Consumers are often targeted by fraud and other scams. Frauds and other scams can take a variety of forms, including:
- boiler rooms (http://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams/investment-scams/share-fraud-and-boiler-room-scams)
- land banking (http://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams/investment-scams/land-banking)
- Ponzi or pyramid schemes (https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart/get-rich-quick-scams)
- pressure selling
- identity theft.
If you are a victim of a fraud or other scam, you should:
- try to stop any financial transaction;
- be cautious and aware of future frauds or scams (including related ones); and
- report it as soon as you can to both the police and a regulator. Regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority and police forces worldwide consider these frauds and scams as a priority issue.
For more information on these matters, including contact details, see the links below.
https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/financial-crime/fraud
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams/how-to-avoid-scams
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ and https://www.met.police.uk/
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/beginners-guide-to-scams
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/national-fraud-authority/about