Is the message I’ve had from the SFO genuine?
The SFO, like many government organisations, is sometimes impersonated by cyber criminals, who use our name in attempts to defraud the public.
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Documents
Details
The SFO, like many government organisations, is sometimes impersonated by cyber criminals, who use our name in attempts to defraud the public. Please see this page to check if a communication from the SFO is genuine.
Genuine communication
- All emails from the SFO will only ever come from a .gov.uk domain email address.
- All SFO letters will be on officially headed paper with our logo. If the logo is blurry, stretched or skewed, then it is likely to be a scam.
- Our communication will primarily be in English.
Common signs of scams
- Someone requests your bank details. The SFO will never ask you to share your bank details.
- Requests for information or money in order to return cryptocurrency.
- The email address of the sender does not end in .gov.uk.
- The sender refuses to validate their identity as an SFO employee.
If you believe the communication you have received to be fraudulent, STOP!
- Never click on any links, open any attachments or scan any QR codes from suspicious contact claiming to be from the SFO.
- Break contact, do not reply or contact any phone numbers they provide.
If you are still unsure whether your communication is genuine, please forward it as an attachment to alerts@sfo.gov.uk with the subject SFO Authentication Request.
Contacts
If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the SFO, validate the contact and/or name of the employee by contacting us:
SFO Switchboard: 0207 239 7272
SFO Address: 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BS
Alerts: alerts@sfo.gov.uk
Additional Resources
Action Fraud The UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.
Local Police If you believe you’ve been a victim of crime contact your local police force.
GOV.UK – Stop! Think Fraud campaign Provides guidance on how to spot fraud.
NCSC guidance on phishing To learn about phishing and how to protect yourself.