Stop! Think Investment Fraud #FraudFree2026

Stop! Think Investment Fraud #FraudFree2026

Good afternoon,

Investment Fraud happens when criminals promote fake companies and investment schemes in all the usual ways including but not limited to, in person, over the phone calls/texts, by post, online and across multiple social media platforms.  Criminals will deceive you into believing they are investors or financial advisors, when, in fact, your money has simply been stolen. 

Colleagues at the National Crime Agency (NCA) say: 

“False celebrity endorsements are used widely as clickbait or to give a sense of legitimacy;

Victims are often not aware they have been defrauded until they attempt to close accounts or make withdrawals, only to find the organisation disappears.”

The NCA have shared some startling statistics about Investment Fraud: “More victims than ever are being targeted by investment fraud criminals, with losses hitting more than £100,000 every hour, rising 54% from 2025 to 2026 calendar year.” 

Please find attached the NCA’s “Stop Investment Fraud Information Sheet”. 

(Regular readers will know that if you are looking to invest, the FCA Firm Checker can be found at: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/fca-firm-checker

Companies House: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house)

Please do share this important update with friends and family and encourage them to sign up for their own Hampshire Alert: https://www.hampshirealert.co.uk/ 

Hampshire Alerts is not a crime reporting portal – please do not report crime here.

If you realise you’ve been defrauded and wish to report a fraud that has already happened, please report it to Report Fraud either by phone 0300 123 2040 or online at: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ 

However, if a fraud or other crime is in progress, and/or you are in fear for yourself or someone else, and/or there is evidence in situ that could be damaged/destroyed, please phone 999 immediately. 

Otherwise, report non-fraud crime online, or find out about other ways to report a crime at: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

If you would like to report a crime anonymously, please contact: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or phone 0800 555 111

If you've been affected by a crime please contact Victim Care Hub for free, confidential, support:  https://www.hampshireiowvictimcare.co.uk/  or phone 0808 178 1641

If you’ve received a phishing email please report it to your email provider and/or forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk 

If you’ve received unwanted phone calls or texts from people you think are trying to scam you, but you haven’t engaged with them, please forward the text/phone number to 7726 or your phone provider.

Thank you – Fraud Safeguarding Team