Advance-Fee Scams in Georgia
Advance-fee fraud in Georgia exploits the country's business-friendly reputation with fake investment windfalls, inheritance claims, and government-contract bribes.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Georgia's low taxes, open business environment, and growing foreign investment profile have made it an attractive backdrop for advance-fee fraud narratives. Scammers craft stories about frozen assets in Georgian banks, government tenders requiring 'facilitation fees', or large real estate windfalls that need an upfront processing payment before release.
Georgian residents are also targets of classic email-based advance-fee scams where they are promised a share of large overseas funds in return for a small upfront fee to cover administrative or legal costs. The volume of such attempts has increased alongside growing internet access in rural Georgia.
How this scam works on Georgia
An email or Telegram message arrives claiming that the sender is a lawyer, banker, or government official with access to dormant funds, an unclaimed inheritance, or an overseas contract. The victim is offered a share — typically 30–40 % — in return for helping to move the money. Initial requests are for bank details; subsequent requests are for upfront fees.
In business-focused variants targeting Georgia's entrepreneurial community, fake tenders from supposed government ministries or large corporates require a 'tender registration fee' or 'compliance bond' before the contract is awarded. Payments are made but no contract materialises.
Some scammers impersonate officers of the National Bank of Georgia or government ministries, using forged letterheads to add apparent legitimacy.
Common red flags
- An unsolicited message offers a share of a large sum in exchange for upfront help.
- The deal requires a fee or deposit before the windfall can be released.
- The sender's email uses a free provider rather than an official government or corporate domain.
- Government tenders or contracts arrive unsolicited via personal messaging channels.
- Increasing fees appear each time the deal is supposedly close to completion.
- The sender creates urgency, citing imminent legal deadlines.
How to protect yourself
- Delete unsolicited offers of large sums of money that require any upfront action or fee.
- Verify government tenders through the State Procurement Agency's official portal at procurement.gov.ge.
- Never share bank details or pay fees to receive money you were not expecting.
- Consult a Georgian notary or lawyer independently if an inheritance claim seems plausible.
- Warn family members who may be less familiar with this fraud pattern.
How to report it
- Report to the Georgian Police cybercrime unit with all correspondence.
- File a complaint with the National Bank of Georgia if the message impersonates NBG officials.
- Report to the State Procurement Agency if the fraud involves a fake government tender.
Frequently asked questions
Do real Georgian government tenders require upfront fees?
No. Legitimate tenders are published on the State Procurement Agency portal and do not require advance payments to third parties. Any tender that demands a fee before awarding a contract is fraudulent.