The Black Dollar Scam, also known as the "Black Money Scam" or "Wash Wash Scam," is a scam where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by convincing him or her that piles of banknote-sized paper in a trunk or a safe are actually currency notes that have been dyed to avoid detection by authorities. The victim is persuaded to pay fees and purchase chemicals to remove the dye, with the promise of a share in the proceeds. The black money scam is a variation of what is known as advance fee fraud.
Typically the fraudsters will send out thousands of e-mails, but have also been known to approach the victim directly.
The conmen will then say that certain fees and expenses need to be paid, including government taxes, or death duties, to extract funds from the victim. Eventually the victim will be persuaded that the trunk contains a very large amount of cash which has all been stained black or another colour to avoid detection by customs.
The victim will then be asked to inspect the contents of the safety deposit trunk and told that the stain can be removed with chemicals. Some conmen even go as far as washing a stained note, replacing it with a real note when the victim is not looking.
Related to White Money.