It is crucial to take legal advice as soon as possible if there is a possibility an investigation will be launched or allegations have been made concerning fraud by false representation.

Fraud by false representation is when an individual or business deliberately lies or misrepresents the truth when conducting a transaction in order to make a financial gain for themselves and/or cause a loss to another party. Fraud by false representation is covered under the Fraud Act 2006. The act sets of 3 ways of committing fraud as follows:

• Fraud by false representation
• Fraud by failing to disclose information when there is a legal duty to do so, and
• Fraud by abuse of position

Fraud by false representation is a serious fraud allegation. The offence requires there must be dishonesty. an agreement between people to make money or cause another person to suffer loss, dishonestly. A conspiracy to defraud can apply to a range of activities and sectors including, financial, cartels, price fixing, false accounting, embezzlement, tax evasion, bank fraud, credit card fraud, online fraud – ebay, Instagram, and facebook marketplace to name but a few.

We represent, providing advice and assistance, in all types of fraud allegations at any stage of an investigation and/or prosecution.

These investigations are extremely thoroughly investigated and can cause immense disruption to a business, and individuals, who are the subject matter of those investigations. These investigations may cause irreparable damage to reputations.

Essentially, the investigation and prosecution teams will be seeking for evidence in order to establish and prove there was fraud.

Quite often, fraud investigations can be complex and cross different jurisdictions.

Belgravia Solicitors can advise you and liaise with authorities which may be involved in a fraud investigation, including the following:

• The Police Service (including the City of London Police)
• Trading Standards
• Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
• Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• National Crime Agency (NCA)
• Serious Fraud Office (SFO)

At Belgravia Solicitors we robustly challenge the evidence presented, where necessary challenging the procedures undertaken to obtain the evidence, challenge the admissibility of the evidence and ensure the evidence, a fraud investigation case is built upon, is not misinterpreted and fight your corner to give you the best chance of achieving the result you want from your case.

We will always ensure that the evidence is properly considered and will instruct appropriate experts on your behalf when evidence needs to be obtained, challenged, further examined, or excluded.

If you, your business / company, a family member / relative, or a friend are accused of fraud, it is important to seek legal advice. Discussing your case with a specialist lawyer who understands the offence of fraud at an early stage is essential to help understand what can be done to prepare a proper defence. We can be contacted on 03330 16 96 16 or on email: mail@belgraviasolicitors.co.uk