How to Notice fraud, bribery and corruption?

Fraud

Fraud is when someone tricks or scams you out of money or something else valuable.

Personal fraud might be someone pretending to be your bank to trick you into transferring money into their account.

Business fraud could be someone lying in company accounts to steal from people who have loaned them money.

Fraud often happens online, like ticketing scams or using a fake dating profile to con money from you.

Bribery

Bribery is giving or offering a person something to persuade them to act dishonestly or break the law for you. It is illegal to offer, give or accept a bribe.

For example, a company paying an official to award them government contracts would be bribery.

A bribe doesn't have to be money. It could be something else, like offering a promotion at work in return for a favour. Or it could be a high-value gift, like tickets to a sporting event.

Businesses have a legal duty to prevent bribery within the company.

Corruption

Corruption is when someone abuses a position of power to get money or something else valuable.

For example, a group of companies secretly agreeing to set artificially high prices would be a form of corruption called price fixing. Or an employee selling company secrets to a competitor is corruption.

Match-fixing in sport is another form of corruption where a coach or player influences the outcome of a match for financial reward.

Disagreements between people about wills, visitation rights, property boundaries, landlords and tenants are not fraud, bribery or corruption.

Also, disputes over mis-sold or faulty items or bad service are not fraud, bribery or corruption.

How to report?

Reporting fraud, bribery or corruption

You might have only seen or heard something that makes you suspicious of fraud, bribery or corruption. But we still want to hear about it so we can decide whether to take action.

Fraud, bribery and corruption can overlap. For example, someone could be bribed to commit fraud

Is it an emergency?

Call 999 now in emergency situations like these:

there is an immediate danger to life

someone is using violence or is threatening to be violent

the fraud is happening right now and the suspect is still at the scene

Hearing or speech impairments

If you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999. 

Call 999 BSL to use a British Sign Language interpreter.

Answer these questions to find out who to contact if you have information about possible fraud, bribery or corruption, or if you think you have been the victim of a scam or fraud.