Fake officials and portals.
WHAT THE COMMON SCHEMES ARE
Fake portals collecting fees and data Impersonation of officials demanding payment Agents claiming inside connections Forged certificates Notices demanding urgent payment
WHAT MAKES THEM EFFECTIVE
Urgency Authority Complexity of genuine processes
WHAT TO VERIFY ALWAYS
The address of any portal, character by character The identity of anyone claiming to be an official The account any payment goes to
WHAT LEGITIMATE PAYMENT LOOKS LIKE
A generated reference Payment through official channels An official receipt
WHAT TO NEVER DO
Pay into a personal account Pay cash without an official receipt Provide identity numbers in response to unsolicited contact
WHAT TO DO ABOUT AN UNEXPECTED DEMAND
Contact the agency through its published details.
WHY NOT THE DETAILS ON THE NOTICE
Forged notices carry forged contact details.
WHAT TO CHECK ABOUT CERTIFICATES YOU RECEIVE
That they verify against the agency's records.
WHAT TO DO IF SOMETHING DOES NOT VERIFY
Stop, and raise it.
WHAT TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL WITH
Processes you have not done before Anything where an agent handles everything
WHAT TO INSIST ON
Doing at least the account creation and payment yourself.
WHY
It keeps control of the credentials and the evidence.
WHAT TO REPORT
Fraud attempts, to the agency concerned.
