A company called Very & Partner, which fraudulently claims to be working with Very, is recruiting people to write online reviews in exchange for payment. However, the company requests an up-front fee from individuals in order to begin writing reviews.

Very is in no way associated with Very & Partner, which we believe is an example of ‘advance fee fraud’. If you are contacted by Very & Partner or have been a victim, please contact Action Fraud - https://reporting.actionfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040.

What is ‘advance fee fraud’?

Advance fee fraud is when fraudsters ask victims to give money up front for goods, services and/or financial gains which the fraudsters have no intention of providing.

Another type of advance fee fraud relates to job opportunities. Scammers will commonly advertise ways to make money from an online business or working from home, outlining benefits like flexible working hours and bonus incentives. The scammer then requests an advance fee in return for registration or a code to access a website.

You should always:

• Research any company offering a job online, and especially via social media. Check whether they have a website or an office address
• Don't click links from job adverts on social media. Type the address into your browser to make sure you're going to a genuine website
• Never pay money to a company before starting a job
• If you’ve been contacted by someone claiming to be from a company, always phone back on a number you know to be correct
• Question anything that seems too good to be true – it probably is

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, please contact Action Fraud - https://reporting.actionfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040

• Identity theft occurs when somebody obtains your personal details without your knowledge or consent, with the intent to obtain goods and/or services in your name. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK and anyone is at risk.

• Check your statements carefully and report anything suspicious to the bank or financial service provider concerned.

• Be suspicious of any unexpected phone calls, text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be from any organisation asking for personal information.

• There is useful information on our page to help stay ahead of these criminals and helpful links focused on staying safe.

• This type of fraud happens when a fraudster places an order to be delivered to your own address. Shortly after the item arrives, somebody dressed as a delivery company employee comes to your property and alludes that the parcel you received was delivered to you in error; then they ask you to hand it over.

• If you receive a delivery from a company you didn’t order from and the parcel is addressed to you, check with family/friends if they may have sent to you intentionally.

• If not, contact the company directly via telephone (using their official contact details, usually available online). Keep hold of the parcel until the company arranges for it to be collected.

• You may receive an email/text message that appears to be from a delivery company, such as Yodel or Royal Mail, stating that they couldn’t deliver a parcel to you and will provide a tracking number. The intention of this type of fraud is to cause you to click on a link to confirm the parcel or pay a fee. This is a scam. The link is to a fake site in attempt to obtain your personal or payment details.

• All products purchased with Very will include delivery charges at the point of order, so neither we nor our delivery partners will ask for additional payment to allow delivery to take place.

• Not everyone is who they say they are, and scammers often pose as others online.

• The scammer may be a member of the same online dating site as you or any online forum you have joined. The scammer may also contact you on social media.

• They shower you with compliments and claim to be falling in love with you. Victims usually report that this shift occurs very early on in the relationship – so if it all seems to be happening too fast, it might very well be a scam.

• If you ask to meet in person but they always make excuses, be suspicious.

• Eventually, the scammer asks you to accept goods on their behalf, insisting they have already been paid for and request that you forward the goods on to them or a family member. Never accept goods for anyone you do not know personally.