I got a message saying my Remitly transfer is on hold and I need to pay a fee to release it. Is this real?
Almost certainly not. Remitly does not hold a transfer and then ask you to send an extra fee by gift card, crypto, or a separate transfer to release it. Fees are taken at the time you set up the transfer, inside the app.
Last reviewed: 19 July 2026
Explanation
This scam works by copying the look of a real transfer notification. You may genuinely be sending money right now, or waiting on money from family, so a text or email saying the transfer is stuck feels plausible rather than suspicious. The message usually includes a tracking-style reference number, a warning that the funds will be returned or lost within hours, and a link to a page that mirrors the real branding. That page asks for a release fee, a customs or compliance charge, or your login details. Once you pay, a new obstacle appears and another fee is requested. The pressure is the tell: a real transfer that needs attention does not depend on you clicking a link in a message. The one check that settles it is to close the message entirely, open the Remitly app you installed yourself or type the official site into your browser, and look at the transfer status there. If nothing is on hold in your own account, the message is fake.
Common red flags
- A fee is demanded by gift card, crypto, or a transfer to a personal account
- A countdown or threat that the money will be lost or returned within hours
- The link goes to a lookalike domain with extra words or a different ending
- You are asked for your password, PIN, or a verification code to release funds
- A reference number you do not recognise from any transfer you actually made
- The message arrives before you have sent anything at all
What to do now
- Do not click the link or call any number written in the message
- Open the app you installed yourself, or type the official address into your browser, and check the real transfer status
- If you already entered your login details, change your password immediately and turn on two-step verification
- Contact support only through the help section inside the app, never through contact details in the message
- If you paid a fee, tell your bank or card issuer straight away and ask about a chargeback or recall, and report the message to the company
- Keep screenshots of the message, the link, and any payment receipts in case you are asked for them
Frequently asked questions
Does a real transfer ever get put on hold?
Yes, transfers can be paused for identity or compliance checks, and that is normal. The difference is how you find out and what happens next. A genuine hold shows up in your own account when you open the app yourself, and it is resolved by confirming your identity or details through the app, not by paying an extra release fee to an outside account. If a request for money is attached to the hold, treat it as fake.
I clicked the link but did not pay anything. Am I at risk?
Probably not, if you did not type anything in. Risk comes from what you entered, not from the page loading. If you typed your login details, change that password now and any other account using the same one. If you entered card details, contact your card issuer. Run a check for anything you downloaded from the page. Then watch your account for transfers you did not set up and report anything unfamiliar.