The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Department for Education (DfE) are urging teachers and education staff to spot the signs of possible invoice fraud in a joint campaign launched today.

Invoice Fraud is a crime that costs schools millions each year and is one of the most common and costly forms of financial crime.

The NCA is warning that the education sector is at high risk of invoice fraud because schools and Trusts regularly work with a wide range of suppliers and process frequent payments.

Day-to-day reliance on email for sending invoices and updating payment details, combined with shared or distributed finance responsibilities, can make it harder to spot fraudulent requests.

Criminals take advantage of these normal business processes by posing as trusted suppliers and attempting to redirect payments.

Invoice fraud occurs when criminals deceive individuals and businesses into paying fake invoices or diverting a genuine payment into accounts controlled by fraudsters.

Fraudsters can impersonate suppliers, intercept emails or send convincing invoices to generate immediate payments into their own accounts.

The aim is to manipulate victims into transferring funds to the fraudsters instead of their legitimate destination.

Education is one of the top 3 sectors impacted by invoice fraud in the UK (source: Report Fraud).

This campaign provides individuals and organisations with practical guidance on identifying and preventing this fraud, including:

• CHECK for any changes to invoice details, bank details or if you are being pressed for an urgent payment.
• VERIFY by calling the genuine supplier on a previously used phone number before you transfer money, as emails can be intercepted or diverted.
• NEVER transfer money until you are satisfied the details are correct

The NCA and DfE have developed an information sheet on invoice fraud, available here, alongside a supporting social media campaign on the NCA and NECC LinkedIn accounts. The activity is co-branded with the Home Office’s national Stop! Think Fraud campaign.

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director Fraud at the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) in the NCA, said:

“Invoice fraud is a serious and growing crime affecting organisations of all sizes, including schools and education providers. Criminals take advantage of everyday business processes, using convincing and sophisticated tactics to appear legitimate. When funds are lost, it can directly affect resources for pupils, staff and essential services.

“Helping people who work in education and handle invoices to understand how this type of fraud works could potentially prevent many invoice frauds from resulting in a financial loss. Straightforward actions such as taking a moment to pause and independently confirm payment details can make a real difference. Alongside this, the NCA is working hard to disrupt the criminal networks responsible for these offences.

“This campaign provides practical, easy-to-follow advice to help education providers to strengthen everyday processes, reduce risk and better protect vital funds. By building awareness and encouraging consistent safeguards, we can make the sector a harder target for opportunistic criminals.”

Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, said:

“Fraudsters are ruthless in their pursuit of cash and don’t care who they take it from. I’m urging teachers and education staff to take this advice and always Stop! Think Fraud to ensure funding stays in schools where it can make a difference rather than lining criminals’ pockets.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to stop these crimes and have invested £250 million as part of our new Fraud Strategy to crackdown on this crime.”

16 June 2026