If you’ve given your banking or payment details to a scammer or you have lost money to a scam and you paid with a credit or debit card, or transferred money from your account, tell your bank or payment provider as soon as possible.
Reports of fraud should be investigated quickly and all efforts should be made to recover the money if possible.
Report Fraud (formerly known as Action Fraud) is the fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. It gathers intelligence on scams and passes it onto the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau for analysis by the police.
You can report any attempt to steal your money or personal information to Report Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or reporting it online
If you live in Scotland, you can report a scam directly to the police by calling 101.
If your money has been stolen as the result of a scam, you can report it to the police by calling 101.
You can also report an attempted scam, even if the fraudsters were unsuccessful. Not every report results in a police investigation, but any information you give will help build a clearer picture of how scams work, and who is behind them.
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How to report a scam
Report the scam
Scam emails should be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will be able to investigate the scam and may be able to prevent other people from being targeted.
You can also report scam emails to the email provider. Reporting emails to your provider by marking them as spam can help train these types of messages to go straight into your spam folder.
On Gmail, click 'Report spam'. Google will receive a copy of the email and may analyse it.
On Outlook, use the 'Phishing' button and block the sender. This will stop you from getting messages from them in the future.
On Yahoo Mail, click 'Spam' and select a reason for reporting the email.
If you've received a fake email claiming to be from a company, it’s worth alerting the company in question.
This could be a bank, government department, utility provider, a shop or a subscription service.
The company can then warn its customers about the scam and take steps to prevent scammers from targeting it in the future.
To report premium rate phone scams, contact Ofcom by filling out a form on its website or by calling it on 0300 123 3333 or 020 7981 3040.
You can report scam calls received on your mobile phone to your provider by texting the word ‘call’ followed by the dubious phone number to 7726 on an iPhone.
If you have an Android, text the word ‘call’ to 7726. You’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.
You can report scam texts by forwarding the text to 7726.
You can also report the call or text to Report Fraud.
You can also report scam websites to Report Fraud.
If you've seen a dodgy advert, or feel you’ve been misled by one, you can report it to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
You can report any kind of mass advertising including ads that appear on television, radio, billboards, websites and social media.
The ASA will investigate and can get scam ads removed. It can also fine companies or individuals that breach its guidelines.
On Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, you can report posts or ads by selecting the three dots in the corner and pressing 'Report'.
If you come across a scam or rogue business you can contact your local Citizens Advice, it may be able to offer you practical advice.
Citizens Advice has a strong relationship with Trading Standards. When you report a business you have concerns about, it will pass on information for officers to look into.
Trading Standards officers investigate companies that may be involved in illegal activities, and have powers to take criminal action against fraudulent firms.
If you have encountered a rogue trader and you feel you could be in any danger, you should contact the police.
If you receive junk post that you think might be from fraudsters, you can send it to Royal Mail at: Freepost Royal Mail Customer Services.
Royal Mail provides a form that you can use to report scam letters. You can submit this online or send it to Freepost Scam Mail with the letter you received. Reporting scams helps Royal Mail investigate them with the relevant authorities.
Stop scam post
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) can remove your name and address from mailing lists. Register for free by calling 020 7291 3310 or visit mpsonline.org.uk.
Seen or been affected by a scam? Tell us about it
Sharing details of a scam helps us to protect others as well as inform our scams content, research and policy work. We will collect information about the scam, but we won't be able to identify your responses unless you choose to provide your contact details.
Being scammed can take a huge toll on your mental health. You might find it helpful to talk to someone about what you’re going through. It’s not your fault, and there are plenty of non-judgemental advice lines you can call who will understand.
Mind
Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am - 6pm, Monday - Friday).
