Fraud is a type of crime in which someone uses deception and dishonesty for a financial gain. Across England and Wales, fraud constitutes as 40% of all recorded crime with courier fraud, investment fraud and romance fraud being the types of fraud that has the biggest impact on Staffordshire victims. Therefore, our Truth or Trap campaign aims to raise awareness of these different types of fraud, the signs to look for and our advice to avoid it. Investment fraud usually involves criminals contacting people out of the blue (cold calling) or contacting them via social media about a good investment opportunity. The fraudsters explain there is a rewarding opportunity to invest in a scheme or product with little or no risk. There may also be fake adverts, websites or documents to make the investment seem more genuine. The criminals will convince victims that the investment is going to be valuable and earn them a lot of money, but once they have received payment, they will stop all contact with the victim. Some of the key warning signs to look out for include: An out of the blue message, usually on social media Claims of high returns and low risk Vague responses to questions you ask for example how the investment works Unprofessional documents, emails or conversations Unusual payment methods are suggested
Our advice would be: Be wary of unexpected cold-calls offering a deal that sounds too good to be true Never send anyone money unless you can trust who they say they are or what they are offering is genuine Take your time with making the decision – do you research, ask for documentation and seek independent advice If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is Report anything suspicious us by calling 101 or visiting our website. You can also contact Action Fraud online: actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040
For more advice, visit our banking, payment card, investment and pension fraud page. | 
