What to do if you've been scammed

If you’ve been scammed, you need to:

• protect yourself from further risks

• check if you can get your money back

• report the scam

If you saw the scam online or in an email or text

You can use our online tool to get advice. Our tool will ask you questions and use your answers to give you advice.

Start the online tool

Protect yourself from further risks

If you’ve been scammed, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from things getting worse. What you need to do depends on what’s happened.

Important

If you feel threatened

Report this to the police immediately by calling 999.

If the scammer contacts you

If the scammer comes to your door, calls you, or sends you a message, ignore them, but keep a record of what's happened so you can report it. Read our advice on how to stop nuisance calls and texts.

If you’ve given the scammer access to your computer

Sometimes scammers ask to access your computer so they can control it remotely. For example, they might pretend to be from your internet provider and say they need to deal with a technical problem.

The scammer might have infected your computer with a virus, or stolen passwords and financial information. To stay safe you should:

• reset your passwords

• let your bank know your financial information might have been stolen

• make sure you update your anti-virus software

You could also get an IT professional to check your computer.

If you transferred money to the scammer in the last 24 hours

Tell the police immediately by calling 101.

If you think your account details or PIN have been stolen

Contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account.

After you’ve told your bank about the scam, keep an eye on your bank statements and look out for any unusual transactions. Also check your credit score to see if there are applications for credit you don’t recognise.

If you think your password could have been stolen

Change your password as soon as possible. If you’ve used the same password on any other accounts you should change it there too.

Make sure you create a strong password – for example, using numbers and special characters.

Some sites let you add extra security to your account. This is known as ‘two-factor authentication’.

If you think your account has been hacked

Your account might have been hacked if a scammer has stolen your passwords. If you think this has happened, the National Cyber Security Centre has advice on recovering an account that’s been hacked.

Check if you can get your money back

If you’ve lost money because of a scam, there might be things you can do to get it back.

Read our advice on checking if you can get your money back after a scam.

Managing someone else’s bank account

If you're helping someone who's been scammed, there are ways you can manage their bank account for them. You might need to do this if you want to stop payments or claim back money.

The person you're helping needs to fill in a form giving you permission to manage their account. This is known as a 'third party mandate'. Most banks have a third party mandate on their website.

To find out more, read our advice on managing affairs for someone else.

Report the scam

Reporting a scam helps enforcement authorities track down and stop the criminals responsible. Find out how to report a scam.