Advance-Fee Scams in Senegal
Advance-fee fraud in Senegal exploits Orange Money and Wave mobile payment networks to collect fees from victims promised inheritances, contracts, and lottery prizes.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Senegal's French-speaking population is targeted by advance-fee scams through both French and local-language messaging across WhatsApp, SMS, and email. Fraudsters claim to be lawyers, notaries, or bank officials who have located unclaimed funds — often linked to deceased Senegalese citizens or foreign donors — and promise the victim a share in exchange for covering administrative fees.
Orange Money and Wave, Senegal's dominant mobile money platforms, are the preferred collection channels, providing near-instant transfers that are difficult to reverse.
How this scam works on Senegal
Victims receive a message claiming they are the next of kin of a person who died intestate in Senegal or abroad, leaving a substantial estate. A 'maître' (notary or lawyer) explains the process and the modest fees required to transfer the inheritance legally. Each fee is replaced by a new one — a notary stamp, a customs bond, a BCEAO (Central Bank) clearance charge.
The messages are crafted in polished French and include scanned official-looking documents. Some scammers impersonate staff at well-known Dakar law firms or the Direction Générale des Impôts et Domaines. Victims are urged to maintain secrecy to protect the 'confidential legal process'.
Collections via Orange Money or Wave allow funds to be immediately dispersed across many mobile wallets, frustrating tracing.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited French or Wolof message claiming you are heir to a large estate
- Each fee payment is followed by a new, unexpected administrative charge
- Documents sent via WhatsApp rather than delivered through formal legal service
- Payment requested to a personal Orange Money or Wave account
- Secrecy demanded to 'protect the process'
- Sender becomes evasive when asked for a case number or court reference
- Urgency: the window to claim the estate closes very soon
How to protect yourself
- No legitimate inheritance process requires the beneficiary to pay fees before receiving assets
- Verify any claimed notary or law firm through the Chambre des Notaires du Sénégal
- Contact the Direction Générale des Impôts et Domaines directly if an estate is claimed in your name
- Report to the Direction de la Cybersécurité before responding further
- Alert family members so they do not fall for parallel solicitations
How to report it
- Report to the Division Spéciale de la Cybersécurité (DSC) of the Senegalese Police
- File a complaint at your nearest commissariat with all correspondence
- Report the Orange Money or Wave number to the operator's fraud team
Frequently asked questions
A message arrived in Wolof — does that make it more likely to be genuine?
No. Scammers increasingly use local languages to appear authentic. The language of a message is not evidence of its legitimacy.