The Valuation Office Agency has become the latest victim of a Nigerian-style scam.
The agency has warned occupiers and landlords that they may receive an e-mail or letter claiming to be from the VOA requesting a £1,500 payment for a “clean report of findings” so that funds could be released to them.
The letter is branded with the VOA logo, copied from the government body’s website, and uses other details in an attempt to make it appear official.
A spokeswoman said that the letterwas not from the VOA and should not be acted on.
The scam is known as a 419 fraud, named after the relevant part of the Nigerian criminal code as itis predominantly perpetrated by Nigerian fraudsters.
Such schemes areunderstood to cost British victims around £340m a year.
Earlier this year, justice minister Jack Straw was affectedby a similar scam when an e-mail purporting to be from him was sent to a number of his contacts, asking for $3,500.
The e-mail claimed that he had lost his wallet and needed the cash to settle his hotel bills and get back to the UK from Nigeria.
