Fraud
What is Fraud?
Fraud is when somebody tries to deceive or trick you to gain a dishonest advantage which is often financial.
There are many words used to describe fraud: scam, con, swindle, extortion, sham, double-cross, hoax, cheat, ploy, ruse, hoodwink.
There are various types of fraud including:
- Mail scams: common types of mail scams include fake lotteries and prize draws, offers of investments and inheritance windfalls.
- Doorstep scams: criminals pose as legitimate business people selling goods or services that are faulty, overpriced, of poor quality or non-existent.
- Telephone scams: common telephone scams include someone supposedly calling from your bank asking you share financial information or claiming there has been fraudlent activity on your bank account, calls offering products or services like pension or debt management or calls asking you to renew subscriptions to services like the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The caller often sounds professional and may pretend to be from a trusted organisation such as your bank, the police or a company you recognise.
- Email scams: common email scams include amazing discounts for a product, experience or holiday, “urgent messages” from trusted businesses or organisations to update payment information or passwords and emails containing fake invoices.
- Identity theft: this is when someone steals your personal details and uses them to carry out a crime such as opening a bank account, purchasing goods using your bank details or applying for loans in your name.
- Investment and pension scams
- Romance fraud (see section below)
- Parcel scams: This is an increasing type of fraud whereby victims receive an email or text from a “delivery company” asking for an additional payment to deliver a parcel.
Romance Fraud is when an individual engineers a friendship or relationship online for financial gain. Perpetrators will invest significant amounts of time to gain a victim’s trust and make a relationship appear genuine only to defraud them.
No matter how long you have been speaking to someone online or how much you think you trust them, if you have not met them in person it is important that you never
- Send them any money
- Give out bank account details or allow them access to your bank account
- Transfer money on their behalf
- Take a loan out for them
- Invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice
- Provide copies of personal documents like passports or driving licenses
Romance fraudsters are expert manipulators. Be wary of sob stories, too-good-to-be-true business deals or time critical requests that are designed to make you act quickly.
Thames Valley Police has developed a romance fraud e-booklet designed to demonstrate the clever tactics used by romance fraudsters with a view to empowering people, as well as dispelling the myths of shame and embarrassment often associated with this type of crime.
Anyone is susceptible to fraud. Criminals can be clever and well organised - finding new ways to trick and mislead you. Some victims of fraud say they feel embarrassment or shame but there is no need to feel this way as anyone can be caught out, even the most careful people.
- The Little Book of Big Scams developed by the Metropolitan Police can give you further information on existing scams and tips on how to identify them.
- The STOP! Think Fraud campaign collates lots of information about spotting different types of fraud and how to protect yourself.
If you receive a too-good-to-be-true offer, a request to part with money or personal information or a time-limited or time-critical communication always rememeber to take five before acting. There is no rush and that moment of contemplation may stop you falling victim to a scam.
If you have been a victim of fraud, you should report it to Action Fraud - the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can call Action Fraud for free on 0300 123 2040. Further information on the reporting and investigation of fraud is available in these Frequently Asked Questions.
If you’ve been tricked into supplying your personal details or goods it’s unlikely that you will be able to recover anything stolen by the offender, unless a fraudulent transaction qualifies for a refund from your bank or credit card company. If an offender is arrested, goes to court and is convicted, the court will have the power to order the offender to pay you compensation.
If you have been a victim of fraud and need emotional or practical support contact Victims First on 0300 1234 148 or through our online form on our Get Support Now page.