A step-by-step walkthrough of reporting fraud in the UK: your bank first, then the national reporting centre, then the Financial Ombudsman Service if the bank’s response falls short.
Summary
- Contact your bank or payment provider immediately after a scam; dialling 159 reaches your bank through a safe line if you doubt a caller.
- Report fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland through Report Fraud, known for years as Action Fraud; Scotland uses Police Scotland on 101.
- Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and scam texts to 7726 so investigators and phone providers can act on them.
- You receive a crime reference number after reporting, which helps when asking your bank for reimbursement.
- If your bank’s handling disappoints you, the Financial Ombudsman Service can investigate for free, usually within 6 months of a final response.
Realising you have been caught out by a scam is unsettling, and the first question is usually who to tell. In the UK there is a sensible order: your bank or payment provider straight away, then the national fraud reporting centre, then the Financial Ombudsman Service if the bank’s response falls short.
Start With Your Bank: The First Call to Make
Contact your bank or payment services provider immediately, as the Financial Ombudsman Service advises. The sooner a payment is flagged, the better the chance it can be stopped or traced. If you worry that a call claiming to be from your bank is itself part of the scam, hang up and dial 159, a short code that connects you to your bank through a safe line.
Knowing what kind of fraud you may have experienced helps. Fraud is when someone tricks you into giving them money or information, and it is a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006. In an authorised push payment (APP) scam, sometimes called a bank transfer scam, you are persuaded to make the payment yourself. Variations include paying by card into a fake investment, handing over cash for building work that never happens, or moving money into an account in your own name first, a so-called “me-to-me” scam. Our article on authorised push payment scams covers the warning signs and refund rights.
If a card payment was involved rather than a bank transfer, you may have chargeback or Section 75 routes alongside a fraud report; we explain both in our guide to chargebacks and Section 75 claims. If a crime is happening right now, call 999; otherwise, 101 reaches your local police.
Reporting to Report Fraud, Formerly Known as Action Fraud
The UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime operates through Report Fraud, the service many people still know as Action Fraud. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, you report fraud to Police Scotland on 101 instead.
You can report online, as a guest or with an account, or by phone on 0300 123 2040. The online form is built for a desktop computer rather than a phone, takes around 20 minutes and must be finished in one sitting; a session expires if a page sits idle for 40 minutes. If you get stuck, a web chat icon connects you to an adviser, though opening hours apply.
Before you start, gather the details so nothing gets missed:
- what information you shared, such as passwords, PINs or bank details
- how you paid, for example by bank transfer or credit card
- dates, amounts and how the money was lost
If you received a suspicious message but lost no money and did not respond, there is a separate route for attempted scams and viruses.
Reporting Scam Emails, Texts and Adverts
Phishing describes messages designed to look like they come from a genuine organisation, whether a big company, a government department or even someone you know, with the aim of harvesting details. Never reply, click links or download attachments when you are unsure a message is genuine.
Several channels exist for reporting these messages without a full crime report:
- Suspicious emails can be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk, where the National Cyber Security Centre reviews them.
- Scam texts go to 7726, free of charge. Your mobile provider receives the message and may investigate or block the sender.
- Misleading adverts can be flagged to the Advertising Standards Authority, or to Google or Bing when they appear in search results.
- Scam letters in the post can be reported to Royal Mail, which investigates postal scams.
You can also report a scam to Citizens Advice, which passes the information to Trading Standards, the service that gathers evidence about scams for possible legal action. If you suspect a fake online shop or a purchase that never arrived, our piece on the real cost of online purchase scams explains how those schemes work.
What Happens After You File a Report
Once submitted, your report goes to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, run by the City of London Police, the lead force for fraud in the UK. You receive a crime reference number and updates by email. Individual reports are not investigated one by one; the information helps police build a national picture, and in some cases an agency may contact you for more detail.
That crime reference number is useful beyond policing. Citizens Advice notes it can help when telling your bank you have been scammed, and it supports any request for reimbursement. The Financial Ombudsman Service also advises keeping records of all contact with the scammer, because you may need them later.
Top tip
Create one folder, digital or paper, for everything related to the scam: the crime reference number, copies of messages, payment receipts and notes of every call with your bank. It is the evidence you will reach for if a complaint follows.
The ombudsman cannot solve the crime itself; that is a matter for the police. Its role is to look at how your bank or payment provider handled the situation.
Taking a Complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service
If you have lost money to fraud and are unhappy with how your bank or payment services provider dealt with it, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help. It is an independent body that investigates disagreements between people and financial firms, and it can look at your case even if you are unsure how the scam worked.
The process has three stages. First, complain to the financial business itself; the Financial Conduct Authority’s register lists contact details for regulated firms. Second, wait while it investigates. For most complaints a business has up to 8 weeks, but complaints about payment services such as bank transfers or direct debits, and about electronic money such as online money transfers, carry a shorter limit of 15 days. The firm then sends a final response; keep that letter, because the ombudsman will ask to see it. Third, if you remain unhappy, or hear nothing within the time limits, bring the complaint to the ombudsman, normally within 6 months of the date on the final response.
The service is free, and you do not need a lawyer or a claims management company to represent you; a family member or friend can act for you if you prefer.
Protecting Yourself Against a Repeat Attempt
Someone who has been scammed before may be contacted again. Scammers build trust or create a sense of urgency and panic, and they can sound knowledgeable, with websites identical to the real thing. A few habits reduce the risk:
- Treat unexpected calls, emails and texts with caution, even when the caller knows basic details about you.
- Hang up if you feel pressured to act quickly. A genuine bank or business will not mind waiting.
- Check any financial firm or individual on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Firm Checker, and confirm the firm reference number and contact details match. Type the address in directly rather than clicking links.
- Never share passwords, and never download software or an app from a source you do not trust, since remote access can let a criminal reach your bank account.
If you are unsure about a call that seemed to come from your bank, our article Is a Call From Your Bank Ever a Scam? sets out how to tell. If doubt lingers, hang up and call back on a number you trust.
Next steps
- Authorised push payment scams: warning signs and your right to a refund: what transfer scams look like and how reimbursement requests work.
- Getting started with chargebacks and Section 75 claims: the card payment routes that can run alongside a fraud report.
- Is a call from your bank ever a scam?: how to verify a caller before sharing anything.
Questions readers ask
Who should I contact first if I have been scammed?
Your bank or payment services provider, as soon as you realise what has happened. The Financial Ombudsman Service lists this as the immediate step, and a quick report gives the bank the best chance of stopping or tracing a payment.
Do I need to report a scam if I lost no money?
You can still report it. If you received a suspicious message but did not respond or lose money, there is a separate reporting route for attempted scams, and forwarding texts to 7726 or emails to report@phishing.gov.uk helps stop others being targeted.
Will reporting fraud get my money back?
A police report itself does not decide reimbursement; that is a matter between you and your bank or payment provider. If you are unhappy with how the firm handled your case, you can bring a free complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
How long does a fraud report take to complete?
The online reporting form takes around 20 minutes and must be completed in one session, so gather dates, amounts and payment details first. Reporting by phone on 0300 123 2040 is the alternative.
This guide is general information, not financial advice. Rules, rates and allowances can change, so check the latest details with the provider, GOV.UK or the Financial Conduct Authority before making decisions. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to an FCA-authorised financial adviser.