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UK Scams: Bank, Impersonation & Online Fraud Guide

The most common scams in the UK and how to report them via Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud), your bank, and 159.

Emergency number: 999 (emergency), 101 (non-emergency police) — verify on official sources.

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026

The UK sees high volumes of authorised push payment (APP) fraud, bank and police impersonation 'safe account' scams, delivery smishing, and investment fraud. Because Faster Payments moves money between UK accounts in seconds, the scams that do the most damage are the ones that talk you into pressing 'send' yourself — which is exactly what impersonation, purchase, romance and investment fraud are engineered to do. This guide outlines the dominant scams and the official routes — Report Fraud, the 159 secure bank line, and your bank's own fraud team — to report and seek help.

Impersonation is the workhorse. A call or text appears to come from your bank's fraud team, the police, HMRC, or DVLA — often with the genuine number spoofed on caller ID — and warns that your account is compromised or a fine is due. The 'safe account' version ends with you moving your own savings to an account the fraudster controls. On WhatsApp, the 'Hi Mum / Hi Dad' scam has a supposed child messaging from a 'new number' and asking for an urgent bill or rent payment. Courier fraud targets older victims: fake police officers ask them to withdraw cash or buy gold as part of an 'investigation' and send a courier to collect it.

Everyday online fraud clusters around marketplaces and messages. Purchase scams on Facebook Marketplace and other platforms take payment by bank transfer for goods that never arrive; rental listing scams collect deposits for flats the scammer doesn't control; and fake delivery texts impersonating Royal Mail or Evri harvest card details that are then used in a follow-up 'bank fraud team' call. Investment fraud rounds out the picture, from cloned FCA-authorised firms with convincing paperwork to celebrity-deepfake crypto ads. The UK's reporting infrastructure is unusually joined up — dial 159 to reach your bank securely, forward texts to 7726, report to the Report Fraud service, and check any investment firm against the FCA register before sending a penny.

Common scams

  • Bank and police impersonation 'safe account' scams
  • Delivery and DVLA/HMRC smishing
  • Investment and crypto fraud
  • Purchase scams on marketplaces

Tourist-specific scams

  • Overpriced or unlicensed taxis
  • Ticket scams for events and attractions
  • Fake holiday-let and accommodation listings taken by bank transfer

Online shopping scams

  • Fake delivery texts (Royal Mail/courier impersonation)
  • Marketplace purchase non-delivery
  • Phishing emails impersonating banks and HMRC
  • WhatsApp 'Hi Mum / Hi Dad' messages from a 'new number'

Job scams

  • Task scams
  • Fake recruiter and work-from-home scams
  • Money-mule recruitment dressed up as 'payment processing' work

Romance scams

  • Dating-app romance and pig-butchering scams
  • Long-distance partners with escalating emergencies and travel costs
  • Grooming that pivots to 'help me invest' crypto platforms

Investment scams

  • Clone firm and fake broker scams
  • Crypto and 'AI trading' platforms
  • Pension transfer scams

How to report a scam here

  1. Call your bank immediately (number on your card) or dial 159 to reach your bank securely
  2. Report fraud to the Report Fraud service online or on 0300 123 2040
  3. Forward scam texts to 7726 and scam emails to [email protected]
  4. Check firms on the FCA register and ScamSmart warning list

Local reporting & protection links

Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.

Bank & payment guidance

Dial 159 to reach your bank securely, or use the number printed on your card - never one supplied by whoever contacted you. Tell them plainly that you were deceived into authorising the payment, and ask for it to be stopped or recalled and the receiving account reported. UK banks are signed up to reimbursement rules for many APP fraud victims sending money by Faster Payments, so report quickly, cooperate with the bank's questions, and keep every message, date and amount — reimbursement decisions turn on the record you can show. A genuine bank will never ask you to move money to a 'safe account', read out a passcode, or download remote-access software. If you paid by debit or credit card rather than transfer, ask about chargeback or a Section 75 claim instead. Ask about reissuing your card if details were shared, and change your online banking password if you entered it anywhere unusual.

Evidence to preserve

  • Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
  • Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
  • Keep emails with full headers where possible
  • Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used

Frequently asked questions

What is 159?

159 is a secure UK phone service that connects you directly to your bank's fraud team. If you get a suspicious call about your money, hang up and dial 159 to check.

Will my bank refund an authorised push payment (APP) scam?

Often, yes. UK reimbursement rules require banks to refund many APP fraud victims who paid by Faster Payments, unless the customer was grossly negligent. Report promptly, be honest about what happened, and keep the evidence — outcomes depend on it.

What is the 'Hi Mum' WhatsApp scam?

A message claiming to be your child or another relative texting from a 'new number' asks for urgent help paying a bill. Verify by calling the person's real number before sending anything — the scammer is counting on you not checking.

Focused guides for United Kingdom

50 guides on specific scams as they appear in United Kingdom.

Sources

  • National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
  • FTC / Report Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance