Recover the money you’ve lost from advanced fee fraud

Were you pressured into making an upfront fee, only to be left with nothing? WRS can help reclaim the money you’ve lost with our proven recovery process.

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Advanced Fee Fraud Explained

How does advanced fee fraud work?

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    What is advanced fee fraud?

    Advanced fee fraud is a common scam where fraudsters trick victims into paying upfront fees for services or goods. It can materialise in various ways, such as asking for fees to secure a loan, rent a property, and even job opportunities.

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    Fake organisations

    Scammers create fake companies or impersonate a legitimate company when they offer their ‘service’. To appear genuine, they often create polished, professional materials, such as websites, emails, branded documents, and logos.

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    An upfront fee

    Eventually, scammers ask you to pay an upfront fee. They usually say this is to cover expenses such as credit checks, taxes, administrative fees, and insurance, or to release an item. Once you pay, they may ask for more or disappear with your funds.

Common types of advanced fee fraud

Job scams

You attend a job interview and get offered it. After, you’re told you need to pay a fee  – this could cover background checks or a training course they suggested. But when you pay, you realise the job never existed in the first place.

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Hannah Daw, Paralegal

Social media competitions

Scammers ask for a fee to enter a competition on social media, or say they need a fee to claim your competition winnings – one you may not even remember. They may claim the fee is to cover a processing fee, tax, or admin charge. In reality, there’s no competition and the scammer has taken your money.

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Rental property scams

Fraudsters advertise rental properties they don’t own. Cunningly, they often use in-demand areas or lower rental prices to attract interest. Once you’re interested, they ask for an upfront fee to secure the property. However, the property doesn’t exist or has already been rented out.

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Personal loan scams

If you’ve applied for a loan online, scammers may contact you and offer the money you need. But before you get it, they may ask for an upfront fee. They might say it’s to cover admin fees, or they could claim it’s because you have a poor credit score. Either way, when you make the payments, you won’t receive the loan as it’s a scam.

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Falling victim to fraud can be overwhelming and distressing. You deserve expert guidance and support every step of the way. That’s what we’re here for.  

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Advanced Fee Fraud FAQs

  • What does advanced fee fraud mean? 

    Advance fee fraud is when a scammer tricks their victim into paying an upfront fee for a service that doesn’t exist. This often includes personal loans, rental properties, job opportunities and competitions. Once the upfront fee is paid, the scammer typically disappears with the money, leaving the victim out of pocket.

  • How can I protect myself from advanced fee fraud?

    To protect yourself from advanced fee fraud, you should: 

    • Question when you’re asked to pay upfront fees for goods or services you’ve ordered, as well as those you haven’t.  
    • Be aware that winning a competition you haven’t entered is highly unlikely. It’s also highly unlikely you’ll be asked to pay a fee to claim prizes from legitimate competitions.  
    • Be cautious of recruiters’ email addresses. Typically, they’ll use a business address instead of Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.  
    • Be vigilant on social media, as scammers often post fake job opportunities and competitions on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

  • What type of fraud is advanced fee fraud?

    Advanced fee fraud is a type of scam where an individual is asked to pay a fee in exchange for goods or services. Typically, though, the scammer will disappear with the victim’s money, without providing anything in return. Examples of advanced fee fraud include: 

    • Loan fee fraud: You’re accepted for a loan, but before it’s “approved”, you’re asked to pay a fee for insurance, processing or an admin charge. Once paid, the loan never arrives, and the scammer disappears with your funds.  
    • Job scams: You apply for a job and are told you’ve been successful. But before you can start, you’re asked to pay for background checks, training, or admin costs. Once paid, the job offer vanishes, and so does the scammer with your money. 
    • Social media competition: You’re told you’ve won a prize in a competition, perhaps one you never even entered. But to claim it, you need to pay a small fee for delivery, verification or admin. After you pay, the prize never arrives because the competition was fake. 
    • Rental property scams: You find a great rental property online. The “landlord” asks for a deposit to reserve it, often claiming there’s a lot of interest or that you can’t view it in person. After you send the money, the property turns out to be fake — or already rented to someone else. 

  • What is the difference between advanced fee fraud and phishing scams?

    The key difference is advanced fee fraud involves a scammer asking for an upfront payment for a promised good or service – one that typically doesn’t exist. Phishing scams, however, aim to steal your personal data (such as password or debit card details) by disguising malicious links or emails as legitimate communications. 

  • What are the potential criminal sentences for advanced fee fraud?

    If caught and convicted, scammers who commit advanced fee fraud can face serious legal consequences. Under UK law, this type of fraud can result in up to 10 years in prison and unlimited fines.

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