Fraudsters sometimes use the names of National Audit Office (NAO) staff, including the NAO Chair, the head of the NAO the Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG), or derivatives of “National Audit Office”, in an attempt to defraud people. They may also use our address on their letters to try and trick you:

  • 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London SW1W 9SP

One e-mail scam included an image of a fake passport containing a photograph of a former head of the NAO.

Examples of other e-mail or letter scams include:

  • A letter from “UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION” headed “INTERNATIONAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE ON SOURCE OF FUNDS” quoting the National Audit Office postal address. This letter asks the recipient to ring a phone number and send money to release fictitious prize winnings. This letter is not genuine and seeks to lure the recipient into parting with money through fraudulent representations.
  • A message alleging to come from the C&AG (head of the NAO) offering to transfer funds to your bank account. This is not a genuine letter. No matter how real these messages may seem – even if they have authentic-looking NAO logos, stamps, or forms of identification (such as a passport) – no member of NAO staff will ever offer to transfer funds into a personal bank account.
  • Unsolicited e-mail entitled “INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP WANTED” claiming to be from the “National Lottery Audit department UK” and offering to fix a lottery draw for the benefit of the e-mail recipient. This is not a genuine e-mail but seeks to lure the recipient into parting with confidential details and money through fraudulent representations.
  • There are also e-mails entitled “UN TRAINING” or “UN JOB VACANCY” which claim to come from the National Audit Office Recruitment Department. These e-mails offer “refundable” training, with the promise of a lucrative UN job at the end. These are not genuine e-mails and seek to lure the recipient into parting with money and bank details in order to defraud them.

These examples are not genuine and are nothing to do with the National Audit Office. We advise that you ignore them and do not respond to them.

Other scams

Telephone calls, e-mails and visitors purporting to be from NAO staff.

The NAO has received reports that members of the public and private companies have been contacted, either by telephone or e-mail, or by individuals claiming to be NAO staff. There have also been reports of people claiming to be from the NAO carrying out surveys. These approaches have sought to obtain information including personal data, such as names and addresses, pension information and bank details.

Such contacts are not genuine and nothing to do with the NAO. We advise that you ignore them and do not respond to them, and if approached in person you ask them to leave

We do sometimes conduct surveys of our clients and stakeholders, NAO staff would never contact members of the public either by telephone or e-mail, asking for personal details. Any research company carrying out a legitimate survey for the NAO would be happy to give you the details of an NAO contact person you can speak to who can verify the survey is genuine.

Reporting scams

Although the NAO cannot investigate these scams, it is useful for us to be kept aware of any new scams that are using the NAO’s identity, and you can do this through our contact page.

We would recommend that you report internet or email fraud to Action Fraud, (0300 123 2040) the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre. If you get a visit from someone claiming to be from the NAO we recommend you contact the Police. If you have parted with any money you should also contact the police and your bank as soon as you can.

You may also consider seeking advice from organisations such as Citizens Advice (03544 04 05 06) or Money Helper (0800 138 7777)