Indians in UK receiving fraud calls for money | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Indians in UK receiving fraud calls for money

Hindustan Times, London | By
Mar 25, 2017 07:58 PM IST

More than 10 affected Indian citizens have approached the Indian high commission in London, saying callers were demanding money to deal with non-existent errors in their passports or visa papers.

Several Indian citizens in Britain have received calls from people purporting to be from the Home Office, demanding money to deal with non-existent errors in their passports or visa papers, prompting an advisory from external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Callers falsely claimed they had information about the Indian nationals from the high commission or other authorities in India or the British high commission in New Delhi(Reuters/ representational image only)
Callers falsely claimed they had information about the Indian nationals from the high commission or other authorities in India or the British high commission in New Delhi(Reuters/ representational image only)

After receiving tweets from affected Indians in several countries, Swaraj asked them not to worry and to report the calls to the nearest Indian mission. The Indian high commission in London too issued an advisory, asking those affected not to pay money to the callers.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

More than 10 affected Indian citizens have approached the high commission, and officials said they were aware of at least 25 such cases . These cases emerged recently, but similar calls were received in previous years. 

The Indian mission’s advisory states: “A number of incidents have come to the attention of the High Commission involving fraudsters having telephonically cheated some Indian nationals by posing as officers from UK Home Office/ UK immigration/ UKBA.

“These fraudsters extort money from Indian nationals, claiming that mistakes were noticed in their passports, visa forms, immigration forms etc and that they should deposit money (as demanded by these fraudsters) to have these mistakes rectified or else they will be deported or imprisoned in UK.”

The advisory noted that in some cases, the callers falsely claimed they had information about the Indian nationals from the high commission or other authorities in India or the British high commission in New Delhi.

“This is to clarify that the High Commission does not send any such notifications to UK authorities. If there is any issue, the High Commission contacts the concerned Indian national, directly using the official email ID of the High Commission ending with @hcilondon.in,” it said.

“Indian nationals are advised not to entertain suspicious telephone calls and they should never part with their money in response to such calls. Indian nationals are further advised to immediately notify the local police and also report the matter online to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk) or by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.”

The advisory said Indians could also bring such calls to the notice of “their university (in case of students), their employers/sponsors(in case of work permit holders)” and to the high commission at the email ID info.london@hcilondon.in.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Prasun Sonwalkar was Editor (UK & Europe), Hindustan Times. During more than three decades, he held senior positions on the Desk, besides reporting from India’s north-east and other states, including a decade covering politics from New Delhi. He has been reporting from UK and Europe since 1999.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On