People applying for a UK visa, or supporting someone who is, are a steady target for fraudsters. The Home Office publishes guidance on the scams it knows about, and GOV.UK has a separate page on reporting visa and immigration scams. This guide summarises what those pages say. It covers scams that target visa applicants and their families and it is general information, not immigration advice.
The core rule from the Home Office
The Home Office’s fraud guidance says an unexpected email, telephone call or letter from someone claiming to be from the Home Office may be a scam, and states that the department will never contact a person to ask for money or personal details. GOV.UK’s reporting page adds that a person will never be asked to pay for a visa using cash or a money transfer. The guidance also says that for a visa or permission to travel to the UK, the Home Office will never ask for payment by email, at a visa application centre or into a personal bank account, and that costs such as visa fees or premium services should be paid online through the official GOV.UK and commercial partner websites.
How the fraudsters make contact
The guidance says criminals are telephoning people in the UK and other countries, using websites to offer fake services, work or study in the UK and guaranteed visas, and using email addresses or SMS numbers that look official but are not. It says they may claim they can easily provide a UK visa or say that there is a problem with a visa application, may sound convincing and use official-sounding language or fake documents such as job offer letters, and may even know personal details such as a name, an address or the fact that an application has been made. Their goal is to obtain money or personal information.
Scams the Home Office describes
- Fake jobs. Websites offer UK jobs that do not exist, tell applicants they have secured the job, and then say visa and other fees must be paid. The Home Office says this is not how the visa system operates, that a legitimate employer would never ask for payment to secure a visa, and that UKVI will never guarantee a job in the UK.
- Fake officers. A person pretends to be a Home Office officer or from a Visa Application Centre. The guidance says they may go to a home to ask for money to process a partner’s visa, or call to say there is a serious problem with a visa, often targeting students, and tell the person to send money quickly by means such as MoneyGram to prevent action such as deportation or cancellation of the visa. It states that legitimate visa officers will never contact people for money in person, by email or by phone.
- Deposit requests. People are asked to pay a “deposit” as proof of funds. The guidance says applicants must provide evidence that they can support themselves, but the department will never ask for money.
- Fake agents. Agents claim to work for the Home Office or visa centres and offer visas using forged documents. The Home Office says it has advanced methods of identifying forgeries and will refuse an application that uses them. Fake agents may also say they can speed things up and ask for payment into a personal bank account.
- Fake websites and email addresses. Fake sites imitate government or official visa enquiry pages. Official UK government websites always end in .gov.uk. The guidance warns that an address shown on screen can create an email to a different address when clicked, so the actual address should always be checked, and it gives official Home Office addresses in the format [email protected].
Red flags listed by the Home Office
- the offer seems too good to be true, such as an easy job or a quick and easy visa;
- a visa is guaranteed, or documents are supplied to support an application;
- money is requested, especially cash or insecure methods such as digital vouchers or payments into an unknown bank account, which the guidance says do not allow the recipient to be traced;
- bank account or credit card details or confidential information are requested;
- secrecy or immediate action is demanded;
- the website looks unprofessional or gives no information about the organisation; or
- replies are requested to a free email account such as Gmail, often with poor grammar.
What to do if contacted
The Home Office advises not giving out any personal information, and not confirming that personal information a caller already has is correct, not paying any money, and not paying with electronic vouchers. Where a payment has been made or details have been shared, the bank transfer scams guide and the identity theft guide explain first steps in the UK.
Where to report
GOV.UK’s reporting page says to contact Report Fraud to report visa and immigration scams, and to include a copy of the suspicious email, the sender’s email address and the date and time it was received. If a reply was sent, the report should include details of what was sent, such as bank details, an address or a password. It also says suspicious emails, letters or telephone calls can be reported to the police through Report Fraud. The Home Office guidance says people overseas should report suspicions to their local authority. The guide to where to report a scam lists further routes.
The bottom line
The Home Office’s position is simple: it will never ask for money or personal details by unexpected contact, never ask for a visa payment in cash, by money transfer, by email or into a personal bank account, and never guarantee a job, while a guaranteed visa is a listed red flag. Fees are paid through official GOV.UK channels. Anyone approached in any other way should stop, avoid paying or confirming personal details, and report the contact through Report Fraud.