Someone I met online asked me to send money through Remitly for an emergency. Should I do it?
Slow down before you send anything. Remitly is a real service, but a request to use it from someone you have only met online, or from a family member reaching out in an unexpected way, is a common setup for romance and emergency scams because the money moves fast and is hard to recall.
Last reviewed: 19 July 2026
Explanation
This scam relies on a story rather than a fake website. Over weeks or months, someone builds trust through messages and calls, then a sudden crisis appears: a hospital bill, a stuck shipment, a legal fee, a plane ticket home. The relative version is shorter and sharper, often a message from a new number claiming to be a child or grandchild in trouble who begs you not to tell anyone else. Remittance is named because it reaches another country quickly and lands with a person rather than a business. The emotional pressure is the point, and secrecy is part of the script so nobody talks you out of it. The one check that settles it is contact through a route you already had. Call the person on the number you have saved from before, or reach a relative who would know, and confirm the story independently. Anyone genuine will understand the pause. Anyone who reacts with anger or urgency is telling you what you need to know.
Common red flags
- You have never met the person face to face, or video calls are always refused or cut short
- You are asked to keep the request secret from family or from staff at your bank
- The story escalates and a second, larger request follows the first
- You are told to send to a name that is not the person you have been talking to
- A new number claims to be a relative and says their old phone is broken
- The request arrives with a deadline attached to it, such as before the end of the day
What to do now
- Do not send anything today, and say plainly that you need time to check
- Call the person on a number you already had saved, not the number that contacted you
- Speak to one other person you trust before making any decision
- If you have already sent money, open the app and check whether the transfer can still be cancelled, since some transfers can be stopped before they are collected
- Contact support through the app and report the transfer as a possible scam, and report it to your local police or fraud reporting service
- Stop further contact with the account and keep the messages, names, and receipts
Frequently asked questions
Can I get money back if the transfer was already collected?
Once funds are picked up or delivered, recovery becomes difficult and is not guaranteed. Report it anyway. Contact support through the app as soon as you can and explain that it was a scam, because outcomes depend on timing and on what the payout side can do. If you paid using a card, also tell your card issuer. The company and your bank decide what is possible, so the honest answer is to try quickly rather than assume.
They sent me a photo and ID to prove who they are. Does that settle it?
No. Photos, identity documents, and even short video clips can be copied from other people or generated, so they prove very little on their own. What is harder to fake is a route you control. Call a number you already had, or reach a mutual contact who would know the person. If the only way to reach them is the channel they gave you, treat the identity as unconfirmed no matter what images arrive.