Advance-Fee Scams in Bulgaria
Advance-fee fraud reaches Bulgarians through email and Viber, exploiting promises of prize winnings, EU grant funding, or inheritance proceeds requiring a processing fee.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Advance-fee scams in Bulgaria often leverage EU institutional branding — fake European Commission grants, Horizon 2020 funding notifications, or EU structural fund disbursements — given Bulgaria's status as an EU member and recipient of substantial EU funding. Victims believe they have been selected for a genuine programme and pay administrative fees to release non-existent grants.
Traditional lottery and inheritance variants also circulate widely by email and Viber, and business-oriented advance-fee fraud targets Bulgarian entrepreneurs through fake international tender invitations.
How this scam works on Bulgaria
A Viber message or email informs the recipient that their business has been selected as a beneficiary of an EU grant programme, offering BGN 10,000–200,000. To receive the grant, a 'notarial fee,' 'bank transfer charge,' or 'anti-money-laundering verification fee' must be paid to a named account. The fee is paid but the grant never materialises.
For individual victims, prize-notification emails in Bulgarian claim they have won a lottery run by a company with a European-sounding name. Collection requires payment of Bulgarian tax clearance or a customs charge.
Business email compromise targeting Bulgarian companies operates similarly: supplier account details are changed via email, redirecting legitimate payments to fraud accounts before the deception is discovered.
Common red flags
- Notification of an EU grant or prize you never applied for
- Any fee required to release grant funds or prize winnings
- Notification arrives via Viber or personal email rather than official EU or government channels
- Request to change a supplier IBAN received only by email without phone confirmation
- Caller or sender quotes regulatory or legal references to sound authoritative
- Sense of urgency: application window or prize claim expires within hours
How to protect yourself
- Verify any EU funding opportunity at ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders — legitimate grants require application, not fee payment
- Confirm any IBAN change request from a supplier by calling a known number independently
- Never pay a fee to receive a prize or grant
- Report suspected EU grant scams to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) at anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
- Train staff on business email compromise indicators and dual-approval payment procedures
- Report suspicious Viber accounts to Viber's in-app reporting tool
How to report it
- Report to GDBOP at cybercrime.bg
- Report EU grant impersonation to OLAF at anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
- File a complaint with local police for fraud and extortion
Frequently asked questions
How do genuine EU grant programmes notify recipients in Bulgaria?
Genuine EU grant programmes funded through Bulgarian managing authorities communicate via official registered channels, including the EU ESIF portal and official letters. They never require upfront fees and are applied for competitively, not awarded unsolicited.