We are aware of a current scam where fraudsters falsely claim to be university staff and approach professional individual's external to the university via email (also known as ‘phishing’).

Typically, these fraudulent emails state that due to the original speaker cancelling unexpectedly, they are inviting the email recipient to step in at short notice as a guest speaker, adding false details about the event and location, and offering to cover all expenses and speaking fees.

• Unexpected or unusual requests to speak at the university
• Sense of urgency – the email may ask you to step in at short notice after the previous speaker cancelled
• Incorrect domain name and/or email address - ensure you double check the email address used (e.g. at King’s, email addresses end in @kcl.ac.uk)
• Incorrect physical location – you can find correct addresses for our locations on our ‘Contact King’s College London’ webpage
• A suspicious phone number – if you’re unsure if a phone number provided is genuinely from King’s College London, please do not call the number. Instead, you can contact our general switchboard
• Spelling or grammatical errors in correspondence

Please remain vigilant and take necessary precautions so that you do not fall victim to scams.

Treat any request to click on links in emails or to provide personal or financial information with extreme caution.

If you are concerned about whether a communication asking you to speak at the university is genuine, please do not contact the email or phone number provided in the correspondence received.

Please instead confirm details directly with the university using contact details you know to be correct (for example, on the King’s College London’s official website or calling directly via our general switchboard, where you’ll be directed to the relevant organisational area to check the validity of the request).

If you suspect you have been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately.

Additionally, you should report this to Report Fraud. Report Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. If you are based outside of the UK, report to your respective national fraud reporting service.

Please also provide details about the suspected fraud attempt to us at counter-fraud@kcl.ac.uk.

See our Counter Fraud page for more information.