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IMPACT – HIGH
What is the change? A sophisticated scam by individuals posing as Home Office officials is targeting foreign nationals in the U.K. The phone calls appear genuine because the callers possess personal details of the targeted immigrant, including passport numbers, mobile phone numbers, visa numbers and other private data.
What does the change mean? Foreign nationals should be suspicious of any calls that claim to be from U.K. authorities threatening deportation and demanding payment. The Home Office does not call customers to collect immigration fees by phone.
Background: In recent days, foreign employees and their family members new to the U.K. have been phoned by individuals claiming to be from the Home Office, citing the immigrant’s private data and saying they are investigating claims that the individual’s immigration status is illegal. The callers have then asked for payment via phone to look into the matter.
Similar scams against immigrants have been reported globally, most recently in Australia, Canada and Singapore, and have been on the rise globally since 2013. Other permutations of these scams include fraudulent websites that mimic government sites, and emails and phone calls that spoof legitimate government emails and phone numbers.
BAL Analysis: Unfortunately, scams targeting immigrants are becoming more common and more sophisticated in their ability to access and misuse personal data. Anyone receiving calls demanding payment should report them to the police and Home Office.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in the United Kingdom. For additional information, please contact uk@bal.com.
Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.
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