Scams and fraud
Protecting your information and recognising potential fraud or scams
It is not always easy to know whether something is genuine or not, but you can help protect your information and money by learning how to possibly recognise a potential fraud or scam. Below are a few points to consider if you are contacted by telephone, email or on social media and suspect that it may not be genuine:
- Do not provide any personal details (date of birth, bank account details, passport/visa details etc)
- Never send money to anyone you don’t know
- Keep safe online – change your passwords regularly, don’t always use the same one and make them as complex as you can remember
- Be suspicious of “cold callers” – anyone trying to sell you goods or services on your doorstep or over the phone where you haven’t asked them to make contact
- If you receive a suspicious email, do not open it or any attachments
- Monitor your bank account to ensure no unusual activity
- Take steps to block any unwanted calls/texts
UKVI Scam
If you receive an unexpected communication from UKVI, it may be a scam. If you are unsure about this, please contact our team before replying or making any payments. UKVI officials will never ask you to pay anything over the phone. Email communication from UKVI will look like name.surname@homeoffice.gov.uk Unfortunately, you may see a fake version of this, but we suggest that you click on the email link, it will create an email and if it’s fake, it will provide a different email address. Always check this before replying to ensure it’s genuine.
Further information regarding internet scams and phishing can be found on the following UKVI site along with actions to take if you find yourself in this situation:
Avoid and report internet scams and phishing: Report internet scams and phishing - GOV.UK