Advance-Fee Scams via Wise
How inheritance and business-partnership fraudsters target Wise users with multi-stage fee demands for non-existent windfalls.
Part of: Advance Fee Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Advance-fee fraud via Wise targets a different victim demographic from prepaid-card or UPI advance-fee scams: typically remote workers, freelancers, and digital-economy participants who are comfortable with cross-border transfers and already have Wise accounts. The scammer constructs a business or legal narrative — a deceased relative's estate, a government contract partnership, a diaspora inheritance — that requires Wise fees to activate.
The international legitimacy of Wise, combined with the global framing of the story, makes the fee requests feel proportionate to the alleged windfall.
How this scam works on Wise
A victim receives an email or LinkedIn message from a supposed solicitor, government official, or business development representative explaining that they have been identified as the beneficiary of a large inheritance, business estate, or government contract. A Wise transfer is required to pay the initial legal filing fee, international transfer tax, or escrow registration cost.
After each Wise payment, a new fee appears, always just below the amount that would prompt hesitation. Some operations run for months, accumulating many Wise transactions before the victim accepts the loss. Fabricated correspondence on official-looking letterhead is provided at each stage.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited email or LinkedIn message about an inheritance or business windfall you were unaware of
- Wise transfer required to cover legal or administrative fees before a large sum can be released
- Each Wise payment resolves one barrier but another immediately appears
- Correspondence arrives from free-domain email addresses rather than verified legal-entity domains
- Solicitor or official identity cannot be verified through independent searches
- Instruction to keep the arrangement confidential from banks or family
How to protect yourself
- No legitimate inheritance, legal settlement, or business contract requires advance fees paid via e-wallet
- Verify any claimed solicitor or legal firm through the SRA (UK), the Law Society, or your national bar association
- Do not send any Wise payment for a financial arrangement that arrived unsolicited
- Consult an independent solicitor before taking any action on an inheritance claim
- Stop all payments if you have already sent fees — further payments will only increase losses
How to report it
- Report to Wise fraud support at wise.com/help with recipient email addresses and transaction IDs
- File with Action Fraud (UK) at actionfraud.police.uk or your national fraud authority
- Report the LinkedIn or email account to the respective platform's abuse team
Frequently asked questions
The email came from a LinkedIn contact who seemed to have a real professional profile — should I trust it more?
A polished LinkedIn profile does not verify that a message about an unexpected inheritance or business windfall is genuine — profiles can be fabricated or the account itself compromised. Verify any such claim independently through the supposed firm's official website and registered contact details, not through the messaging platform itself.
Is it normal for legal or estate fees to be paid to an individual's personal Wise account?
No — legitimate legal and estate administration fees are paid to a law firm's client account or a formally registered entity, never to an individual's personal Wise balance. A request to pay fees to a personal account is a strong sign the "solicitor" or "official" is not who they claim to be.
What should I do if I've made several Wise payments and I'm starting to suspect fraud?
Stop making any further payments immediately, regardless of what "final" fee is claimed to be required. Report to Wise fraud support with all transaction IDs, and file with Action Fraud or your national fraud authority — continuing to pay in hopes of finally receiving the promised sum will only increase your losses.
How do solicitors legitimately communicate about international inheritances?
Legitimate solicitors handling international estates use registered firm email domains, provide verifiable SRA reference numbers, communicate through traceable channels, and never require advance fees via consumer payment apps. They are regulated by a national bar authority and can be independently found through the authority's published register. If none of these checks pass, the communication is fraudulent.