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Bulgaria (BG)

Bulgaria is the oldest state in Europe (founded 681 AD), a member of the European Union since 2007, and one of the most affordable countries for expats in the EU.

Capital: Sofia
Region: Europe
Language: Bulgarian
Currency: BGN (лв)
Cost of living: Very affordable (index 37)
Emergency: 112
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Scam Warnings

Common scams targeting expats in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is an EU member state and generally safe, but specific scam patterns affect expats and tourists: predatory taxis at Sofia Airport, online rental fraud on local classified platforms, investment fraud targeting foreign residents, and phishing impersonating Bulgarian banks. Three golden rules: book taxis before you land; never transfer a deposit before viewing a property; and verify any investment firm on the FSC register at fsc.bg before committing any money.

Airport Taxi Overcharging

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Unlicensed taxi drivers at Sofia Airport congregate aggressively in the arrivals hall and offer rides at negotiated "flat rates" of €30–50 or more for a journey that costs BGN 15–20 (roughly €7–10) on the meter. They target passengers who are unfamiliar with local prices and may refuse to use a meter.

How to spot it
  • - Driver approaches you in the arrivals hall before you reach the official taxi rank
  • - Offer of a "fixed price" significantly above BGN 20 for a city-centre journey
  • - Driver is in civilian clothes and has no visible company branding on the vehicle
  • - Vehicle is parked in a private car park rather than at the official rank outside Terminal 2
What to do: Book an OK Supertrans taxi in advance via their app or website, or use the official metered taxi rank outside Terminal 2. A legitimate metered fare from Sofia Airport to the city centre is BGN 15–20. Metro Line M4 connects the airport directly to the city centre for BGN 1.60 and is the safest and cheapest option.

Fake Apartment Listings and Rental Deposit Fraud

critical

Scammers post attractive Sofia apartments at below-market prices on Facebook Marketplace, OLX.bg and imot.bg. They claim to be abroad and pressure prospective tenants to transfer a deposit before any viewing. Photos are often copied from legitimate listings or taken from stock sites. Sofia city-centre 2-bedroom apartments below BGN 600–700/month should be questioned.

How to spot it
  • - Price is significantly below market for the area and apartment size
  • - Owner claims to be abroad and cannot show the property in person
  • - Pressure to wire a deposit before any viewing or signed contract
  • - Payment requested via cryptocurrency, Western Union or MoneyGram
  • - Listing photos are findable on other property portals via reverse image search
What to do: Never transfer any money before viewing the property in person. Verify the property ownership via the Bulgarian Property Register (Imotni Registar — cadastre.bg). Use a reputable estate agency (агенция за недвижими имоти) and insist on a formal rental contract before any transfer. Report fraudulent listings to the platform and to the police (166).

Investment Fraud and Unlicensed Brokers

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Bulgaria has seen a persistent pattern of fraudulent investment platforms targeting both locals and foreign residents with promises of high returns on forex, cryptocurrency or stocks. The Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) issued multiple warnings in 2025 about unlicensed firms and crypto-company hijacking, including cloned legitimate broker websites. The first quarter of 2025 saw IBAN-swapping attacks causing over €2 million in losses.

How to spot it
  • - Unsolicited contact (call, email or social media ad) offering exceptional investment returns
  • - Company not found in the FSC's public register of licensed investment intermediaries at fsc.bg
  • - Website URL closely resembles a legitimate broker but is slightly different (e.g., extra letter)
  • - Requests to download proprietary trading software or hand control of your account to a "broker"
  • - High-pressure tactics to deposit quickly or "upgrade" your account
What to do: Before depositing with any investment platform, verify it is licensed by searching the FSC register at fsc.bg/en/supervised-entities/lists. Report suspected unlicensed operators to the FSC via their complaints portal at eis.fsc.bg or email delovodstvo@fsc.bg. Never grant remote access to your computer or banking app to an "advisor".

Currency Exchange Scams

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Unofficial money changers — particularly in tourist areas of Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Sunny Beach — offer rates that appear better than official ones but use sleight of hand, counterfeit notes or false arithmetic to short-change customers. The BGN is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate — no legitimate exchanger can offer a better rate.

How to spot it
  • - Person approaches you on the street offering to exchange currency
  • - Rate offered appears better than 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN, which is the legally fixed rate
  • - Exchange booth in a tourist area displays an attractive rate in large print but hides fees in small print
  • - Pressure to complete the exchange quickly
What to do: Never exchange money with street touts. Use bank branches or official exchange offices (обменно бюро) with a clearly posted rate board. The BGN/EUR rate is always 1.95583 — any significant deviation is a scam. For other currency pairs, use Revolut or Wise for best rates.

Phishing Impersonating Bulgarian Banks and Delivery Services

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Fraudulent SMS messages and emails impersonating DSK Bank, UniCredit Bulbank, Postbank and Bulgarian parcel services (Speedy, Econt) request account verification or a "1 BGN delivery fee" via a link that captures card details. The IBAN-swapping variant inserts fraudster bank accounts into payment documents intercepted by malware.

