Advance fee scams

When fake companies ask for an upfront fee and then don’t provide the service you’ve paid for.

How it could happen to you

After a job interview, you're offered a job and told you need to pay a fee to cover background checks or a training course. You pay, and then find out the job doesn't really exist
You see a great deal on a rental property, but you're told you can't look round. They ask you for a deposit to secure the rental and later you find out the property isn't really available
You pay to enter a competition on social media, but it isn't real and no prizes are ever drawn
Someone contacts you to say you've won a competition – it could be one you've entered, or one you've never heard of. They ask you to pay a fee to get your prize, but you never receive anything
You're looking for a loan and find one that suits your needs, but you're asked to pay an admin fee to secure it
You receive an unexpected call to say that you've inherited money from a long-lost relative but you need to pay a fee to get it. The scammer might say that the fee will be used as a deposit or an administrative charge, and returned to you later

How to protect yourself

Research any company offering a job on social media. Check whether they have a website or an office address
Don't click links from job adverts on social media – type the address into the browser to make sure you're going to the genuine website
Don't pay money to a company before starting a job
Use well-known estate agents, and don't sign a rental agreement if you can't visit the property
Be cautious of competitions or adverts on social media that ask you to pay to enter, or anyone asking you to pay to access something you've won
Always be suspicious of requests to pay for goods or services you haven’t ordered or are unaware of, especially if you’ve had to pay fees upfront
If you’ve been contacted by someone claiming to be from a company, always phone back on a number you know to be correct
Remember – you can't win a lottery or competition that you haven’t entered
Question anything that seems too good to be true – it usually is

What does it look like?

We've written a story that shows what an advance fee scam might look like. It describes common tactics we know scammers use, based on insights from our fraud and scams team.

See the story