Advance-Fee Scams in Romania
Classic and evolved 419-style fraud reaches Romanian residents through email, Facebook and OLX with fake prizes, inheritances and business opportunities.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Romania has a complex relationship with online fraud — as both a source and target country. Romanian residents receive advance-fee fraud approaches through email, Facebook and OLX Marketplace, while Romanian authorities work actively to prosecute both perpetrators and victims who facilitate money transfers. The DIICOT and Politia Română Cybercrime Division publish regular public warnings about active advance-fee campaigns.
Victims in Romanian cities face both the classic email inheritance version and newer OLX-specific variants where buyers or sellers are asked to pay advance shipping or insurance fees through fraudulent links, a hybrid form of advance-fee and shopping fraud.
How this scam works on Romania
OLX is particularly affected by a Romanian-specific variant: a buyer or seller contacts the OLX listing owner and proposes completing the transaction through a fake OLX payment/insurance portal that requires an upfront fee to 'activate' buyer protection before the actual payment is released.
In the classic email variant, a 'lawyer' representing a deceased Romanian-diaspora millionaire contacts the victim, requesting modest legal fees to process an inheritance. Each payment unlocks a new obstacle requiring further fees.
Facebook Marketplace fraud in Romania often involves fake overseas buyers who send links to counterfeit courier payment portals, collecting from both buyer and seller in a triangulated scheme.
Common red flags
- OLX buyer or seller requests payment through an unfamiliar link outside the OLX platform
- Insurance or activation fee required before a payment is released
- Email from a 'lawyer' claiming to represent a deceased person with your name as beneficiary
- Lottery notification for a prize you never entered
- Each fee payment generates a new unforeseen obstacle
- Urgent deadlines to prevent prize forfeiture or inheritance expiry
How to protect yourself
- Complete OLX transactions through official OLX payment tools only — never external links
- Verify any inheritance claim with a licensed Romanian notar public
- Report suspicious OLX contacts directly through the platform's reporting tool
- Never wire money to strangers regardless of the story presented
- Warn elderly family members about email-based inheritance fraud
How to report it
- Politia Română cybercrime: politiaromana.ro — online complaint
- DIICOT: diicot.ro — report organised financial crime
- ANPC consumer protection: anpc.ro — report consumer fraud
Frequently asked questions
The OLX buyer already seems to have paid — a screenshot shows funds are "held" pending my confirmation. Is that real?
No — this is a manipulated or fake screenshot; OLX's genuine in-app payment system doesn't require clicking an external link to "unlock" or "release" funds. Only trust payment confirmations visible within the official OLX app.
I received an email about a deceased Romanian relative abroad leaving me an inheritance — how do I check if it's real?
Consult a licensed Romanian notar public directly rather than replying to the email. Genuine inheritance processes go through the courts and a notary, never through advance fees paid to a stranger who contacted you.
Can I get money back if I already paid an "activation fee" through a fake OLX link?
Recovery is unlikely once sent, but report it to your bank immediately and file a complaint with Politia Română's cybercrime division, and report the account directly to OLX so others aren't victimised.
Is the OLX courier payment link scam common in Romania?
Yes — this variant is extremely common in Romania. The rule is simple: only complete OLX transactions using official OLX payment tools within the app. Any request to use an external link for payment or insurance is a scam.