Fraud Warning

Our genuine contact details

We will only ever contact you using the details below. If you are contacted by anyone claiming to be from Whytecroft Ford using other details, treat the message as suspicious.

• Website: www.whytecroftford.com
• Email: addresses ending @whytecroftford.com
• Telephone: 020 8757 5751
• Office: Abbey House, 450 Bath Road, Longford, UB7 0EB

Our bank details never change by email

We will never tell you by email, text message or social media that our bank details have changed. If you receive a message asking you to pay us using new or different bank details, do not make the payment.

Before you make any payment to us, call us on 020 8757 5751, using the number on this page rather than one in the message, to confirm the details are correct.

If in doubt, stop. Do not pay, do not reply and do not click any links. Call us on 020 8757 5751 and we will confirm whether the message came from us.

Warning signs of a scam

• Pressure to pay urgently, or a threat that your visa or application will be refused unless you pay immediately.
• A request to pay by cryptocurrency, gift cards, money transfer services or into a personal bank account.
• An email address that looks almost right, with small spelling changes or a different ending.
• A message from a mobile number or messaging account we have not used with you before.
• Someone claiming to be from the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration or the police who asks for payment or personal details by phone.
• A promise of a guaranteed visa, or an offer that sounds too good to be true.

Government impersonation scams

The Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration will not phone you to demand payment, and they do not accept payment by gift cards, cryptocurrency or bank transfer to individuals. Government application fees are only paid through official GOV.UK services.

If you are unsure whether an immigration adviser is genuinely regulated, you can check the IAA adviser finder on GOV.UK.

How to protect yourself

• Check the sender's email address carefully before replying or opening attachments.
• Never share passwords, one-time codes or bank security details with anyone.
• Use the contact details on this page, not those in a suspicious message, to check with us.
• Keep your passport and eVisa details private and only share them with your adviser through secure channels.

If you think you have been targeted

• Stop. Do not reply, click links or make any further payment.
• Contact us on 020 8757 5751 or at [email protected] so we can confirm whether the contact was genuine and warn other clients.
• If you have made a payment, contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card.
• Report it. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report fraud and cyber crime to Report Fraud, the national reporting service run by City of London Police. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101. Suspicious emails can also be forwarded to [email protected].

We take impersonation seriously and report incidents to the police and, where they involve immigration advice, to the Immigration Advice Authority. We are not able to recover money lost to third parties or accept liability for losses caused by fraudulent communications that did not come from us.