The Insolvency Service is a government agency that provides services to those affected by financial distress or failure by seeking to tackle financial wrongdoing and maximising returns to creditors. The Insolvency Service operates as an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).
The Insolvency Service has issued a new press release warning people that fraudsters are impersonating the agency and its staff. It seems there has been a significant increase in scams involving the impersonation of the Insolvency Service and its employees.
Fraudsters are sending fake letters claiming that the Insolvency Service has authorized third-party companies to recover lost investments, which in reality, are part of the scam itself. These companies, which are registered at Companies House, are also being impersonated by criminals. The Insolvency Service has received over 300 complaints so far this year and it’s clear that this is becoming a growing issue.
The Insolvency Service is urging the public to be vigilant especially if they have had failed investments and receive communications about recovering funds through third parties. It’s important to verify any communication directly with official sources before taking any action.
The press release lists the following important points to be aware of:
- Fraudsters have been impersonating Insolvency Service staff through scam emails, letters and phone calls.
- The scammers contact individuals who have lost money in previous investments, claiming to be from the Insolvency Service.
- The Insolvency Service will never ask for an upfront fee or authorise another company to recover money lost in a previous investment for an upfront fee.
- All genuine Insolvency Service email addresses follow the format firstname.surname@insolvency.gov.uk. No official Insolvency Service email addresses or websites will use a domain ending in ‘.co.uk’, ‘.com’ or similar.