There have been a number of recent reports of attempted phone fraud in the UK, affecting international students.
A student may receive a call from someone who says they work for an organisation such as the Home Office, an embassy, the police, or a bank. The caller may appear genuine and the incoming number may appear to be a genuine number.
The caller might say that there is a problem with your visa, and they may ask you to pay a fine immediately. They might ask you to make payment in supermarket vouchers or iTunes vouchers. Or they may ask you to post cash, or your passport or your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) to them. A student may be told that they will be arrested, or visited by a government official.
Important: please remember that a bank, the Home Office, police or other government department, will NEVER call a student to request payment, or ask for personal details in this way.
They will also NEVER ask you to pay a fine in vouchers, or send money, or your passport, or BRP.
If you receive such a call:
- DO NOT give the caller any personal information, and do not confirm that any information they have is correct;
- DO NOT make a payment of any kind, either over the phone, by post, by money transfer (such as through Western Union), or by buying shopping vouchers.
Please contact the International Student Support team or DSU Advice, if you receive a call like this, or have any concerns.
If you wish, you could report the call to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk.
More information about this, and about what to do if you receive this type of call, is available here:
If you have any concerns about this, please contact us at iss@dmu.ac.uk, or DSU Advice team in the Campus Centre.
Posted on Friday 11 October 2019