Scammers know that Africans abroad send money home regularly, often quickly and often based on trust. That makes the diaspora a prime target. Some scams are old tricks in new packaging. Others use technology to impersonate people you know.
Here are the most common remittance scams and how to avoid them.
1. The Hacked WhatsApp “Emergency”
You receive a message from what looks like your brother’s WhatsApp: “Please send ₦300,000 urgently to this account, I’ll explain later.” The account has been hacked or cloned, and the money goes to a stranger.
Protect yourself: Always call the person on a known number before sending money. Agree on a family code word for emergencies. Turn on two-step verification in your own WhatsApp settings.
2. Fake Exchange Agents
Informal agents on social media promise rates far better than banks or regulated apps. You pay into their foreign account and wait for naira to arrive. Sometimes it does, until the day it doesn’t.
Protect yourself: Use regulated money transfer providers. If a rate looks too good to be true, it usually is.
3. Money Mule Recruitment
You’re offered easy money to “receive a payment” into your bank account and forward it to someone else. It might be framed as a job, a favour for a friend of a friend, or help for a church member.
This is money laundering. Even if you didn’t know, your bank can close your account, you can be reported, and it may affect your immigration status or future credit.
Protect yourself: Never let anyone use your bank account to move money, no matter how small the amount or how trusted the person.
4. Romance and Friendship Scams
Someone builds a relationship online over weeks or months, then needs money for a visa, a sick relative or a business deal. Diaspora Africans are targeted both by strangers and by people pretending to be from home.
Protect yourself: Never send money to someone you haven’t met in person, however convincing the story.
5. Fake Property and Land Deals
You see an attractive plot or apartment online, pay a deposit and later discover the seller doesn’t own it or has sold it to several people.
Protect yourself: Use a trusted lawyer, verify title documents at the land registry, and have someone you trust physically inspect the property.
6. Impersonation of Banks and Authorities
Calls or messages claiming to be from your bank, the police, immigration or tax authorities demand immediate payment or ask you to “move your money to a safe account.”
Protect yourself: Hang up and call the organisation using the official number on their website or the back of your card. No genuine bank will ask you to move money to protect it.
Warning Signs to Watch For
- Urgency and pressure to act immediately
- Requests to keep things secret
- Rates or returns far above normal
- Payment to a personal account instead of a business account
- Changes to bank details by message
- Poor grammar from someone who normally writes well
What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
Act fast. The sooner you move, the better your chance of recovering money.
- Contact your bank or transfer provider immediately and ask them to stop or recall the payment.
- Change passwords and enable two-factor authentication on affected accounts.
- Report the fraud. In the UK, you can report to Action Fraud. In the US, report to the FTC. In Canada, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- Warn family and friends so the scammer can’t target them next.
Protect Your Family Back Home Too
Scams work in both directions. Parents and relatives in Nigeria may receive calls from people claiming you’re in trouble abroad. Share your code word with them and teach them to verify before acting.
Final Thoughts
Scammers rely on urgency, trust and embarrassment. Slow down, verify every request and never feel ashamed to double-check. A two-minute phone call can save you months of financial pain.