Scam Protection Steps You Can Take
The one-stop page for advice, signposting and scam protection information,
This page includes signposting to trusted websites that can help you if you have become a scam victim or want to check if something is a scam. It also includes some information on what you can ask your bank/financial institution to apply to your account if you are worried that your account may be compromised, or that you may have become a victim of a scam.
If you have been a victim of fraud and scams, click the button below for targeted reporting information and support:
Trusted areas for you to get advice and support:
Citizens Advice helps victims of scams by providing free, confidential advice on how to identify scams, report them to authorities like Report Fraud or Trading Standards, and take steps to recover stolen money or secure compromised personal data. They offer support via their consumer service line, web chat, and online guidance pages.
The Cyber Helpline offers free, expert support for victims of cybercrime, digital fraud and online harm. They can provide guidance on recovering your accounts and funds, securing your devices, and preventing it from happening again. Go to the 'Get Help' part of their website and submit your case to the chatbot to get support.
Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. They provide specialist help to support people to cope and move on to the point where they feel they are back on track with their lives.
Stop! Think Fraud is a UK Home Office-led campaign designed to empower the public to spot, avoid and report scams. Launched in 2024, It provides a centralised, consistent source of anti-fraud advice developed with law enforcement and industry experts to combat the rising prevalence of fraud. The campaign aims to educate the public on the tactics criminals use—often causing fear or urgency—to steal money or personal data.
Which?'s Reimbursement information page explains how people in the UK can try to recover money stolen through a scam, depending on whether they paid by bank transfer, card, or an online service. It also outlines how to report the scam and how to escalate a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman if a bank refuses to refund you.
The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent UK body that settles disputes between consumers and financial firms when things go wrong. They support scam victims by reviewing how a bank handled the case and can order the bank to refund the money if it acted unfairly or didn’t follow proper standards.
Friends Against Scams (FAS) organisations come from a range of business sectors, charities and Government agencies. A FAS organisation will make a pledge to support the initiative by raising awareness. Click to find a list of our organisations.
Trusted areas for you to check potential scams:
Ask Silver is the award winning artificial intelligence scams checker. Do you think you have received a scam? Click to use the new scams checker tool powered by Ask Silver.
Get Safe Online is one of the UK's leading internet safety websites. They provide unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety, as well as having a built-in scam website checker on their website.
Have I Been Pwned is a security service that lets you check whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known data breaches. It also offers notifications, breach details, and tools for monitoring domains so you can stay ahead of future exposures.
Almost all financial services firms in the UK must be authorised or registered by the FCA. To find out if a firm or individual is authorised, you can search using the FCA's 'Firm Checker'. Check that the firm reference number (FRN) and contact details you've been given match the details on the Firm Checker.
Initiatives from Financial Institutions:
This section shows some steps you can ask your bank/financial institution to impose on your account/the account of a loved one if you are worried. Please make sure to always do your own research first when choosing your financial institution.
Transaction limits
Most financial institutions allow for a transaction limit to be set manually, or have one installed in their systems which prevents a person sending above a certain amount of money. If you or a loved one has been a victim of scams, contact the bank/building society and enquire about setting up a transaction limit on the account to protect the funds.
Call 159
If you receive a call claiming to be from your bank that you think is suspicious, hang up and call the number 159. When you call the number, you’ll hear an automated message asking you which bank you would like to be connected to. Staff will then confirm if the call you received was genuine, or a scam.
Blocking payment channels
Barclays, Chase, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, Santander, Starling and TSB let you block remote purchases made online, over the phone and by mail order if you're worried that your card details may have been stolen.
Power of attorney/Trusted contacts
Monzo allows for a power of attorney to be put in place on a loved one's account, where in order to make a payment, the POA must approve it on their end. Some institutions call this a 'Trusted Contact'. If you or a loved one has been a victim of scams, contact the bank/building society and enquire about setting this up to protect the funds.
Location based protection
Monzo and Revolut allow customers to set up trusted locations, so that if a transfer above a certain limit is attempted from a different place, it will be blocked or subject to additional ID checks and a one-hour delay.
Call checker
Banks such as Barclays, Monzo and Revolut have started using an initiative which they call the 'call checker'. This means that members can now instantly confirm whether a call they’re on is genuine through their banking app. They simply open the app, go to 'more', and 'call checker', and the screen will display either 'You’re on a call with [name]' or 'You’re not on a call with us.'
Screen-sharing blurring
Santander have created technology that blurs your screen automatically when sharing your screen over call and opening your online banking when doing so, or allowing an impersonator to access your account through remote-access software. This is to protect the bank details of the account from criminals who may have used impersonation tactics and video called to ask you to access your bank page to 'fix an issue' etc.