All over the world, there are people who try to trick others into giving away their personal information and bank details. Anyone can be a victim of this, and it can be very difficult to tell whether communication is genuine. It can be helpful to ask yourself these questions when you are being contact for information: 

1. Are they saying you are in trouble?
2. Are they asking for personal information?
3. Does it sound too good to be true?

It is important to be wary of these fraudulent situations, such as pretending to be from a legitimate company or government correspondence,  to prevent identity theft, loss of money, and other potential consequences. 

If you are not sure if an email, telephone call, or any other type of contact is genuine, please contact the International Student Advisory team or the Reading Students Union Money Advisers. 

What should I do if I think I have been a victim of fraud?

• Take 5 and tell 2 – In any scenario where you are unsure about the communication you have received, take 5 minutes away from it to think about what is being asked of you and tell 2 people about it. Some fraudsters may ask you to cut contact with family and friends. If you ever receive a text message, phone call, email or other form of contact that is unusual or doesn’t feel right, make sure you speak to a friend, family member or staff member.
• If you are unsure of the situation, do not provide them with any information, hang up and contact the International Student Advisory Team who support all students with fraud concerns and tell them what happened, If out of hours (gone past 5 pm) contact Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040
• If you have given away your card details, you will need to contact your bank and cancel your card as soon as possible. 

If you’ve received a phone call or message, but you haven’t lost money, you can easily report it by forwarding the messages, free of charge, to 7726.

If you have received a suspicious email that you’re not quite sure about, you can forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.  For more information on how to report suspicious messages and emails please visit the Gov.uk Reporting Fraud Webpages.

For more information and support

• Action Fraud: Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cybercrime.
  
• Gov: UK Government information
  This page gives you advice on protecting yourself from tricks and scams the Home Office is aware of.
  
• Thames Valley Police is one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales and is the largest non-metropolitan force. It covers over 2,200 square miles and three counties: Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
• Blackbullion offers numerous educational courses to help you better handle your finances while at University,