Is a person who claims to be from a wealthy or royal family and wants to share their wealth with me a scam?
Yes. This is a modern variation of the advance fee fraud, one of the oldest and most persistent scam types.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Explanation
Advance fee fraud — also known as 419 fraud — involves a stranger reaching out with a story of vast, inaccessible wealth that they need your help to transfer. In exchange for assisting, you are offered a large share. As the process moves forward, you are asked to pay fees: legal fees, taxes, notary fees, or bribes. Each payment is promised to be the last before the money arrives. The money never arrives. The fees accumulate until you refuse to pay more. Variations now include people claiming to be royals fleeing persecution, oil executives with frozen accounts, lottery administrators, and military officials with discovered gold. The emotional hook — that you are uniquely trusted with a life-changing sum — is constant across all variations.
Common red flags
- Unsolicited contact describing a large sum that needs your help to access
- Offer of a share of the money in exchange for assistance
- Request for payment of fees before the money can be released
- Escalating fees with each approaching 'final' step
- Extreme secrecy required
What to do now
- Do not respond or send any money
- Block and report the sender on whichever platform they used
- If you have already paid fees, stop all payments and report to your national fraud authority
Frequently asked questions
Can I recover money I paid in an advance fee scam?
Recovery is rare, particularly when funds were sent by wire transfer or cryptocurrency. Report to your national fraud authority and your bank. Some countries have victim compensation schemes for fraud.