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Dating scam guide

Inheritance, gold and customs-fee scams

Also known as: advance-fee romance, parcel held at customs scam, gold inheritance scam

How it works

The online partner says they have inherited gold, jewels or cash, or are sending you a valuable gift or package, but it is held by customs, a courier, or a bank. To release it you must pay taxes, clearance fees or fines, often to a 'lawyer' or 'customs officer'. Each payment is followed by a new fee. There is no inheritance or parcel.

Who is targetedOften elderly people, widows and divorcees, per US prosecutions.
How fast it movesWeeks to years; repeat fees escalate.
Typical routeDating site / social media -> email or messaging with fake 'lawyers', 'couriers' or 'customs officers' -> wire transfers or checks

Red flags

  • They say they are sending you a parcel, gift or money that is stuck in customs
  • They mention an inheritance of gold, jewels or cash they need help releasing
  • A 'lawyer', 'courier', 'bank' or 'customs officer' contacts you asking for fees
  • Each payment is followed by another unexpected fee

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Recent cases

Real cases reported by courts, police, regulators and the press. People facing pending charges are presumed innocent, and private victims are not named.

2025-2026 · Arizona, USA / Ghana · About $4.4 million
A Ghanaian national extradited to the US in 2025 pleaded guilty over a 2013-2023 scheme in which co-conspirators posed as romantic partners via dating sites and texts, claimed an inheritance of gold and jewels, and demanded taxes and fees to release it; he agreed to pay about $4.4 million restitution. Sentencing was scheduled for 8 September 2026.
2025-01 · France · About $850,000 in total
In the French 'Brad Pitt' impersonation case, the scammer first claimed to be sending luxury handbags and asked the victim to pay the customs bill – the first was €9,000 – before larger 'medical' requests; she realised it was a scam in summer 2024.

The numbers

  • IC3: lottery/sweepstakes/inheritance fraud – 5,623 complaints and $194.1 million lost; advance-fee fraud – 7,762 complaints and $155.9 million lost. (2025) source
  • FTC flagged claims about sending packages that require upfront 'customs' fees as a romance-scam red flag. (2022) source

If it is happening to you

  1. Do not pay any fee to release a gift, parcel or inheritance from someone you met online.
  2. Do not contact 'lawyers' or 'couriers' they introduce; check real customs/courier contacts independently.
  3. Stop payments with your bank and report.

Where to report

United Statesreportfraud.ftc.gov – FTC – ReportFraud.ftc.govic3.gov – FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) – type www.ic3.gov directly; IC3 never contacts victims by phone, social media or chat
United Kingdomreportfraud.police.uk – Report Fraud (replaced Action Fraud) – reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040stopscamsuk.org.uk/159 – Call 159 to reach your bank's fraud team safely (covers >99% of UK retail current accounts)
Canadareportcyberandfraud.canada.ca – Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre – reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501, and your local police
Australiascamwatch.gov.au – Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au); ReportCyber via cyber.gov.au; IDCARE 1800 595 160 for identity recovery

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The criminal poses as an attractive person (often a young woman) on a dating app, social media or game, flirts quickly, and persuades the target to exchange nude images or join an intimate video call that is secretly recorded.

Sources

Research compiled 28 September 2026.