Q: I have a friend that emailed me saying they need to pay a Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) fee before they are allowed to leave the U.K. Is there such a fee?
A: There is no such thing as a BTA fee in the United Kingdom. This is a scam and one that we hear about every day at the Embassy. If your friend is someone you’ve met only over the Internet, we recommend that you cease communications with this individual immediately in order to lessen the risk of being exploited. If you have shared any personal information, you may want to contact the police and your financial institutions to protect your identity. Do NOT give this person any money. For more information on scams, see our website at http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/acs/scs/internet_scams.html .
