I’ve Been Scammed in the UK — What to Do Next

The first hour: stop the bleed

The next 60 minutes determine whether most of your money comes back. Take these actions in order:

1. Call your bank’s fraud line. Use the number on the back of your card or printed on your bank statement — never a number from any email / text related to the scam. Major UK fraud lines: Barclays 0345 734 5345, NatWest 0345 600 2230, HSBC 0345 600 7010, Lloyds 0800 917 7017, Santander 0330 9 123 123, Halifax 0345 720 3040, Nationwide 0800 055 6622, Monzo 0800 802 1281, Revolut (in-app chat), Starling (in-app chat), TSB 0800 096 8669. Use the phrase: “I’ve been the victim of an authorised push payment fraud. Please log this under the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme and freeze the account.”
2. If you can still see the recipient’s account: note the sort code and account number. The bank’s fraud team uses this to contact the receiving bank for funds freeze.
3. If you used a card: ask the bank to immediately block the card and issue a replacement. Authorise any chargeback / Section 75 process as soon as possible.
4. If the scammer has remote access to your computer: disconnect the device from the internet immediately (unplug Wi-Fi, pull network cable, force shutdown if necessary). See our tech-support scam recovery flow.
5. If you shared online-banking login or card details: change banking passwords from a DIFFERENT device (your phone’s mobile data, not the affected computer’s Wi-Fi). Enable 2FA via authenticator app immediately.
6. Take screenshots and notes of everything. Messages, transaction details, the scammer’s claimed name and number, any URLs. You’ll need this evidence for the bank, Report Fraud, and any subsequent recovery action.

The first day: claim recovery

If you paid by UK bank transfer (Faster Payments)

The PSR (Payment Systems Regulator) Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme requires UK banks to reimburse Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud victims up to £85,000 within 5 working days, unless the bank can prove gross negligence. The scheme applies to transfers made after 7 October 2024.

Action: use our PSR Claim Wizard → to structure your bank-facing PSR claim with the right legal framing. Submit within 24-48 hours of the loss for maximum recovery probability.

If you paid by credit or debit card

Credit-card purchases of £100-£30,000 are protected by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 — the credit-card issuer is jointly and severally liable with the merchant. Debit-card purchases use card-scheme chargeback rules.

Action: use our Chargeback & Section 75 Generator → to draft a tailored claim letter.

If you paid by cryptocurrency / wire transfer / gift cards

Recovery is very limited. Funds typically leave the regulated banking system within hours. Report to Report Fraud immediately. Specialist crypto-tracing firms (CipherTrace, Chainalysis Reactor partners) exist but are expensive relative to typical UK consumer losses.

If you shared personal documents (passport, NI number, DOB, address)

The combination of personal documents + your name + your DOB is fraud-ready for identity-theft applications. Register for CIFAS Protective Registration → — £25 for 2 years of credit-file protection across 600+ UK organisations.

Report to Report Fraud

Report at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. Get the crime reference number — you’ll need it for the bank’s PSR process, insurance claims, and any civil recovery action. See our Report Fraud reporting guide for the full walkthrough.

The first week: build your recovery file

1. Gather and organise all evidence. Transaction details, communications, screenshots, contact attempts with the scammer, original advertisement / DM / call that introduced the scam. Most banks request this in support of PSR claims.
2. Track your bank’s response timeline. PSR Mandatory Reimbursement is supposed to complete within 5 working days. If your bank pushes back, ask which specific aspect of the PSR scheme they’re relying on to refuse / delay (only valid grounds are gross negligence under FCA DISP rules).
3. Report to specific organisations depending on the scam type. SMS scam: forward to 7726. Email scam: report@phishing.gov.uk. Investment scam: FCA ScamSmart. Romance scam: also Victim Support UK for emotional support. Sextortion (under-18): IWF Report Remove.
4. Notify family if shared. If your phone, accounts, or family contacts are involved (family-emergency scams, social-media takeovers), brief other family members on the scam type. Operations often hit multiple targets.
5. Cancel any subscriptions / connected services on the compromised card. If the criminal has your card details, they can run small recurring charges that may not trigger your bank’s normal fraud detection.
6. Monitor bank + credit accounts daily. Look for any unauthorised activity, applications, or account changes. Most identity-theft fallout from card / personal-data compromise emerges in week 2-6 after the original scam.

The first month: escalation and aftercare

1. If your bank refuses or partially refuses PSR reimbursement: request a formal final response letter, then escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service after 8 weeks (or immediately if you get the final response letter sooner). The FOS is free for consumers, binding on the bank, and has high success rates on APP fraud cases.
2. For card disputes: if a chargeback fails, escalate via FOS for Section 75 cases (credit cards £100-£30,000 only).
3. If the loss is substantial (£5,000+): consider engaging an SRA-regulated solicitor for civil recovery. Specialists are listed at Fraud Lawyers Association. They can pursue: civil claims against named individuals (rare unless scammer identified), Norwich Pharmacal Orders against receiving banks (forces disclosure of account-holder details), freezing orders.
4. Credit-file review at 30, 60, 90 days. Check Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion for any unauthorised credit applications. Free statutory reports available via Experian, Equifax, TransUnion.
5. Emotional support if needed. Scam victimisation is often as psychologically harmful as it is financially. Victim Support UK offers free confidential support; their fraud-specific helpline is 0808 16 89 111.
6. Tax considerations. Some types of fraud loss may be deductible as bad debts for self-employed taxpayers; HMRC BIM manual covers this. Speak to your accountant.

Recovery probability by payment route

Honest expectations matter. Here’s how recovery probability varies by payment route, based on typical UK 2024-2026 outcomes:

What you don’t have to do

• You don’t have to feel ashamed. UK Finance estimates 1 in 8 UK adults are scam-victimised each year. The criminals are professional operations targeting psychological pressure points; this is not a personal failure.
• You don’t have to recover everything alone. Use the PSR Wizard / Chargeback Generator / CIFAS walkthrough we’ve built specifically for UK victims. Use Victim Support UK for emotional support. Use FOS for bank disputes. The whole system exists to help you.
• You don’t have to engage with the scammer. Block all communication channels. Don’t reply to claims of “system error”, “the money will come back if you do one more thing”, “help us catch the scammer”. These are escalation tactics; the only legitimate path is via your bank + Report Fraud + ScamSupport tools.
• You don’t have to pay a “recovery firm” that contacts you. Recovery scams target previous victims explicitly. If a firm contacts YOU offering to recover lost funds for an up-front fee, it’s a second scam on top of the first.