In the UK, fraud now accounts for roughly 40% of all crime in England and Wales, at an estimated cost of £6.8 billion per year.
As a result, the threat posed by scams is widespread. Nearly three-quarters of people in the UK were targeted by scams last year, with 19 million losing money as a result. Despite this, only 32% of people reported the scam to the police, while 42% did not tell their bank.
Failing to report a scam won’t just put you at greater risk of serious consequences, including financial losses and identity theft. It also makes it harder to track down those responsible and prevent future incidents.
In this post, we’ll explain how you can report a scam in the UK and outline the steps you can take to recover any lost money or assets.
Immediate Steps to Take After Being Scammed
Taking immediate action when you discover you’ve been scammed is critical. By following the 3 steps below, you can minimise your risk of further negative consequences.
These steps will also make it easier to recover any money you’ve lost. If you notify your bank within 24 hours of being scammed, you have a significantly higher chance of getting your money back.
1) Stop Making Payments
If the scam involves sending money to another account, you should take immediate action to stop any payments. If you are currently in the process of making a payment, stop immediately and end the interaction.
If a payment has been processed, all is not lost. If you act fast, you may be able to stop pending transactions from going through, as well as ensure any direct debits or standing orders are cancelled.
The best way to do this is to call your bank immediately on a trusted number. Your bank’s fraud team will be able to review any changes to your account and verify transactions with you while you’re on the phone.
2) Freeze Your Bank Account
Freezing your bank account prevents any money from being paid in, transferred or withdrawn. This is an essential step, given that scams don’t always involve simply taking your money.
The “money mule” scam, for instance, involves sending money to your account and asking you to send it on. This is often done as part of a money laundering scheme.
With this in mind, freezing your account immediately is the safest option. Most likely, your bank’s fraud team will freeze the account when you speak to them, but you can also do this through your online banking app if you can’t call right away.
3) Gather The Information You Need
If you want to stand a chance of recouping any money you’ve lost through the scam, this is a critical step. You’ll need as much information as possible about those involved in the scam in order to identify them and prove what happened. This can include:
- The name and contact information of the scammer
- Any bank details used in the transactions
- Details of any payments made (e.g., time, date, amount)
- The nature of the scam (e.g., impersonation scam, invoice scam)
- Any recordings or screenshots of communications
Gathering the information quickly reduces your risk of forgetting key details or losing access to important documents that could help track down those responsible.
Who Do I Contact When I’ve Been Scammed?
If you’ve been scammed, making sure the right people are aware is vital. Reporting the incident won’t just help protect you from any negative impact – it will also help protect others and bring those responsible to justice.
In addition to those mentioned below, you may also want to contact Victim Support. This UK charity provides help and advice for victims of crime, including those affected by scams. Given the serious impact of scams on mental health, this could be an important step toward protecting your wellbeing.
Inform the Police
Reporting scams to the police is an essential part of tackling the ongoing threat of fraud. To report a scam to the police, you should:
- Make a report to Action Fraud. Action Fraud is the UK’s reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can submit a report on their website or call them on 0300 123 2040. The service is operated by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), who will decide if there is enough information to pass on to the police.
- Call 999 if you are in danger. If you are in the process of being scammed and are worried you may be at immediate risk of harm, you should contact emergency services to seek help as soon as possible.
You can also forward any suspicious emails to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS). If you are concerned an email may be a scam, simply forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Contact Your Bank
As we mentioned above, getting in touch with your bank is an essential part of protecting yourself if you’ve been scammed. If you contact them quickly, your bank can potentially reverse any pending transactions, freeze your account, and make sure you’re not at any further risk.
In the UK, you can call 159 to report scams to most major banks, including Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, Santander, and Royal Bank of Scotland. Online banks such as Monzo and Revolut are also supported through this service.
When contacting your bank, make sure you verify the phone number or email address you are using. Do not use a number provided in text messages or email communications. Instead, visit their website directly to find the number for reporting scams.
Can I Get My Money Back If I’ve Been Scammed?
Once you’ve reported the scam, the next step is to try and get your money back. And the good news is that, in many cases, you can claim back the full amount you’ve lost. In some cases, you can even claim interest on the money lost from the date of the scam.
In some cases, your bank may reimburse you for the money you lost. However, this depends on various factors, including the payment method you used, when the scam took place, the amount you lost, and whether the bank considers you to have been negligent.
If your bank refuses to reimburse you, you’ll need the support of experienced fraud recovery solicitors to get your money back. They will be able to track down stolen assets, instigate civil proceedings or private criminal prosecutions, and give you the best chance of getting back what was stolen.
Here at CEL Solicitors, we’ve recovered more than £100 million for clients who lost money to scams or fraud. Take a look at our case studies for some of our recent success stories, including recovering £134,000 for a retiree who fell victim to two scams.
We operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, so if you don’t recover any money, you won’t owe us a penny. Get in touch today on 0330 822 3755 to discuss your case or start your fraud recovery journey online.
