Notice

Is the message I’ve had from the SFO genuine?

Published 12 November 2024

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2024

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/is-the-message-ive-had-from-the-sfo-genuine/43bf201e-684f-43dc-9164-a97ab9d99dd3

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.  

1. 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.

2. 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.

2.1 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

Met Police: The Little Book of Crypto Crime Provides valuable knowledge on crypto crime so you can better protect yourselves and your loved ones.

Back to top