Advance-Fee Scams in Tanzania
Advance-fee fraud in Tanzania preys on the aspiration for sudden wealth, using inheritance stories, contract windfalls, and lottery notices to extract repeated upfront payments.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Advance-fee scams reach Tanzanian victims through email, SMS, and increasingly through WhatsApp and Telegram. The premise is always the same: a large sum of money awaits, but a series of fees must be paid first. Tanzania's growing smartphone penetration has widened the pool of potential victims, and scammers have adapted pitches to reference local institutions and prominent business figures to add credibility.
Victims who do pay rarely receive anything, and many face secondary 'recovery scams' where a second fraudster — sometimes the same group posing as law enforcement — offers to recover the lost money for a further fee.
How this scam works on Tanzania
Messages claim the victim has inherited assets from a distant relative who died in Tanzania without a will, or that a government tender has been awarded in their name. The sender typically presents as a Tanzanian lawyer, banker, or civil servant, and messages are written in formal English or Swahili to match the claimed authority.
After initial contact establishes a plausible story, the victim is told that a small clearance fee — perhaps for the [TANZANIA REVENUE AUTHORITY] or the [BANK OF TANZANIA] — must be paid before the transfer can proceed. Each payment is followed by a new obstacle. Some victims receive scanned 'official documents' with genuine-looking government letterheads to sustain the deception.
M-Pesa and other mobile money platforms are the preferred collection channels because transactions are fast, informal-seeming, and difficult to reverse.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited notice of an inheritance, prize, or contract award you have no memory of
- Requests for fees before funds are released — even described as 'just taxes' or 'customs clearance'
- Official-looking documents sent by email rather than delivered through formal legal channels
- Each fee payment is followed by a new unexpected charge
- Requests to transfer funds via M-Pesa to an individual rather than a verified institutional account
- The sender resists any attempt to verify their credentials through independent channels
- Pressure to act urgently before an unspecified deadline
How to protect yourself
- Never pay fees to receive money — all legitimate transfers of large sums go through regulated banks
- Verify any claimed government involvement by calling the stated ministry directly using a number from the official website
- Report the message to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) before responding
- Alert family members if you receive such a message — social accountability helps break the scammer's grip
- Do not engage in extended correspondence, as this gives scammers more material to tailor their pitch
- Search the sender's name, phone number, and story online for prior fraud reports
How to report it
- Report to the Tanzania Police Force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with all correspondence
- Submit a complaint to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)
- If you transferred money, contact your M-Pesa or bank fraud line immediately and provide the recipient number
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to reply to find out more before paying anything?
Replying confirms your contact is active, which may lead to more sophisticated manipulation. It is safer to report and block without engaging.