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Theblack money scam, sometimes also known as the "black dollar scam" or "wash wash scam", is ascam wherecon artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by convincing them that piles of banknote-sized discoloured paper are realUnited States dollars that has been stained or dyed. Some scammers claim the money was dyed after it was seized by theDrug Enforcement Administration during investigations, and has been stained to prevent it being circulated back into the world economy. As a form ofmisdirection, the scammer will often assert that the money itself is worthless, thus the victim is persuaded to pay upfront fees to purchase expensive chemicals to remove the dye, with the promise of a share in the proceeds after all the money has been thoroughly cleaned. The black money scam is a variation of what is known asadvance fee fraud.
A Ghanaian native caught perpetrating the scam revealed the tricks of the trade toABC News Chief Investigative CorrespondentBrian Ross.[1] AuthenticUS$100 bills are first coated with a protective layer of glue, and then dipped into a solution oftincture of iodine to stain it completely black.[2] The bill, when dried, looks and feels like blackconstruction paper. From a mass of banknote-sized sheets of real construction paper, the victim is invited to pick a "note" at random for cleaning by the scammer, where it is then switched viasleight of hand with the iodine-coated US$100 bill. The scammer then sprays on a light coat of an unidentified chemical, which removes the dye to reveal the banknote. The "magic cleaning solution" is actually crushedvitamin C tablets dissolved in water. In another arrest, ordinary raspberry drink mix was found to be the "magic cleaning solution". Solutions ofcalcium hydroxide andmagnesium hydroxide have also been used as washing agents in the scam.
