How to report fraud in the UK
Several different systems need to hear from you, and each one records something the others cannot. This is the order that loses the least time — and in the UK, the bank comes first.
Before you do anything else
Do not delete the conversation, the app, the profile or the emails — even if looking at them is unbearable. Screenshot and export first. The police, your bank and the Ombudsman all need the original record, and fraudsters delete their side quickly.
If remote-access software was installed on your device, disconnect it from the internet and use a different device for password changes and banking. If someone is on their way to collect cash or cards from you, call 999.
What to do, and when
The windows matter. Funds in mule accounts are moved within hours, the APP reimbursement clock is 13 months, and platform logs expire long before court limitation periods do.
Stop the bleeding
- 1Call your bank's fraud team on 159, or the number on the back of your card — never a number the caller gave you.
- 2If you sent the money yourself, say it is an APP scam and ask them to contact the receiving bank to freeze the funds. Note the time you called.
- 3Freeze or lock the affected cards and accounts; uninstall any remote-access software and take the device offline.
- 4Stop all contact with the fraudster, but do not delete anything yet.
Preserve the evidence
- 1Screenshot every message, profile, transaction, wallet address and receipt before accounts vanish.
- 2Download bank and platform statements covering the whole relationship, not just the last transfer.
- 3Write a plain timeline: dates, amounts, names, phone numbers, URLs, and what you were told each time.
- 4Change passwords from a clean device, starting with your email, and turn on two-step verification.
Report to the right bodies
- 1Report to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040 — or to Police Scotland on 101 — and keep the crime reference number.
- 2Put your reimbursement claim or complaint to your bank in writing, even if you already phoned.
- 3If it was an investment, check the firm on the FCA Register and Warning List, and report it to the FCA.
- 4Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam texts to 7726.
Open the civil and complaint tracks
- 1If your bank refuses or stalls, ask for its final response in writing so you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
- 2Speak to a solicitor about a Norwich Pharmacal order or freezing injunction while the trail is warm.
- 3Check your credit reports with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and consider Cifas Protective Registration.
- 4Diary your deadlines: 13 months from the last payment for APP reimbursement, and six years for most civil claims (five in Scotland).
Who does what — and what they will not do
Most frustration in the months after a fraud comes from expecting the wrong thing from the right body. Set expectations correctly and you will chase fewer dead ends.
| Body | What it does | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|
| Your bank or building society | Tries to freeze and recover funds from the receiving account, decides your APP reimbursement or unauthorised payment claim, and handles the complaint that the Ombudsman can later review. | Cannot reimburse under the APP rules for card payments, cash, crypto sent between wallets, or international transfers. |
| Report Fraud (England, Wales & NI) | Records your crime, gives you a crime reference number, and passes it to a police force where there is a line of enquiry. Links your report with others from the same operation. | Does not usually investigate individual cases itself, and does not return money. |
| Police Scotland | Takes fraud reports from anyone in Scotland on 101, and investigates where there are viable lines of enquiry. | Cannot force a bank to reimburse you, and rarely recovers funds directly. |
| Financial Conduct Authority | Records unauthorised and clone firms, publishes warnings, and can take enforcement action against firms operating illegally. | Does not handle individual complaints or get your money back — that is the Financial Ombudsman Service. |
| Financial Ombudsman Service | Decides complaints against banks and financial firms, including refused reimbursement claims, and can award up to £455,000. | Cannot act against the fraudster, and generally needs the firm to have had its chance to respond first. |
Build the package once
Assemble this in a single folder and you can hand the same package to your bank, the police, the Ombudsman and a solicitor without rebuilding it each time.
- Full names, aliases, and profile handles used by the fraudster
- Every phone number, email address, and messaging account
- Complete chat and email exports, not selected screenshots
- All URLs, including fake trading dashboards and app download links
- Bank statements, payment confirmations, and the payee name, sort code and account number for every transfer
- Any Confirmation of Payee result or warning screen your banking app showed before you paid
- Crypto wallet addresses, transaction hashes, and the exchange used
- Any documents they sent: contracts, certificates, invoices, ID
- Names of anyone else you know who was targeted by the same operation
Keep a log of every call you make: date, time, who you spoke to, reference number, and what they committed to. It becomes decisive if you later take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service or to court.
National bodies
Verify every number independently on the official site before calling. Fraudsters buy search ads against these exact terms.
Report Fraud
The national reporting service for fraud and cyber crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, run by the City of London Police. It replaced Action Fraud in January 2026. Reports are assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and sent to a police force where there is a line of enquiry — it does not usually investigate individual cases itself.
Report even if you did not lose money. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101 instead.
Police Scotland
Takes fraud and cyber crime reports for anyone in Scotland, which Report Fraud does not cover. Call 101, or report in person at a police station, and ask for the incident or crime reference number.
Anywhere in the UK, call 999 if you are in immediate danger or someone is on their way to collect money from you.
159 — Stop Scams UK
A short, memorable number that connects you safely to the fraud team of your own bank or building society. Supported by most major UK banks. Use it whenever a call about your money does not feel right.
Hang up first, then dial 159 — from a different phone if you can, because fraudsters sometimes keep the line open.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Regulates financial firms, including investment firms and cryptoasset businesses. Check the Financial Services Register before you invest, search the Warning List of unauthorised and clone firms, and report a firm you think is a scam.
Financial Ombudsman Service
Free, independent service that settles complaints between consumers and financial businesses — including banks that refuse APP scam reimbursement. It can award up to £455,000, and if you accept its decision the firm is bound by it.
Refer after the firm's final response, or once it has run out of time to give one. You normally have six months from the final response.
National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
Runs the Suspicious Email Reporting Service. Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam texts free to 7726 — reported sites and numbers are taken down.
Citizens Advice consumer service
Free advice on scams and consumer problems in England and Wales, and passes scam reports to Trading Standards. In Scotland use Advice Direct Scotland (0808 164 6000); in Northern Ireland, Consumerline (0300 123 6262).
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Handles complaints where an organisation mishandled or lost your personal data under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 — relevant where a data breach enabled the fraud.
Samaritans
Free, confidential support 24 hours a day, every day, from any phone in the UK and Ireland. Victims of financial crime are at elevated risk of crisis — calling is a legitimate part of fraud response.
Reporting when you are not the account holder
If the person defrauded is an older relative, or someone who lacks capacity, you can still report. The police and Report Fraud accept reports from family members and carers, and the local council's adult safeguarding team can step in where financial abuse is suspected.
Where a lasting power of attorney was misused, report it to the Office of the Public Guardian (in Scotland, the Office of the Public Guardian Scotland) as well as the police, and take legal advice — in England and Wales the remedies run through the Mental Capacity Act and the Court of Protection, and in Scotland through the Adults with Incapacity Act, rather than through the fraud report alone.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
Reporting is easier to get right the first time than to correct later. We can go through your case, work out who needs to hear from you, and help you assemble the evidence package once.
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