Sent money to an online match in Nigeria? What to do now

Make the first call yourself

Find your bank or payment provider through an app you already use, a card you hold, or a website address you type yourself. Tell them the amount, date, recipient detail and transaction reference you can see, then ask what can be done now. Do not use a support number or reversal link supplied by the match. If a password or code was shared too, say so and ask how to secure the account.

Chidi sent a transfer on Monday. On Tuesday the match asks for a fee to release the first amount. Chidi does not negotiate another payment. He contacts his bank, keeps its case reference and explains the new request in the dating app's report. Whether the first transfer can be recovered is for the provider to assess, not for a stranger to promise.

If the charge was an app subscription rather than a transfer, check the billing route →

Keep a small, useful record

Save the receipt, dates, profile link or name and messages that explain the request, if your device is safe. A short timeline is easier to give a bank or investigator than a long thread with unrelated personal details. You need not publish the other person's profile or your own finances online to ask for help.

Review dating red flags without trying to prove a stranger's motive →

Use the right report route for each job

Nigeria's Central Bank advises customers to report suspected fraud or compromised account information promptly to their bank. The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre offers an online cybercrime reporting route. These are different channels: your payment provider handles its transaction and account; police assess a possible offence. Neither channel can promise a refund.

The Nigeria guide to money requests explains how to refuse future transfers →

Do not let the loss become a second loss

Someone may claim to be a bank worker, investigator or recovery agent and ask for a fee, a one-time code or remote access to your phone. Verify any contact by finding the organisation's official channel yourself. A case number is useful for follow-up, but it does not mean a transfer will be reversed.

You can tell a trusted person what happened without asking them to judge your dating choices. If the match threatens you, do not arrange a private confrontation. Use the platform's report tools and seek appropriate local help. The immediate job is to protect the account and record, not to win an argument about whether you were careful enough.

If you return to dating apps later, choose one with controls you understand →

Questions you may have