WhatsApp Scam Reports
Advance Fee (Visa/Loan/Customs)
What is an Advance Fee (Visa/Loan/Customs) scam?
A promised visa invitation letter, loan, inheritance, or held shipment requires an upfront "processing", "legal", or "customs" fee before it can be released. The fee is the scam; the promised thing never existed.
1 report on file · refreshed live on every request · most recent
Red flags to watch for
- A visa, loan, inheritance, or shipment is promised, but releasing it requires a fee first.
- The fee is described as "processing," "legal," "customs," or "insurance," and grows once paid.
- Official-looking letterhead or reference numbers are used, but there's no way to verify them independently.
- The organization or agency named doesn't match how that real institution actually contacts people.
What to do
A genuine visa, loan, inheritance, or shipment never requires an unverifiable upfront fee paid to an individual. Verify any claimed agency or institution independently, through channels you find yourself, not the contact details given to you.
How common this is, officially
IC3's "Advanced Fee" category received 7,762 complaints in 2025, with reported losses of $156 million.
— FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, 2025 Internet Crime Report
Reports tagged Advance Fee (Visa/Loan/Customs)
1 report filed under Advance Fee (Visa/Loan/Customs), most recently on . Advance Fee (Visa/Loan/Customs) ranks #5 of 6 scam types on file by report volume.
- 1🇦🇫 Afghanistan1 report
1 matching report
Frequently asked questions
How is a scam type determined for a report?
The reporter selects it when filing, from a fixed list of common patterns -- not inferred automatically from the notes.
What if a report matches more than one pattern?
Reporters pick the single closest match. Read the notes on each report for the full description, which often blends more than one tactic.
How often is this page updated?
Immediately — every count here reflects the reports on file in real time, not a periodic snapshot.
Report this to official agencies
This case file is a self-reported community record, not an official investigation. If you were targeted, consider also filing a report with a national or international fraud authority:
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)United States
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)United States
- Action FraudUnited Kingdom
- Scamwatch (ACCC)Australia
- Canadian Anti-Fraud CentreCanada
- CERT NZNew Zealand
- National Cyber Crime Reporting PortalIndia
- ScamShieldSingapore
- Anti-Deception Coordination CentreHong Kong
- EuropolEuropean Union
- INTERPOLGlobal
- econsumer.gov (ICPEN)Cross-border complaints