ActionFraud - National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre - Call 0300 123 2040

The “Good Citizen Award” scam

Action Fraud has been receiving reports of an advanced fee fraud whereby suspects phone a member of the public and claim to be calling on behalf of the UK (or British) Government Grant Department.

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The cold calling fraudsters claim you have won a “Good Citizen Award” – of typically £8,000 – and that the grant can be released for a fee (of around £210).

Fortunately, very few members of the public have lost any money as a result of this scam but have reported to Action Fraud in order to help build a picture of this fraud and protect others from falling victim to it.

How to protect yourself:

  • There is no genuine "Good Citizen Award" scheme in the UK that operates by cold calling “winners” and asking for an upfront fee to release a grant.
  • If you receive a call that claims to represent such a scheme, it is a scam. End the phone call – do not give out any personal or financial data.

To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

You can now also sign up for free to Action Fraud Alert to receive direct, verified, accurate information about scams and fraud in your area by email, recorded voice and text message.

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