Impersonation scam
Any fraud in which an attacker poses as a trusted person or institution — a bank, government body, family member, or celebrity — to extract money or information.
Also known as: identity impersonation, brand impersonation
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Impersonation scams are one of the broadest categories of fraud, covering any scenario in which a fraudster adopts a false identity to gain trust. The impersonated party might be a financial institution, a government department (HMRC, the police, the NHS), a delivery company, a utility provider, a senior colleague, a celebrity, or a loved one.
The combination of familiarity — you recognise the brand or voice being impersonated — and urgency is the core mechanism. Urgency overrides the careful thinking that would otherwise lead the victim to pause and verify.
Defending against impersonation scams requires one habit above all: never acting on an inbound contact. If your bank calls you, hang up and call the number on the back of your card. If HMRC writes, look up their genuine number and call proactively. Independent verification breaks the scam.