Fraud is a crime where someone deliberately deceives another person for personal gain, usually to obtain money or personal information. In the UK, fraud is generally defined under the Fraud Act 2006.
There are many different types of fraud, but most fraud and scams follow a similar pattern.
This can include:
- Falsely representing as a person or organisation (family member, police, HMRC etc)
- Using misleading or personal information for financial gain/information
- Creating a sense of urgency or pressure to send money or share personal details (For example – your account is going to be deleted; police are requesting money)
Examples of fraud include:
- A landlord knowingly advertises a property as legally licensed and compliant with safety regulations when it is not, to get the tenant to sign a tenancy agreement.
- Someone posing as an official (police/government) and claims you have been involved in a criminal investigation or are in trouble with the authorities. This can lead to the individual requesting an urgent transfer of money, possibly claiming this is for ‘bail conditions.’ They may also request 24/7 surveillance for these conditions to be met.
- Phone snatching can eventually lead to fraud. Check out the Met's guidance on keeping yourself safe: Be Switched On | Metropolitan Police
Quick tip: The police will never ask for you to send money. This is a common scam targeting students which may also include a request for 24/7 surveillance. It is important you do not engage with this scam and report it to police as soon as possible.
If you think you have been scammed, or you have any doubts and would like to check before you transfer money, email the Crime Prevention and Personal Safety team who will support you: crimeprevention-personalsafety@ucl.ac.uk