How to spot it
  • - Unsolicited SMS with a link to a "bank" or "delivery" website asking for card or login details
  • - Email address contains the bank name but domain is not the official one (e.g. dsk-bg.info instead of dsk.bg)
  • - Urgency: "your account will be suspended within 24 hours"
  • - Request to enter full card number, CVV or one-time password on an external site
What to do: Never click links in unsolicited SMS or emails. Access your bank by typing the URL directly. Bulgarian banks never ask for full card details by email. Report phishing emails and sites to CERT.bg (govcert.bg) and to your bank's fraud team. For cybercrime reporting, also use cybercrime.bg (managed by the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime).

Nightlife Overcharging ("Bar Girl" Scam)

warning

In Sofia centre and Black Sea resort nightlife areas (Sunny Beach, Golden Sands), attractive individuals approach tourists and invite them to a specific bar or club. Drinks are priced at €50–200 each; aggressive staff then present an enormous bill and refuse to let customers leave until it is paid.

How to spot it
  • - A stranger approaches enthusiastically and insists on going to a specific bar
  • - Bar is down a side street or in an unmarked building
  • - No price list visible on the bar or menu before ordering
  • - Staff become hostile when you ask for the bill or question prices
What to do: Always check prices before ordering in any unfamiliar establishment. Never follow strangers to specific venues. If you are presented with an inflated bill and feel threatened, call 112 (police emergency). Incidents of this type are most frequently reported in Sofia city centre, Sunny Beach and Golden Sands.

ATM Skimming

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Card skimming devices installed on ATMs (банкомати) copy card data and capture PINs via a pinhole camera. Particularly reported at standalone non-bank ATMs in tourist areas, nightlife districts and petrol stations.

How to spot it
  • - The ATM card slot looks loose, a different colour or has an extra plastic attachment
  • - A small hole or unusual object near the PIN keypad that could be a camera
  • - Standalone Euronet-style ATMs in bars, tourist shops or petrol stations
  • - ATM is in a dark or unmonitored location away from any bank branch
What to do: Use ATMs attached to or inside bank branches. Shield your PIN with your free hand when entering. Use contactless payment (Apple Pay / Google Pay) wherever possible to avoid inserting your card. Check your account statements daily. Report suspicious ATMs to the bank and call 112.

Bogus Employment Offers

warning

Job advertisements targeting EU and non-EU jobseekers promise high wages in hospitality, care or construction, then demand upfront payment for "work permits", "accommodation" or "processing fees". Jobs either do not exist or involve exploitative conditions on arrival.

How to spot it
  • - Employer requests payment before you start work or before any formal contract is signed
  • - Wage offered is far above market rate for unskilled work
  • - Employer cannot provide a verifiable company name or BULSTAT registration number
  • - Requests for passport or ID copies with no in-person meeting
  • - Job requires immediate travel to a remote location
What to do: Legitimate employers never charge workers fees. Verify Bulgarian companies via the Company Register at brra.bg (the BRRA — the Bulgarian Registry Agency). Check employer reviews on rabota.bg or jobs.bg. Report suspicious offers to the National Employment Agency (az.government.bg) or the General Labour Inspectorate.

Building Maintenance Fee Overcharging

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In residential apartment buildings, building managers (домоуправители) or management companies sometimes overcharge monthly maintenance fees (Etazhna Sobstvenost contributions) or issue invoices for fictitious repair work. Expats unfamiliar with the Etazhna Sobstvenost system are easier targets.

How to spot it
  • - Monthly fees consistently above BGN 60–80 for a standard apartment without transparent justification
  • - Repair invoices appear without prior owner notification or approval
  • - No itemised accounts presented at the annual owners' assembly (Общо събрание)
  • - Building manager unable or unwilling to provide receipts for claimed expenditure
What to do: Attend (or give proxy for) the annual building owners' meeting (Общо събрание на Етажната собственост). Request itemised accounts for all expenditure. Significant repairs require written approval from a majority of owners. Disputes can be raised with the municipality (общинска администрация). As an EU member state, Bulgaria applies the 14-day right of withdrawal for distance and off-premises purchases under the EU Consumer Rights Directive.

Reporting

Where to report: Police emergency: 112 (all emergencies) or 166 (Police hotline). Ministry of Interior (mvr.bg) for criminal matters. Cybercrime: cybercrime.bg (General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime) and CERT.bg at govcert.bg. Commission for Consumer Protection (КЗП / KZP): kzp.bg — consumer fraud, unfair commercial practices. Financial Supervision Commission (FSC): fsc.bg — investment and securities fraud. National Employment Agency (az.government.bg) — labour fraud.

Consumer helpline: Commission for Consumer Protection (KZP): 0700 111 22, Mon–Fri 09:00–17:30 (kzp.bg). European Consumer Centre Bulgaria for cross-border EU disputes: ecc.bg. As an EU member Bulgaria provides a 14-day right of withdrawal for distance and off-premises purchases. SEPA payments available (Bulgaria is in SEPA; the BGN is pegged to EUR but Bulgaria has not yet adopted the euro).