Black Money (Wash-Wash) Scam
A classic advance-fee con in which a scammer displays a stash of banknotes supposedly dyed black to evade customs and 'demonstrates' cleaning one with a special chemical — then sells the victim the expensive chemical or a share to clean the rest. The notes are blank paper.
Also known as: wash-wash scam, black dollar scam, money cleaning scam, black money cleaning
Last reviewed: 27 July 2026
The black money scam — also called 'wash-wash' — is a street and advance-fee confidence trick built around a trunk or case of banknotes that appear to have been stained black or coated to disguise them, supposedly to smuggle them past customs or hide illicit origins. The scammer performs a convincing demonstration: taking one 'note', applying a special (and expensive) chemical, and revealing a genuine bill underneath.
The demonstration is the whole con. The stack is cut blank paper with one or two real notes planted for the reveal, and the 'chemical' does nothing. Having seen money appear, the victim is persuaded to buy a vial of the chemical, pay a fee, or invest as a partner to clean the entire fortune — after which the scammers vanish. Variants weave in inheritance, war-chest, or diplomatic-cargo backstories.
The defining insight is that no legitimate money requires a secret chemical to become spendable; the 'cleaning' exists only to justify an upfront payment for a fortune that was never real.