A dvance Fee Fraud

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 advance fee fraud.

Advance fee fraud is when goods, services and/or financial gain which are promised, and once a payment the victim may not hear anything. Advance fee fraud is also known as 419 fraud, because 419 is the number of the criminal code in Nigeria dealing with this type of fraud / scam.

An allegation of advance fee fraud is not limited to a single type, form or activity but can be in an array of forms and activities some of which are as follows:

• Career opportunity scams or fraud
• Fraud recovery scams or fraud
• Impersonation of Officials scams or fraud
• Inheritance scams or fraud
• Loan scams or fraud
• Lottery prize draw scams or fraud
• Online dating scams or fraud
• Racing tip scams or fraud
• Rental scams or fraud
• Social media (facebook, Instagram, Tiktok) scams or fraud
• Ticket scams or fraud
• Vehicle matching scams or fraud
• Work from home or business opportunity scams or fraud
• 419 emails and letters

Advance fee fraud is a serious fraud allegation. We represent, providing advice and assistance, in all types of advance fee scams and / or 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 an advance fee 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, an advance fee 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 an advance fee fraud, it is important to seek legal advice. Discussing your case with a specialist lawyer who understands the offence of advance fee 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