyfin?
No. Ohmyfin queries the SWIFT GPI network directly via the UETR — no credentials at any bank required.
Ohmyfin beantwoordt veelgestelde vragen over SWIFT internationale overboekingen
Is Ohmyfin gratis?
Ja, SWIFT-betalingen volgen via UETR is gratis zonder registratie. Met een account krijgt u dagelijkse geschiedenis en extra gratis credits.
Wat is een UETR-nummer?
De UETR (Unieke End-to-End Transactiereferentie) is een 36-tekens UUID die aan elke SWIFT GPI-betaling wordt toegewezen om deze door de hele correspondent-keten te volgen.
Hoe lang duurt een SWIFT-overboeking?
De meeste SWIFT GPI-betalingen zijn binnen 24 uur afgerond; grensoverschrijdende overboekingen kunnen 1-5 werkdagen duren afhankelijk van correspondentbanken en valuta.