Help and support if you’ve recently arrived from Ukraine

We hope you will be made to feel safe and comfortable and want to make sure that while you are here, you are not taken advantage of. We want to ensure that your personal information and money stay safe.

When you set up a new bank account, you need to ensure that you never share the PIN to your card with anyone, not even the police, your bank or the people you are staying with.

You may be asked for your bank details so that the UK Government can send you any benefits that you are entitled to. This is done on the website and NOT by clicking on links in text messages and emails, these may be a scam.

If someone tells you to pay them by gift card, money transfer, or cryptocurrency — to help you with your immigration status or for any reason — that’s also a scam.

If you are offered employment but have to pay an administration fee or any money before starting, this is a scam. You should not pay any money as genuine employers will not do this. Offers of employment by email or text when you haven’t applied are also scams.

You may come across emails or text messages that claim to be from the UK Government. These will always be from a .gov.uk address. If it’s any different you should treat it with caution and don’t click on any links.

The UK Government website is www.gov.uk

As you will be staying in Buckinghamshire, the council website is www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk

You can keep up to date with the current scams by following the Trading Standards social media pages and subscribing to their fortnightly emailed newsletter, TS Alert. Trading Standards also run regular scam awareness webinars, so you should feel free to attend!

Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards links:

• Facebook page
• Twitter  
• Scam Awareness webinars

For consumer advice or to report to Trading Standards please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline: 0808 2231133 or go online at report about trading standards.

To report a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or go online to reporting fraud and cyber crime.

Report a scam email by forwarding it to [email protected]

Report a scam text by forwarding it to 7726

If you think you have lost money to a fraudster or have compromised your bank details, you should contact your bank immediately and report it as above.