Advanced fee fraud

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How does advanced fee fraud work?

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    What is it?

    Advanced fee fraud is a common scam where fraudsters trick victims into paying upfront fees for services or goods that are never delivered. This can occur in various situations, such as securing a loan, renting a property, or even for job opportunities.

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    Rising fee fraud

    Scammers are increasingly using advanced fee fraud to target vulnerable individuals, often preying on those who are less financially secure. In the past year, advanced fee fraud cases have surged by 105%, with victims losing an average of £711.

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    Targeting victims

    Regardless of their credit history, victims will be approved for what it is they are applying for, which is why individuals with a poor credit history or who are less financially secure are regularly targeted for advanced fee fraud.

Examples of advanced fee fraud

Job interviews

After a job interview, you could soon be offered the job but are told that you need to pay a fee for background checks or for training courses. Once this has been paid, it’ll soon become clear that the job doesn’t really exist.

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Hannah Daw, Paralegal

Social media competitions

You pay an amount to enter a competition on social media, which turns out never to be real, with no prizes ever given. You may also be contacted to say you’ve won a competition that you’ve entered, or you might not be aware of, but then they’ll ask you to pay a fee as a way of securing your prize.

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Rental properties

If you’re looking for a rented property, find a great deal then register interest, scammers will tell you that you can’t look around and will request a deposit in order to secure the property. Once this has been sent over, usually with the scammer using intimidating tactics, the victim will find out that the property was never actually up for lease.

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Protecting yourself against advanced fee fraud

If you believe that you have fallen for an advance fee fraud scheme, then you should contact your bank immediately.

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Why WRS

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Call on us for guidance and support 

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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Frequently asked questions

  • Examples of advanced fee fraud

    There are many different tactics that advanced fee fraudsters use to convince their victims that the scam is legitimate. Although there are numerous different types, there are more common strategies used by scammers. Examples of advanced fee fraud can include:

    After a job interview, you could soon be offered the job but are told that you need to pay a fee for background checks or for training courses. Once this has been paid, it’ll soon become clear that the job doesn’t really exist.
    If you’re looking for a rented property, find a great deal then register interest, scammers will tell you that you can’t look around and will request a deposit in order to secure the property. Once this has been sent over, usually with the scammer using intimidating tactics, the victim will find out that the property was never actually up for lease.
    You pay an amount to enter a competition on social media, which turns out never to be real, with no prizes ever given. You may also be contacted to say you’ve won a competition that you’ve entered, or you might not be aware of, but then they’ll ask you to pay a fee as a way of securing your prize.
    When looking for a loan, you could find one that meets all your requirements and needs but are asked to pay an admin fee in order to secure it at the current rate.

  • How can I protect myself from advanced fee fraud?

    In order to protect yourself against advanced fee fraud, you should avoid sending money via a direct bank transfer to someone that you have never met, or whom you can’t be sure is legitimate. Sending any money to a third party that you don’t know is not recommended and is one of the most common ways people lose money to scams, such as advanced fee fraud. If the person you are sending money to is located in a different country from yourself, or doesn’t match the location of their business, then you should not send money to them as this could also be a sign that this transaction is a scam.

  • What are the signs of advanced fee fraud?

    Just like other scams, there are some warning signs when it comes to advanced fee fraud schemes. If the offer seems too good to be true, you’re being pressured into making a quick decision, you’re being asked to pay via cryptocurrency or request a lot of personal information about you, then these are all signs of advanced fee fraud, if not other types of scams too.

  • What type of fraud is advanced fee fraud?

    Advanced fee fraud is a scam which is carried out via an exchange and, much like other types of fraud, can feel very personal and targeted. No matter what the scammers call these fees, whether it be membership fees, participation fees, taxes or handling fees, they all have the same thing in common which is that victims will never see their money again. Advanced fee fraud can come in many forms, but if you are ever asked to send money in exchange or upfront for a product or service, then be wary that this could be an advanced fee fraud scheme.

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