Who to contact across the UK
National bodies, reporting routes, victim support and consumer advice for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in one place. Every organisation listed here is free to contact.
Always verify the number yourself
Fraudsters buy search advertisements against terms like "HMRC phone number" and "bank fraud line", and clone official websites closely. Type the organisation's official address yourself rather than clicking a search result, and never call a number supplied by someone who contacted you. For your bank, 159 is the safe shortcut.
UK-wide bodies and services
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, victim support and consumer advice
Where you report and who supports you depends on which part of the UK you live in. Scotland is the main difference: report to Police Scotland, not Report Fraud.
Channel Islands and Isle of Man: these are not part of the UK, and Report Fraud, the FCA and the Financial Ombudsman Service do not generally cover them. Report to your island's police service, check firms with the Jersey Financial Services Commission, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission or the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority, and take complaints about local financial firms to the Channel Islands Financial Ombudsman or the Isle of Man Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.
Emotional and practical support
Fraud is a crime with a serious psychological toll. These services are free, confidential, and do not require a police report.
Samaritans
Free, 24 hours a day, from any phone in the UK. Use it if the loss has left you in crisis — this is exactly what it is for. If you would rather text, message SHOUT to 85258.
116 123Victim support services
Emotional support, practical help and advocacy, whether or not you reported to the police. Find the service for your nation in the table above. The Victims' Code sets out what you are entitled to.
The Victims' Code →Legal help
Citizens Advice and law centres can help for free, and many solicitors offer a free first conversation. Always check a solicitor is on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register — or the Law Society of Scotland or Northern Ireland directory — before paying anything.
SRA solicitors register →Nobody in this directory will ever charge you
Every organisation listed on this page is free to contact. If anyone claiming to be one of them asks for a payment, a fee, a "release charge" or cryptocurrency, it is an impostor — report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or to Police Scotland on 101.
Not sure who to contact first?
This directory is long on purpose, and it is a lot to face alone. Book a time and we will work out which of these bodies actually needs to hear from you, and in what order.
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