Advance payment
False advance payment fraud with fake product or service
Advance payment fraud is where a person is tricked into making a payment for an item, or service in advance which does not exist or does not materialise.
Example of advance payment fraud:
- A person arranges to meet a seller at an agreed location but is convinced to transfer money for the goods in advance or the seller won’t turn up. They lose the money they paid in advance because the seller has no intention of turning up
- A victim pays money as they are told this is the condition of winning a prize that doesn’t exist
- A person buys an expensive item for a cheap price believing they have found a bargain but never receives the item
- A house owner pays a large deposit to a painter and decorator who is actually a fraudster and never turns up
